{"id":304112,"date":"2025-10-06T12:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=304112"},"modified":"2025-10-02T05:03:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T04:03:17","slug":"the-trumpian-bluff-a-unipolar-fantasy-in-a-multipolar-world-and-what-it-means-for-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/10\/the-trumpian-bluff-a-unipolar-fantasy-in-a-multipolar-world-and-what-it-means-for-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trumpian Bluff: A Unipolar Fantasy in a Multipolar World and What It Means for Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

28 Sep 2025\u00a0<\/em>–\u00a0The spectacle of a United Nations General Assembly is often a theater of global power dynamics. When President Trump took the stage, it was a performance of deliberate disruption. He distributed \u201cbad grades,\u201d mocked the institution\u2019s malfunctioning escalators and teleprompters, and donned what critics call his \u201chabitual suit as master of a unipolar world.\u201d This display, however, is more than just political theater; it is a symptom of a deeper chaos in the international order\u2014a chaos that presents both profound risks and strategic opportunities for the African continent.<\/p>\n

From a Pan-African viewpoint, the analysis must move beyond the ephemeral \u201cbluffs\u201d and \u201cflip-flops\u201d of American domestic politics and focus on the structural shifts they reveal. The decline of American unipolarity is not an event to be mourned but a reality to be navigated with shrewd and unified strategy.<\/p>\n

The Illusion of the Peacemaker and the Reality of Prolonged Conflict<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s central claim at the UN was that of a peacemaker, boasting of having ended \u201cseven wars.\u201d Yet, a critical analysis reveals this to be a \u201cpanegyric for domestic consumption.\u201d For exemple In Ukraine, Trump simultaneously pursued dialogue with Russia while greenlighting a $100 billion aid package to Kyiv, effectively prolonging the conflict he claimed to want to end.<\/p>\n

For Africa, this is a critical lesson. The wars funded and fueled by external powers are rarely about the people on the ground; they are about geopolitical leverage and commercial interests.<\/p>\n

On the continent , a \u201ccatastrophic diplomatic\u201d approach is applied where the \u201cdividends of war\u201d are prioritized over the \u201cdividends of peace.\u201d African nations, often caught in the crossfire of such proxy conflicts or used as pawns in UN voting blocs, must recognize that their stability is secondary to the economic and strategic games of external powers. The message is clear: Africa\u2019s peace cannot be outsourced.<\/p>\n

Palestinian Recognition: A Geopolitical Sea Change and a Lesson in Collective Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most significant developments at the UN was the wave of recognitions for the State of Palestine, bringing the total to 151 member states. This is not merely a symbolic gesture. From a Pan-African analytical lens, this is a masterclass in collective geopolitical pressure. The goal, as stated, is to \u201cincreasingly isolate the American-Zionist couple,\u201d forcing the U.S. to eventually tell Israel, \u201cwe can no longer follow you.\u201d<\/p>\n

This strategy holds a powerful lesson for Africa. It demonstrates that when the Global South acts in concert, it can shift the global consensus and pressure even the most entrenched alliances. The \u201ctwo weights, two measures\u201d cited in the context of Israel\u2014where it faces threats of sanctions but no concrete action despite its military campaign\u2014is a familiar reality for Africa, which has long suffered under a discriminatory international financial and political system. The Palestinian cause, in this instance, becomes a mirror reflecting the potential power of a unified African and Global South bloc to challenge historical injustices and impose a new, more equitable diplomatic calculus.<\/p>\n

Iran and the Forthcoming Multipolar Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n

The analysis of Iran\u2019s position is particularly insightful for Africa\u2019s future. The assessment that Iran, after being bombed despite adhering to nuclear agreements, may now be pushed toward a \u201cNorth Korean trajectory\u201d of acquiring a nuclear bomb for respect, is a stark warning. The subsequent nuclear proliferation in the Middle East would fundamentally reshape global security.<\/p>\n

For Africa, a continent committed to nuclear-weapon-free zones, this escalating tension between major global powers and regional \u201cpivotal states\u201d is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it diverts attention and resources away from the continent. On the other, it reinforces the necessity of Africa\u2019s stated policy of \u201cnon-alignment,\u201d which must evolve into a proactive and strategic \u201cmulti-alignment.\u201d As the U.S., Europe, Russia, and China jockey for influence, Africa\u2019s vast resources, growing market, and UN voting bloc become invaluable leverage. The continent must resist being drawn into these new cold wars and instead focus on extracting maximum benefit for its own development, playing competing powers against each other with a clear, self-interested agenda.<\/p>\n

The NATO Provocation and the \u201cDough of War\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reported incursions of unidentified drones over NATO countries, instantly attributed to Russia without evidence, is identified as a potential \u201cmedia manipulation\u201d operation. The goal, as critically analyzed, is to knead the \u201cdough of European public opinion\u201d with the \u201cyeast of anti-Russian sentiment\u201d to justify massive, continued military spending. This is framed as an \u201ceconomic predation operation\u201d akin to the COVID-19 crisis, where public fear is leveraged to transfer wealth to the military-industrial complex.<\/p>\n

As the great powers prepare for potential conflict, Africa must guard against becoming a staging ground or a theater for these new confrontations. The continent must reject any pressure to host foreign bases or join military alliances that do not serve its direct security interests. The primary lesson from the Trumpian \u201cbluff\u201d and the Western response is that these nations will always prioritize their own economic and strategic interests. Africa must do the same.<\/p>\n

The Imperative of African Agency<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Trumpian spectacle at the UN is not an anomaly but an acceleration of a trend: the demise of a U.S.-led world order. The accompanying volatility, from Ukraine to Gaza, and the cynical games of power, are not Africa\u2019s problems to solve. They are, however, the environment in which Africa must survive and thrive.<\/p>\n

The path forward is not in pleading for a seat at a broken table but in building a more robust one of its own. This requires strengthening continental institutions like the African Union, advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to enhance economic sovereignty, and forging a common, assertive foreign policy. The recognition of Palestine by a global majority shows that collective action works. It is time for Africa to apply that same unified strategic pressure to dismantle the neo-colonial economic structures, achieve permanent representation on the UN Security Council, and ensure that the unfolding multipolar world does not become a new era of exploitation, but a genuine dawn of African agency and self-determination.<\/p>\n

____________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ra\u00efs Neza Boneza is the author of fiction as well as non-fiction, poetry books and articles. He was born in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Former Za\u00efre). He is also an activist and peace practitioner. Ra\u00efs is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Media Service<\/em><\/a> Editorial Committee and a convener of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/em><\/a> for Central and African Great Lakes. He uses his work to promote artistic expressions as a means to deal with conflicts and maintaining mental wellbeing, spiritual growth and healing. Ra\u00efs has travelled extensively in Africa and around the world as a lecturer, educator and consultant for various NGOs and institutions. His work is premised on art, healing, solidarity, peace, conflict transformation and human dignity issues and works also as freelance journalist. You can reach him at <\/em>rais.boneza@gmail.com<\/em><\/a> – <\/em>http:\/\/www.raisnezaboneza.no<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 substack.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

28 Sep 2025\u00a0–\u00a0The spectacle of a UNGA is often a theater of global power dynamics. When Trump took the stage, it was a performance of deliberate disruption. He distributed \u201cbad grades,\u201d mocked the institution\u2019s malfunctioning escalators and teleprompters, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":304113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[237,88,2941,91,427,249,884,3145,124,70],"class_list":["post-304112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members","tag-africa","tag-israel","tag-multipolar-world-order","tag-nato","tag-palestine","tag-trump","tag-unga","tag-unipolar-world","tag-united-nations","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":304114,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304112\/revisions\/304114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}