User talk:Doug.wears

New Scramble for Africa
The era of globalization has led to the emergence of a new scramble for Africa, in the form of Neo-Imperialism. This new scramble for Africa is characterized by oil and petrol companies investing large sums of money into African oil companies, effectively giving international oil and petrol companies the ability to make claims to African geopolitical regions, much like the initial waves of colonialism and imperialism following the Berlin Conference.

Background
The new scramble for Africa began with the emergence of the Afro-Neo-Liberal capitalist movement in Post-Colonial Africa. When African nations began to gain independence during the Post World War II Era, their post colonial economic structures remained undiversified and linear. In most cases, the bulk of a nation’s economy relied on cash crops or natural resources. The decolonization process kept independent African nations at the mercy of colonial powers due to structurally-dependent economic relations. Structural Adjustment Programs lead to the privatization and liberalization of many African political and economic systems, forcefully pushing Africa into the global capitalist market. The economic decline in the 1990s fostered democratization by the World Bank intervening in the political and economic affairs of African once again. All of these factors lead to Africa’s forced development under Western ideological systems of economics and politics.

Petro-States
In the era of globalization, many African countries have emerged as petro-states. These are nations with an economic and political partnership between transnational oil companies and the ruling elite class in oil-rich African nations. Numerous countries have entered into a neo-imperial relationship with Africa during this time period. Mary Gilmartin notes that “material and symbolic appropriation of space [is] central to imperial expansion and control”; nations in the globalization era who invest in controlling land internationally are engaging in neo-imperialism. China (and other Asian countries) state oil companies have entered Africa’s highly competitive oil sector. China National Petrol Corporation purchased 40% of Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company. Furthermore, Sudan exports 50-60% of its domestically produced oil to China, making up 7% of China’s imports. China has also been purchasing equity shares in African oil fields, invested in industry related infrastructure development and acquired continental oil concessions throughout Africa.