EUROPEAN UNION AND THE DESPERATION FOR FOOTPRINT

The EU has been facing the challenge of her time lately. Since Brexit, EU has been deeply imploded to the point that the unison that clad her foreign policies, seems to be fading off for individual nation-state policies driving. From the time of the formation of the regional integration project in Europe in 1950s, Europe have been longing to build a unifying roof that will guarantee their security in all sphere. The Europe that came out of the Second World War was too battered that it took United States “Marshall Plan” of April 3, 1948 by President Truman to bail her from outright collapse. That collective bailout plan of United State under the auspices of Marshall Plan, paved way the ideological dream for working as a team. Arguably, that precedent of trying to solve Europe’s problem from bloc lens, gave credence to the nursing and nurturing of a regional integration of today known as EU.

During the cold war era, EU never shade off from supporting United States position under the umbrella of “Western bloc” neither have she been skeptical in matching same boot with the United States under the coverage of NATO. Contentiously, one could say, that EU flirting with the United States, was a win-win.

Unificationally, it got them divided Germany back. Economically, they were able to amount to one of the biggest market to woo by other contenders in international market. Furthermore, United States was able to take the security and defense of Europe as a liability. From Germany to France down to Italy and Spain, they all not only having USA military hardware, also have USA boots in their territories. The evolving of EU to single market and single currency, have been a trend most sub-regions like OAS, AU, ECOWAS, ASEAN etc are desiring to attain. They all owned European Union credit!

The world is changing and a lot have happened in course of years and times. EU on the contrary have also faced her own challenges. From red tapism in governance to member states often times, running a parallel individual state foreign polies. Also there are cases of threat of destroying the Union as Britain did in the Brexit and the currently growing resentment on the integration across Europe.

France in spite of being a key benefactor of the integrational project, have been too juxtaposing and self-contradictory when it comes to her foreign policy. For instance, like conservative UK, France have out rightly refused to liquidate or crashed her colonial assets for EU. Till date, France have been encouraging French-Francophonies relationship instead of getting off the way for EU to inherit her former colonies. French uses the bloc's Euro but yet insists her former colonies use a quasi-union currency which derived its name from the defunct French currency called CFA. Militarily, French have maintained defense pact with these her former colonies on unilateral French identity and not on EU fronts. These are some of the lip services that might have made European Union Member states to get themselves entertained while Russia keeps humiliating France in Mali, Guinea Conakry, Burkina Faso and other places.

France might have learnt her lesson and wish to drive European grid foreign policy instead of her selfish and egocentric foreign policy which got mesmerized in Africa by Russia. France anger might not also be only on Russia but also on United States who watched her got bullied in Sahel by Russia without any kind of assistance despite the mantra of “western allies”. It is done on Macron that France should either stand strongly alone (which the current global permutations will not help her) or encourage a broader space which exists already (EU). No wonder Macron dragged the EU leader along him to china where they both shredded USA into pieces to which till date, United States wonders if Emmanuel Macron was under spell lashing USA.

The reality unveiling now is that EU doesn’t want to be left behind in the new scramble going on in Africa. She doesn’t want to be left behind in the new chess game in Africa. Her foreign ministers met this week in Luxembourg discussing a plan to bribe four “priority” countries to isolate Russia and China. These countries are Brazil, Chile, Kazakhstan and Nigeria. My founding shows that the interest of EU here is mainly “trade” and “raw material”. If that is the case, it means that EU is poised to go on offensive diplomacy to knock off Britain who maintains deep feet in Nigeria. Britain in another hands, understands the rapid expansion of Russia in Africa and the developing EU dreams towards her puppet state called Nigeria. Currently she is in contention with China whom Nigeria is heavily indebted to on whose influence is to supersede. United States on the other hand, seems comfortable dealing with Ghana and others than getting soaked in Nigeria Britain would want her to commit much militarily ahead of Russian entrance with less to gain. For United States, Britain who asserts fatherly ownership, should bear the burden much.

Britain does not have what it takes to hold together falling Nigeria. The internal divisions aided and abetted by resentment against Ndigbo by the corrupt ruling class whom they see as an “eye opener to others”, have deeply polarized Nigeria and positioned her for volatility. The most disturbing thing here is that while the west want Africa for economic survival, Russia is promoting self-determination and genuine independent. That is what makes every actor in the region worried. If what is propelling Russia is moral position on “freedom” for those seeking for it, it means that Russia is less interested in anyone’s resources and thus will be a difficult actor to bribe against her pursues. If that is the case, it then means that Nigerian Government would want to adjust her Pro British foreign politics to Pro-Russian one to surviuve the Russian wave going on in Africa and thus to discourage Russia from helping IPOB attain the Biafran freedom. Such move is dicey considering how Britain and other western powers would see and react to it. The west losing Eqypt and South Africa to Russia is already a shock and I doubt if they will be ready to watch Nigeria sneak off. There is a difficult ground here for neutrality for Nigeria as IPOB diplomatic surge have killed that ground which would have be a healthy one for Nigeria.

If Nigeria in effort to discourage Russia-Biafran relationship and goes East, Britain, United States and her allies might want to encourage IPOB to seek the door for self-determination and get their supports in other to punish Nigeria. The West understands this future reality that is why they have refused despite all failed efforts of Nigeria to backlist IPOB. The rational West knows that fruitfulness will also be found in IPOB someday. IPOB on the other hand, have refused to play a stooge tool on western hand thereby refusing to be used to advance anyone’s agenda without Biafran agenda topping. IPOB ability to maintain Win-Win in her dealings with her friends, have also win her some respects amongst players.

While countries tried to shy away from the idea of intervention, Russian policy for Africa isn’t shying away from that. Russia deemed it wise to support freedom in Africa which implies she have the resources to pursue such objective. While the war in Ukraine is in heavy decline as the West interest is whining down, Africa is the future battle ground bot asymmetrically and symmetrically. While events unfold, our responsibilities is to expose you to connotative and deconnotative interpretations.

Written By
Chika Austine

The evolving of EU to single market and single currency, have been a trend most sub-regions like [...] AU, ECOWAS,
[...] are desiring to attain. They all owned European Union credit!

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Not true. It is colonial powers such as France, UK, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, to some extent West Germany and their European peers who prevented Africa from achieving regional blocs , since the 1950's to say the least. They just managed to assassinate many African leaders.
Have you heard about the RDA "Rassemblement Democratique Africain " ( African Democratic Rally ) that stretched from French West African through central Africa, Djbouti and Madagascar in the late 1940's through the
the late 1950's ? Guess who worked hard to kill many prominent members such as Felix Moumie' ; and Ernest Ouandie of Cameroon, who committed a genocide of the people of Madagascar ?
Even after ADR was destroyed, Europe worked hard to weaken the Organization of African Union that later became the African Union.
How did Europe manage after the 1960's ? Killing Patrice Lumumba, attacking and isolating Ahmed Sekou Toure' of Guinea, Overthrowing Nkrumah with the help from the CIA , blackmailing the leader of Cote d'Ivoire , Overthrowing Modibo Keita of Mali, just to name a few.

You are well-informed my Gee... feel free to reach out at restartnaija@gmail.com