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

This inevitably motivates the United States and the "united
Europe" to prevent a deeper cooperation between Russia and Africa
in the field of resources. At the same time, one should not reduce the
complex global raw-materials policy to attempts to keep Russia out
of Africa or exclude it from Africa. As seen by Russia and Africa,
the problem is whether the competitors recognize as legitimate their
right to have their own national interests in the area of raw-materials
and protect them.
The abrupt change in the situation in world raw materials markets
that occurred in 2008 as a consequence of the current monetary
crisis is bound to affect the future of the economic situation of African
countries. Should the post-effects of the current financial crisis
prove protracted (this is the most likely scenario), they would have
fewer opportunities to sell their manufactured goods and buy raw
materials in Africa.
We should keep in mind that monetary crises follow a certain
cycle: they arise, grow, reach the peak and peter out sooner of later.
At the same time, global shortages of raw materials are long-term
and systemic. Hence the problems will be growing and causing a
tougher competition for Africa's raw materials.
Thus, the new tussle for Africa's resources is of a strategic nature
and is going to be protracted. Most probably and despite their
desperate resistance, the old players would have to surrender some
of their economic positions on the continent to new rivals. We are
almost certain that, at least during the next decade, the positions of
China, India, Russia, Brazil and a number of other countries in Africa
will be growing stronger. Concurrently, there will be a growing
competition between the old players – above all between the USA
and EU countries – to once again confirm that the concept of a unipolar
world is untenable and show that many "economic poles" are
trying to grab African resources to advance their own interests. As
for Russia, it ought to assess the actual advantages of cooperation
with Africa in the field of raw materials and to re-embark the once
successful course of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation
with the continent, to whose freedom from colonialism Moscow
has contributed so much.