Upcoming MISTRA Conference to Explore Africa’s Role in Global Geopolitics

09 October 2024, Johannesburg – Everything is ready and set for the opening of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection’s (MISTRA) upcoming international conference, titled: Thucydides Trap or Orderly Multipolar World? Challenges and Opportunities for Africa.

The event is being hosted in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the Consulate General of India, and will take place in Sandton from 10 to 11 October. The conference will bring together prominent scholars and policymakers from Africa and beyond, and will according to MISTRA researcher Dr Laurence Caromba, develop strategic African responses to emerging global challenges, and discuss global issues from an African perspective.

Attendees will consider the possible risks the continent faces as a result of the re-emergence of interstate wars on and off the continent, rising international trade conflicts, the lack of cooperation on important global issues and challenges, and the growing potential for a massive war that could subsume most states of the world.

The ‘Thucydides Trap’ describes a situation where a rising power causes fear in an established power, leading to tension and, often, conflict. Such tensions can escalate into open warfare if these relationships are not managed carefully. The goal of the conference is to consider policy recommendations on how African states should respond to global uncertainty in a manner that benefits the people of the continent. Increased intra-African integration and cooperation is one example of a constructive response.

MISTRA’s Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe, will open the conference with his keynote address, followed by presentations by other event partners. The first day will also feature two panel discussions titled: ‘Africa in an Age of Power Transition’ and ‘Geo-Economics and International Cooperation in a Divided World.’

Day two will feature an address by Honourable Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa and will conclude with a panel discussion exploring ‘African Strategies for the Future’.

‘This conference will contribute to the development of new foreign policy ideas and strategic insights that will place Africa at the centre of our understanding of global geopolitics,’ said Dr Caromba. ‘We expect that the conversations at this event will contribute to international cooperation in ways that improve the lives of people across Africa.’

The conference will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.

For any enquiries, please email events@mistra.org.za. You can also RSVP to attend the online event on the MISTRA website.

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Author: Kgotso Mathabatha from Twenty8Zero7 Communications on behalf of Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA).