Africa and the Thucydides Trap: Strategies for a world in transition
Edited by Laurence Caromba, Bhaso Ndzendze and Scarlett Cornelissen
Ever since its inception, a core goal of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) has been to study the long-term, big-picture issues that shape the trajectory of human civilisations. The decision to undertake this study of global power transition was thus a natural fit for MISTRA, since this is a classic example of an issue that benefits from a long-frame view.
Consistent with this approach, MISTRA has spent the last fifteen years tracking the precursors to this transition. This book builds on a number of previous MISTRA projects, including The Great Recession: Lessons for Africa (2016), Changing Economic Balances and Integration in Africa Rising (2017), Africa and the World: Navigating Shifting Geopolitics (2020), and Reflections on Africa’s Place in the World (2023). These were complemented by two major conferences, Pan Africanism in the 21st Century (2022) and Thucydides Trap or Orderly Multipolar World? Challenges and Opportunities for Africa (2024), as well as a range of roundtables and webinars on geopolitical issues ranging from developments in the Middle East to the implications of the second Trump administration and nuclear disarmament.
Read a short summary including key findings of the book in the Policy brief.
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