XII International Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations» Africa in the context of the formation of a new system of international relations

Conference overview:

On March 1-3, 2023, RUDN and the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences held the XII International Scientific Conference "Africa in the context of the formation of a new system of international relations" (AFNSIR-2023). The main topics of the discussion were the formation of the structural power of the Collective non-West in Africa, the practice of Russian-African relations, the 125th anniversary of cooperation between Russia and Ethiopia, African theories of international relations and peacemaking in Africa. This year, for the first time was held the youth section of the conference with several dozen participants, as well as a round table in Swahili and a session in Amharic.

The 12th International Conference on Africa in the context of the formation of a new system of international relations (AFNSIR-2023) was attended by dozens of world’s leading experts from Russia and foreign countries. Among them are Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) I.O. Abramova (Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences), prof. I.Z. Yarygina (Scientific Research Committee BRICS; MGIMO), prof. M.S. Gubaidullina (Al-Farabi KazNU), prof. A.S. Balezin (Institute of World History RAS), prof. A.B. Mezyaev (TISBI), Macharia Munene (Kenya), Franklin Nyamsi (Cameroon/France), Kasaya Philippe Apuuli (Uganda), etc.

Representatives of the RUDN acted as moderators of session 1 (D.A. Degterev), session 3 (Kassae Nigusie V.M.), round table 1 (Claire Amuhaya), session 4 (B. Egamov, M. Tayanovsky), session 5 (S.A. Bokeria), as well as presented their reports (Adu Yao Nikez, V.I. Belov, N.V. Ivkina, A.Yu. Shipilov).

The conference was not held this year

XI International Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations» Development cooperation with Africa in the Post-Covid-19 Era

Conference overview:

On February 25-26, 2021, the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia and the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the support of the University of Massachusetts Boston and Springer Nature, held the XI International Scientific Conference "Africa in the context of the formation of a new system of international relations" on the topic: "Development cooperation with Africa in the Post-Covid-19 Era".

The 11th International Conference on Africa in the context of the formation of a new system of international relations (AFNSIR-2021) was attended by more than 30 world’s leading experts from the USA, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, China, and a number of African countries. Among the speakers are leading Russian Africanists, including Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) A.M. Vasiliev, Director of the Institute for African Studies RAS Corresponding Member of the RAS I.O. Abramova, Deputy Director of the Institute for African Studies RAS Corresponding Member of the RAS L.L. Fituni, Head of the Department of Theory and History of International Relations RUDN D.A. Degterev.

On February 24, 2021, before the conference, Professor Nigusie Kassaye and the Head of the Department D. A. Degterev took part in an online conference in the run-up to the forum "Cooperation with Africa in the field of development in the Post-Covid Era", organized by the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia and the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

X International Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations» Africa's Past, Present and Future. (Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the “Year of Africa”)

Conference overview:

On February 28, 2020, RUDN University hosted the X international scientific conference "Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations"

The conference was attended by over 120 people, including leading foreign and Russian experts in African studies.

Since 2010, the conference has been annually held at the RUDN University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences as one of the main national-level conferences in Africa. It is organized by the Department of Theory and History of International Relations and Department of African Studies and Arab Studies of the RUDN University.

Recently, the conference is also supported by the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences - the main research center for African studies in Russia. In 2020 the organizing committee have also decided to give the X anniversary conference a new international status. As a result of significant work on transforming the image, the conference received its own English-language website, an international name and an enhanced composition of speakers.

The conference also managed to win grants under the 5-100 program and the RFBR financial support.

The 2020 Conference brought together the Leading Africanists from across the globe such as Timothy Shaw (UMASS Boston), editor-in-chief of a dozen Springer and Palgrave Macmillan papers on Africa or Patrick Bond (University of Western Cape), a former adviser to Nelson Mandela, and one of the leading neo-Marxists in the world and in South Africa.  The conference was also joined by  Molefi Kete Asante (Temple Univeristy Philadelphia) - the ideologist of Afrocentrism as a scientific field, a leading specialist in the United States on African American studies, Ian Taylor (University of St. Andrews) - one of the leading Africanists and neo-Marxists in Great Britain, Padraig Carmody (Trinity College Dublin) - Ireland's chief Africanist; and Kasaija Apuuli (Makerere Univeristy) - internationally recognized expert from Uganda and many other guests.

The Conference was also attended by many Russian Experts from the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including the Honorary President of the Institute Alexei Vasiliev, Director - Irina Abramova and Deputy Directors - Leonid Fituni and Dmitry Bondarenko.

The conference was opened by the RUDN First Vice-Rector, Vice-Rector for Scientific work - Nur Kirabayev, and was accompanied by the solemn speeches from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Russian Federation - Steve Davis Ugba, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda Rutazindwa Gideon Mwebaze and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences - Vladimir Tsvyk.

Particular attention was drawn to the discussion: "China in Africa: a new strategic reality and its impact on the development of the continent" in which Patrick Bond, Ian Taylor, Padreig Carmody, Evgeny Grachikov, Tatyana Deich and Vladimir Yurtaev took part at the debate. The task of the expert circle was to prove their position on assessing the influence of China and other major powers in Africa, to highlight the prospects and problems of such interaction. Russian and foreign experts initially had different positions, but during the discussion they were able to find a common ground.

The X RUDN University Conference on Africa achieved its goals and actually reached the international level, as a world-famous event for all Africanists. RUDN University, founded in the year of the liberation of Africa, has demonstrated its readiness to become one of the world's main centers of African Studies. Which meets both the historical goals and the values of our University.

IX Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»: Agenda 2063 for Africa and the prospects for Russian-African cooperation. February 15, 2019

Conference overview:

The 2019 conference was dedicated to the active development of political processes taking place on the African continent at the present stage. Just as in the XIX century. modern Africa has become a conflict arena for the leading world powers interests, since the continent is still one of the main sources of supply with environment and natural resources for developed economies. Large Russian businesses consider Africa as a promising investment destination. Energy and mining spheres, as well as agriculture, manufacturing, transport and infrastructure issues are in the spotlight. The need to ensure stability and security in this region is the key to the successful and progressive development of bilateral and multilateral relations between Russia and the states of the continent. AGENDA 2063 is Africa's blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future and also the promising project allowing the coordination of national efforts in order to build an independent Africa within regional and global international relations system. The study of this direction in the framework of the Russian school of African studies seems to us an interesting task for the entire scientific community.

VIII Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»: Russian-African Relations: History and the Present (Commemorating 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Ethiopia). February 07, 2018

Conference overview:

Russian-Ethiopian relations have a long history. Ethiopia was the only country in Africa that managed to protect its independence during the era of colonial conquests. Russia played a big role on the that stage by helping single-faith Orthodox Ethiopia. Russia has provided it with diplomatic and material support. In 1896, largely thanks to the armaments received from Russia and the activities of Russian military advisers, the Ethiopian army managed to gain a historic victory over the Italian troops at the battle of Adua and to preserve the independence of their country. During the general discussions, Russian and Ethiopian experts have found that the historical basis allow the two countries to maintain stable bilateral relations today. They also concluded that it is necessary to expand Russian-African relations in the fields of economics, culture, and education. The example of Russia’s soft power in Ethiopia and the popularity of Russian language and literature demonstrate us the great interest of this ancient nation towards Russia as one of the most important historical partners.

VII Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»: International conflicts and the problem of genocide in international relations. February 28, 2017.

Conference overview:

The problem of genocide in African history and international relations was studied in the framework of this conference with the aim of discussing a wide range of issues, such as: the problem of genocide in Darfur. USA and modern armed conflicts in Africa: AFRICOM vs the Lord’s Resistance Army. African conflicts and their role in China's foreign policy. The role of the IGAD, the UN and the African Union in the prevention of genocide in South Sudan. The participation of ethnic minorities in armed conflict in Southern Libya (2011–2016). Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Children and War. Stereotypical visual symbols as a tool of consolidating the public in the fight against genocide. Duce scripted genocide. War crime of the fascist regime of Italy in Ethiopia (1935-1941) and many other related issues. As a result of the conference, the participants came to the conclusion that each specific case of genocide or mass violence needs to be considered with connection to that state and the community in which it arises. Scientists noted the significant responsibility of international and regional organizations in preventing cases of genocide. Particular attention was paid to the need of ethnic conflicts resolution as the ground for future violence prevention.

VI Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»: Charity in International Relations. (Commemorating the 120th anniversary of Russian physicians and medical personnel arrival to Ethiopia). February 26, 2016.

Conference overview:

One of the striking examples of international charity is the example of Russian Red Cross physicians. By the end of March 1896, a sanitary detachment was composed of 61 people, which included doctors, orderlies, medical students, and sisters of mercy. During their stay in Ethiopia, Russian personnel provided medical assistance to 30,946 wounded and sick. In 1898, a Russian hospital was opened in Ethiopia - it was the first medical institution in the country which has existed for 8 years. Ethiopians still have a grateful memory of Russian physicians who showed high humanism and dedication in the name of saving lives. Recalling this date and past events, the participants touched upon topics related to humanitarian, educational, cultural cooperation between Russia and African countries. The Moscow-Addis Ababa teleconference with Alexander Bruev — Director of the Russian Red Cross Hospital in Addis Ababa aroused great interest at the conference. The experts have discussed the activities of the hospital, the problem of financing and personnel recruitment. The conference was held in the format of the experience exchange between scientists and practitioners, many of whom work in humanitarian projects in Africa.

IV Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»: Contemporary methods of international conflicts analysis. April 16, 2014.

Conference overview:

The beginning of the XXI century. is the start of values revision era in the system of international relations. Despite the presence of unresolved contradictions, African countries are trying to influence the international processes together. The goals and objectives of the conference is to conduct a scientific analysis of the situation in Africa regarding regional security; development of scientifically based proposals for existing conflicts resolution and stabilization. The aim of the conference is also to establish a constructive dialogue between the representatives of various scientific schools, bearing in mind the understanding of African countries position and thereof in the formation of a new system of international relations.

V Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»: (Commemorating 130th anniversary of the Berlin Conference 1884-1885). February 25, 2015.

Conference overview:

The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 has largely formed the current configuration of African countries relations and the framework for African statehoods development. Our experts, discussing the question of the place of Africa in the process of forming a new world order, expressed different points of view. Thus, some speakers noted that the coups and unrest that have occurred in recent years in African countries show the vulnerability of political regimes and the weakness of political systems, in particular in the Maghreb countries and the Sahel. Events that occur in Mali and other countries in Africa have shown us that great powers can interfere in the internal affairs of developing states. It was also underlined that the UN principles such as non-intervention, sovereignty, etc. gradually disappear from practice, and the charters of international organizations. At the same time, the leading powers are gradually losing their former influence in Africa. One of the main conclusions was that an independent and sustainable Africa is a more promising scenario for the region and for the major actors than Africa torn by contradictions.

II Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations», March 30, 2012.

Conference overview:

This conference will be devoted to a wide range of issues from the recent events of the Arab spring to inter-African conflicts and even the current state of the development of art in Africa.

As part of the events of the Arab spring and the intervention of a large number of international actors in the African politics, the conflict situation in Africa will continue to grow, which certainly requires an adequate response to the challenges and threats of this complicated period.

III Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»:

Conference overview:

Within the framework of this conference, Russian Africanist experts will attempt to create a new interdisciplinary school of knowledge about Africa, which would take into account both the traditions of past years and new methods and approaches of our time. In the opinion of the participants, this is possible only by maintaining an active dialogue between the scientific community and experienced practitioners.

I Conference «Africa and the formation of the new system of international relations»: Arab spring and general destabilization of the political situation in Africa, March 30, 2011.

Conference overview:

Recent events in North Africa show the vulnerability of political regimes and the weaknesses of political systems in particular in the Maghreb countries and in Africa in general. Events in Libya show that great powers can intervene into internal conflicts and change the situation. Recent events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya show that political destabilization even in one region can lead to social and economic complication, not only in these countries but also in neighboring regions. Such developments may show that the solution of African problems is not an act of mercy from the part great powers, but implicit concern in their own security.