Rise of the (Other) Rest? Exploring Small State Agency and Collective Power in International Relations

Abstract

This article discusses the changing attitudes of African states towards the governance of their mining sectors, with states seeking to assert their sovereignty through a greater agency in their mineral resources. These attitudes are strongly echoed by regional governance norms such as the Africa Mining Vision an initiative led by the African Union since 2009. I suggest that the main drivers of these changes are collective agents that transcend the realm of the state. Building on Tom Long's tripartite categorization of small state power (“derivative power”, “particular-intrinsic power”, and “collective power”) to the analysis, I highlight Africa's current mining reforms as the outcome of a collective power to shape its mining sector vis-á-vis global structures. The article discusses these changes primarily through IR scholarship on the ‘Rise of the Rest’ and on small states agency.

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