Nationalism Underpinned by Pan-Regionalism: African Foreign Policies in ECOWAS in An Era of Anti-Globalization

Abstract

The recent Donald Trump victory in the USA in November 2016, and the culmination of Brexit (Britain voting to leave the European Union) in July 2016 demonstrated the seeming global shift from collective multilateralism to self-interested nationalism. While these two landmark events in 2016 marked what is perhaps the beginning of the reversal of integration in Europe and worldwide globalization more broadly, in Africa, these events will most likely have other impacts. Indeed, where the USA and Britain might be moving away from global engagement, the election of Mr. Trump and the process of Brexit are likely to inspire more regional and continental integration on the African continent. Because most countries now realize that the future of Africa lies in more and higher quality integration, this rise of anti-globalization movements will likely be translated into a more profound spirit of pan-African solidarity, a force that has more or less influenced and shaped the foreign policies of many African countries since their independence.