Africa and the Potential of a World War 3

 By Takura Zhangazha*

A young Zimbabwean cde asked me about the meaning of ‘global war’.  His question was coming from a context of the general narrative of a globalilsed world war between Russia, Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).  And of course the celebrity narrative or even movie like narrative that comes with pitting Biden, Putin and now Trump (his favourite) against each other.

This was a 'small-small' conversation about the prospects of a global third world war. Or what has been referred to as the potential of/for a World War 3 due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.    

What was interesting in this conversation was the assumption of distance of Zimbabwe and Africa from this assumed prospective World War 3 (WW3) territories.  

For the young cde this was an important point.  Because his major understanding was that it would all play out in Europe and North America.  That is it was all about the Russians versus the Americans and the Europeans. 

In his view, Africans were too far from the conflict to be concerned as though we were watching a movie in a film theatre.  He also hastened to add that Africa has been there before and therefore would survive any escalation of the conflict between global superpowers.

I did not pursue the matter further.  He had made his mind up and there was no need to challenge his thinking.  Mainly because we have to deal with a reality of a newer false consciousness among young Zimbabweans.  One that is stubborn, individualistic, highly opinionated and linked to materialism (influence, cars, money, capitalism and therefore power). 

And also the fact that no matter how much you think you know better, younger cdes will always dispute your opinions based on what they consider either their sharper minds or their access to more information on global events as they occur on mainstream and social media. 

Upon individual reflection, and beyond personalized conversation, it is clear that there is a potential for a WW3.  Not only because the term in itself is familiar from what we studied in global history as Africans but also because of the reality of the Russians bombing Ukraine with new sophisticated weaponry. 

Missiles that their President Vladimir Putin promised to use more broadly if NATO continues to allow Ukraine to use its missiles to attack Russian territory, especially because they will not know what hit them.

Historically, as Africans, we have generally known our place in the context of global wars and subsequent cold wars.  Even if our governments do not acknowledge these for diplomatic and international relations reasons. 

We are the low rung victims of these anticipated globalized or regionalized wars.  In fact we tend more to be proxies.  Where we either send our people to fight in other peoples wars or we become victims of the same.

The assumption is that we are so desperate, naïve and simplistic to be part of either side while at the same time not understanding the global international relations and war complexities of what we are confronted with.

These realities are at least in three parts. 

The first is historical.  Africa and Africans have been part of global wars at least since the First World War.  We have fought and died on behalf of Europeans because of colonial British, French and Portuguese empires.  We also did the same in the Second World War where the West and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were victorious against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi expansionist intentions. 

We became more conscious after the Second World War and realized that we had to struggle for our own national independences and freedoms.  We had seen the vagaries of war.  More-so in the instances of Mozambique, Guinea Bissau-Cape Verde, Algeria, Zimbabwe for example we had no choice but to wage liberation struggles against the same.

When we became free, barring the Saharawi Republic as recognized by the African Union (AU), we were still embroiled in the vestiges of the then Cold War between the Global West and Global East.  Nuclear war remained imminent and we were and remain bit part players in its potential import.

Where we fast forward to what obtains today, as Africans, we have to come to the realization that many of the globalized (quite literally) wars that occurred in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were never ours to claim the spoils of war.  Neither were they in any way related to any semblance of the respect of the United Nations Charter. 

By the time we have the current war in Ukraine and its effect on world security, agronomy and food sustainability, Africa has tried to find its voice but has generally been ignored. 

Even if we have the global geo-political conundrum that is similar to the one we had at the time of the Cold War. 

What I know is that Africa has limited say in stopping a WW3.  Its an historically accepted and probably likely racist reality. 

It does not mean we cannot as Africans with our global representatives speak up against this increasingly possible reality. 

We know that the Americans have changed their government.  We know that the Russians have retained their government.  We also know that the Chinese have fortified their foreign and extractive  policies in Africa.

But in any African conversation about the possibility of a WW3, it is important to recall and remind global superpowers that we shall never again be pawns in wars that we did not create or cause.  

While international relations are complex, we have to hold fort against swimming with a global tide that we have no control over.  And I hope the African Union understands this. 

*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com : takurazhangazha.com )