Africa in international relations: agent, bystander or victim?

Abstract

The purpose of this contribution is three-fold. Firstly, it attempts to survey some academic literature on African victimhood in contemporary international relations. Secondly, it attempts to dismiss the notion of Africa as a passive bystander and a victim in international relations by illustrating African agency in international relations; especially in nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy where the continent continues to impact on the global agenda in the run-up to the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The choice of this case study is deliberate as this is an area where the continent has made important contributions which are explained below. Finally, the contribution attempts to indicate African contributions to the study of International Relations (IR), and how this can be integrated into the universal study of IR.