Contestation in Sub-Saharan Africa: The foreign policies of Angola, Kenya and Nigeria vis-à-vis South Africa

Abstract

The second-most powerful states in regional hierarchies–or “secondary powers”–can be expected to contest against regional hegemons. This chapter assesses the power that secondary powers in sub-Saharan Africa may wield vis-à-vis South Africa. It concentrates on “unintended contestation,” meaning policies that undermine regional hegemony but are not designed for this purpose. The chapter shows that Angola’s foreign policy is marked by a mix of unintended and intended contestation. The latter results from Angola’s increasing economic influence in some regional countries. Kenya might contest against South Africa in economic affairs but has not done so yet. The Nigerian-South African relations are characterized by incidents of diplomatic friction, especially concerning security policy and xenophobia in South Africa and unintended contestation in economics terms.