L. Fituni, I. Abramova Resource Potential of Africa and Russia's ...

tives. The authors are not describing a snapshot, but rather observe
and interpret a continuing process.
Africa undergoes a transformation from a depressive stagnant
zone of poverty and backwardness to a widespread dynamic movement
towards better performance indicators in production, consumption,
education and health. Russia seems to have finally overcome
the downward slide of the years of Gorbachev’s and Yeltsin’s rule
and regained some of its lost international positions.
The end of the Cold War, and the fall of the Soviet Union in
particular, have changed the role and the place of Russia in the
world. In 1990s, a unipolar world was imposed upon the planet;
Marxism as an ideology was in decline and Socialism as a system
of government was discredited. The USSR disappeared and could
no longer play an important restraining role for the neoimperialist
ambitions of the victors. The newly emerged post-
Soviet Russia was weak and dependent on the USA and in a
broader sense on the West economically (the Treasury was virtually
empty), politically (the new government remained in power
only due to the strong overseas support) and ideologically (the
new leadership had no political doctrines and concepts of their
own but tried to implant western concepts, which it itself neither
truly shared nor fully understand). International positions of the
former Soviet Union were abandoned in panic. Relations with
Africa were one of the first victims of this flee. China was now
playing the dual role as the sole balancing power to the US and as
torchbearer for the Third World. Economically stronger than
ever, carrying out a profound modernization of its military and
relishing its ascending international clout, China has redefined its
geo-strategic vision, calling for multi-polarity and a new economic
and political international order, and has re-engaged Africa
at a scale never seen before.
In the Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation
approved by President Medvedev in July 2008, a goal is set to expand
the multiform cooperation with African states on bilateral and
multilateral basis, including dialogue and cooperation within the G-8
and G-20 framework.
9