Shifting international balance of power in Africa: an analysis of Kenya's relations with China and the United States of America, 2003-2012

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study has focused on the shifting balance of power in Africa within the context of its relations with China and the United States of America. This has been due to the perceived competition by both China and the US to exploit and influence policies in Africa. The case study has been based on Kenya’s relations with China and the US. The discourse has mainly strived to: provide an overview of Kenya’s relations with China and the US, critically analyze Kenya’s relations with China and the US, as well as interrogate the shifting balance of power in Africa. The thesis has been anchored on the classical realism and neo-realism theories of international relations. The research methodology used involved a detailed analysis using both primary and secondary sources of data. One of the key findings of the study was that; the balance of power pattern in Africa is still concentrated within regional blocs. However, the individual hegemons within the blocs are still reluctant in asserting their influence in the region. Nevertheless the increasing concentrated engagements between the anchor states in Africa, such as Kenya, with the US and China has raised their profile amongst their peers in the continent. This, as a result, has affected the overall distribution of power patterns across the various regions in the continent.