It is clear that China is now the new great colonial power; albeit mostly via economic colonialism, rather than necessarily some late Victorian model. Whether it is its virtual vulture capitalist snatching up of numerous European corporations during the crisis of the Great Recession, or the more subtle method of gaining ground via real estate or business investments in countries like Australia, Canada, and, to perhaps a lesser extent, the USA, or its growing influence over Hollywood’s movie industry, China has moved into a position of increased dominance throughout the world. Yet, it is its growing influence in Africa that concerns us here. Again, unlike much of the earlier European iteration of colonialism, China has deftly used economics as its primary tool so far, but this might be about to change as well. For well over a decade now, China has been becoming the dominant non-African player in multiple nations on that continent. Ostensibly offering help in the form...(Read Full Article)