Dominance or Reciprocity? Why the West needs to counter the rise of Chinese and Russian influence in

The Soviet experience Russian activity in Africa dates back to the Czarist era when Czar Nicholas supported the Afrikaners against the British during the Boer War and the Ethi- opians against the Italians in in the 1880s. [...] However, it wasn’t until the height of the Cold War in the 1950s when Soviet leaders focused on Africa that the Kremlin was able to compete with Western governments and China for re- 10 DOMINANCE OR RECIPROCITY? Why the West needs to counter the rise of Chinese and Russian influence in Africa sources and political influence on the continent. [...] The most prominent Chinese project in Africa was the construction of the Tanzam Railway linking Zambia with the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, which has been referred to as the “railway of freedom for Africa’s liberation and the railway of friendship for China-Africa cooperation” (quoted in Rolland 2021, 14). [...] The Belt and Road in Africa Both the United States and China have made significant investments in the natural resource sector but, unlike the Americans and the West, China is not afraid to invest in “less stable” countries where there is a threat of political unrest or that have cut off relations with the West (Hanauer and Morris 2014). [...] There are currently 40 African countries taking part in the BRI, with the Maritime Silk Road running as far south as Tanzania adjacent to the African East Coast in the Indian Ocean, and then up to the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean (Risberg 2019; MERICS 2018).