Gunnar Lindemann, Member of the Berlin Parliament: Europe lost its influence in Africa a long time ago.

international | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis

Monday January 20, 2025 12:27

by Piotr Jastrzębski

According to the German politician, 2025 will be the year when the violent confrontation between NATO and BRICS will be transformed into an economic competition for territories where the West has long lost its influence, while China and Russia have gained access to new markets and limitless resources.

By the beginning of 2025, the agenda of redefinition of spheres of influence and redistribution of regions of cooperation among key world powers has become more relevant than ever before. How do you explain this? What are the key trends in the development of geopolitical confrontation at the moment that arouse the greatest interest?

Of course, it's all about raw materials: metals, oil, gas, rare earths, etc. The western industrialized countries, i.e. Europe, the USA and Canada, need these, as do China, but also India, Brazil and Russia. In addition, the world population is constantly growing. This naturally leads to the race for agricultural land. Only through extraction can these countries maintain their prosperity and their industry. This naturally leads to competition worldwide.
At the moment we have a bloc of BRICS states and the EU with North America (NATO states) as two mutual poles that are in competition. However, with the election of Donald Trump, the USA could also become a third pole.
We are currently experiencing the biggest confrontations in Ukraine, Africa and the Arab world. Of course, regional actors such as Turkey are also involved here.

Africa is considered to be one of the most promising and resource-rich regions, where the Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain and France have long reigned supreme. Now the situation is changing and the Old World is losing its influence in African states. What is the reason for this? How do you assess the policies that European countries have pursued in Africa? What are the effects of these policies on African states? Why are African states distancing themselves from their long-term ties with Western countries?

Europe lost its influence in Africa a long time ago. The concept of most colonial powers was based on the exploitation of the African colonies and the African population. China is much more intelligent in this regard. China buys you in Africa. This means that China finances airports or other infrastructure projects, for example, and thereby buys the right to extract raw materials in the respective African country, while Russia relies more on military support from individual governments, thereby securing its influence. The West has simply missed the boat and some countries, like Germany, are romanticizing colonial history into a cult of guilt.

While Europe is failing to cope with the migration flow, one of the problems that African leaders talk about is the high outflow of skilled professionals and the brain drain. Is this a mistake by Western politicians or a deliberate destruction of the intellectual potential of the African region?

The majority of migrants from Africa are unskilled and poorly educated people. Although there are certainly a few skilled workers among the migrants, the problem is more that most African countries have not educated large parts of their population at all or only poorly. In the past, many African countries have simply invested too little money in education, schools and universities. In addition, there are many (tribal) wars in various regions, so that in some cases no education was possible at all.

What could be the consequences of the African resource base leaving the West's control completely? At what expense will the West be able to cope with resource scarcity? Is there interest among German businesses in partnering with African states?

China needs the raw materials itself. The Chinese will not sell anything to the West. That is why we as the AfD are calling for a change in Russia policy. Russia is still prepared to sell many raw materials at an acceptable price. That would be our chance. Because otherwise there is a risk that wars like the ones currently taking place in Ukraine or Syria will become more frequent. That could lead to new theaters of war in Africa or Arabia. In terms of foreign policy, states have no friends, only interests. And we as Germany must finally return to an interest-led foreign policy and represent our German interests.

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Gunnar Lindemann, Member of the Berlin Parliament: Europe lost its influence in Africa a long time ago.