Research Papers

At their 1998 Saint-Malo summit, the UK and French governments promised to set aside a century of rivalry and cooperate more closely on Africa. They also signalled their intention to promote sub-regional integration, in particular between networks of anglophone and francophone countries. Using the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a case study, this paper examines whether the promise of a new, less conflictual approach to Africa by the two major former colonial powers in the region is reflected in British and French policy and whether it has laid the basis for a more coherent EU policy towards ECOWAS since 1998. It sets out briefly the history of UK and French rivalry in West Africa, reviews the key developments that pushed the two countries to announce a new approach and then - drawing on extensive interviews in London, Paris, Brussels, Abuja and Dakar - evaluates the extent to which the two governments' promise of a new, more cooperative approach has impacted on EU policy towards ECOWAS. It suggests that, while public disagreements on policy are now largely avoided, historical ties, divergent interests and 'competitive clientelism' remain significant obstacles to the ability of the EU to become a more coherent policy actor vis-a-vis ECOWAS.