Courting Giants: African States between Neo-Colonial Constraints and Emerging Global Alliances in the 21st Century

Abstract

Within the shifting architecture of global power, Africa has re-emerged as a central arena of strategic competition among China, Russia, the European Union and the United States of America. This study examined how African regional powers navigate this rivalry, focusing on Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa between 2015 and 2025. Anchored in Neo-Realism, the paper argued that these states are rational actors responding to structural pressures in an increasingly multipolar international system. Using qualitative comparative case analysis based on documentary evidence and elite interviews, the findings revealed a pattern of strategic hedging and issue-based alignment, as African states attempt to diversify partnerships while safeguarding sovereignty. However, constraints such as debt exposure, conditional aid and asymmetric security arrangements persist. While Western actors often tie engagement to liberal governance norms, China and Russia offer alternative modes of partnership that challenge existing power hierarchies. The paper concluded by advocating for a recalibrated African foreign policy that foregrounds strategic autonomy, regional coordination and domestic capacity-building. The article contributes to debates on multipolarity, relative gains and secondary power strategy by situating African agency within a Structural Realist framework.