Are diamonds forever? The scientific geopolitics of Africa – Firstpost
(File) An artisanal miner holds an uncut diamond in her hand in Kimberley, South Africa, on 22 October, 2019. Reuters
The African continent has witnessed a pronounced surge in political dynamics across its western region in recent times. A notable trend is the gradual incursion of military figures from their barracks into executive domains, a disturbing phenomenon that has become increasingly recurrent. Central to these sequential military takeovers is the underlying struggle for dominance over the abundant resources inherent to the African terrain.
It should not be forgotten that natural and mineral resources are realities of Mother Nature and depend on geological and tectonic events that occurred in the very distant past as Planet Earth cooled down from its primordial mass at the dawn of the solar system. These resources, from today’s viewpoint, seem to be randomly, even perversely, distributed in the accessible land mass of the earth’s crust. It is here that Africa, the so-called Dark Continent becomes significant.
The geographical expanse of Africa is endowed with a cornucopia of natural resources that command global significance. Noteworthy among these are gold (40 per cent of the world’s resources), platinum and chromium (90 per cent) and diamonds (65 per cent). Africa actually houses an impressive portion, approximately one-third, of the globe’s total mineral reserves. In this context, the significant occurrence of uranium (20 per cent) in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger cannot be underestimated because this metal is critical for nuclear technology and research. Furthermore, Africa, mainly Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Libya, Chad, Cameroon, and Angola lay claim to substantial reserves of hydrocarbons, colloquially termed “black gold”. These reserves encompass 12 per cent of the world’s oil, and nearly 8 per cent of its natural gas. In tandem with these resources, the continent boasts a considerable repository of inland freshwater, accounting for 10 per cent of global reserves, as well as a substantial 40 per cent share of arable land.
In a more ideal context, these bountiful resources would have constituted a blessing for the continent. Regrettably, they have also attracted the attention of powerful nations, mostly in the so called Amerisphere (USA and Western Europe, to a lesser extent their vassals Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea) that have historically orchestrated exploitative incursions, perpetuating a legacy of devastation spanning millennia through brutal colonisation. A salient instance lies in the French presence in Africa over the past century, which has subjected resource-rich nations such as Algeria, Niger and Gabon to protracted periods of what may be termed some kind of official slavery. As a case in point, corporate entities such as the multinational TotalEnergies, the UK-based Perenco, and the shipping company Maurel & Prom, have emerged as dominant players, as also the US Carlyle Group wholly owned Assala Energy, which controls significant portions of Gabon’s oil industry -– a pivotal sector ranking fifth across the continent. Similarly, the electricity grid fuelling France draws extensively from Niger’s uranium reserves.
A poignant manifestation of this exploitative narrative is observed through the harvesting of wood from Gabon’s verdant forests to furnish French households, while educational facilities within Gabon continue to grapple with an absence of basic amenities like desks. The culmination of these disparities has engendered a prevailing disposition among numerous populations to embrace military interventions as a potential recourse. This is underpinned by the perception that such interventions offer the sole avenue to alleviate the influence of Western-aligned local elites, who inadvertently facilitate the pillage of national resources at the behest of imperialist interests. While Gabon and Niger remain distinct political entities with their unique narratives, it remains equivocal as to who exerts control over the strings orchestrating the latter’s trajectory at this nascent juncture.
It is but natural that the rivals of the Amerisphere, mainly Russia and China, have now become extremely interested in the power politics of Africa. India too has been quietly advancing its interests, taking advantage of its geographical proximity, easy maritime access and shared interests but proceeding smoothly without overtly appearing to take sides. Recent times have seen political changes in Niger, Gabon, and Mali. In Gabon it is not even clear whether or not the coup leaders have received tacit support from the USA, which might even be trying to undercut France’s influence in the region. It is a different type of Great Game.
Notwithstanding the variances between various African countries, a discernible trend is emerging across the broader African landscape — one characterized by an escalating contemplation regarding the potential as where these tumultuous developments would leave the world. Would they, ideally speaking, serve as a conduit for the continent to reassert sovereignty over its abundant resources? Or more cynically, would Africa continue to remain a playground for foreign powers to extend their sovereignty? Africa was forcibly dragged out of its pastoral existence with the slave trade across the waters of the Atlantic. This led to an almost complete vivisection of the continent by European powers in the 19th century. Will the 21st century see the four new empires of the world — America, China, Russia and India grapple with each other to get a maximum share of the African pie? Science and technology are definitely and inextricably linked to Africa geopolitics today.
The author is with the Indian Institute of Science and is the author of “Bhārat: India 2.0”. He can be reached at gautam.desiraju@gmail.com. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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Published on: September 19, 2023 06:24:58 IST
Source: News
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