Geopolitics of a United French West Africa and Equatorial Africa
- Thread starter walmart
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There were various allied Soviet Governments in various sahal countries and in places such as Ghana not to mention lumumba who is even further away during the 1960s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali–Russia_relations#Soviet-era_relations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis#Foreign_reaction_and_UN_intervention
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea#Independence_and_post-colonial_rule_(1958–2008)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah#Foreign_and_military_policy
raharris1973
Gone Fishin'
This the "total war, all the time" fallacy at work. Assuming that the superior naval power is always going to fully blockade and prevent his weaker enemy's use of SLOCs, in the manner of the British blockades in the Napoleonic Wars and World Wars. But the fact is that such total blockades were the exception, not the rule, and weaker naval powers, even navy-less powers, could influence distant countries, deliver aid, etc., before, during, and after the Cold War.
Cases in point-
Navally weaker Soviet Union backs Cuba from 1960 or 1961.
No navy to speak China has a political alliance with Albania in the 1960s.
No navy to speak of China, North Korea, Cuba and Israel all support some client factions in Africa in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Tuaregs could get their own province in what is today northern Mali and Niger, that might mollify potential separatists and drain support for an independent Azawad. Hopefully each country would redraw its states/provinces along linguistic or cultural lines the way India and Nigeria have.
A French West Africa that's one massive country would have more resources to invest in hydroelectric projects and irrigation schemes, that could create tense relations with Nigeria over water rights issues. The oil in Gabon and the uranium in Niger would probably be nationalized.
In terms of founding ideologies each country would be like an African Yugoslavia, with leftist, anti-imperialistic politics but Pan-African sentiment instead of Pan-Slavism.
Pan-African international co-operation would be easier to coordinate with the role of 14 OTL countries played by only two. Furthering Pan-Africanism could become a national mission of these countries.
Depending on how each ex-colony decides to throw its weight around, the Western Sahara conflict and the Biafra war could go differently. Mauritanian separatism could become a problem if French West African elite views them as culturally alien and tries to suppress the Arabic language or something.
If Jean-Bedel Bokassa still gets near power he may decide to liberate Equatorial Guinea from Francisco Nguema and add a new province to the Central African Empire.
A French West Africa that's one massive country would have more resources to invest in hydroelectric projects and irrigation schemes, that could create tense relations with Nigeria over water rights issues. The oil in Gabon and the uranium in Niger would probably be nationalized.
In terms of founding ideologies each country would be like an African Yugoslavia, with leftist, anti-imperialistic politics but Pan-African sentiment instead of Pan-Slavism.
Pan-African international co-operation would be easier to coordinate with the role of 14 OTL countries played by only two. Furthering Pan-Africanism could become a national mission of these countries.
Depending on how each ex-colony decides to throw its weight around, the Western Sahara conflict and the Biafra war could go differently. Mauritanian separatism could become a problem if French West African elite views them as culturally alien and tries to suppress the Arabic language or something.
If Jean-Bedel Bokassa still gets near power he may decide to liberate Equatorial Guinea from Francisco Nguema and add a new province to the Central African Empire.
Concerning economic policies, there would probably be major helps to diversification concerning agriculture, as well as industrialization (probably textile, to evacuate all this cotton they produce).
If they are lucky enough they'll learn about the disappearing of Aral Sea before doing anything stupid, and won't kill the Voltas and the Niger for unrealistic agricultural projects. I they don't, well, shit happens, and the government will be blamed (it could become a major crisis)
Also Gambia may become a nest for anarchists, and federalists and other people who want to mess with the Federal government.
The big political issue would be anti-French vs Francafricans, and the place of France in this new situation. Maybe there could be a more successful French Union (even though it would probably have another name) because of more proportionate balance of powers (bigger African States means more balanced power I guess ...)
If they are lucky enough they'll learn about the disappearing of Aral Sea before doing anything stupid, and won't kill the Voltas and the Niger for unrealistic agricultural projects. I they don't, well, shit happens, and the government will be blamed (it could become a major crisis)
Also Gambia may become a nest for anarchists, and federalists and other people who want to mess with the Federal government.
The big political issue would be anti-French vs Francafricans, and the place of France in this new situation. Maybe there could be a more successful French Union (even though it would probably have another name) because of more proportionate balance of powers (bigger African States means more balanced power I guess ...)
Would a Christian secessionist movement be likely in Southern Ivory coast
West Africa, with the exception of Nigeria, has a history of mostly Christian-Muslim harmony with bad blimps every now and then. So I highly doubt that religion would be a serious issue.