Dr. Emmanuel Balogun, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Skidmore College and Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University
Registration for this event is not required but is appreciated (for planning purposes).
Event Description
Russian aggression and intervention in Ukraine has exacerbated several overlapping issues in Africa, notably food insecurity and extant peace and security challenges. Russia, China, the EU, and the United States urged African countries to take a stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while African countries have been steadfast in their nonalignment. The presentation shows how African states can use their leadership positions in international and regional organizations to gain authority. Recent examples show how countries such as Ghana, as chair of ECOWAS and a member of the UN Security Council, and Senegal, as chair of the African Union, shaped their foreign policy to navigate acute regional issues, such as coups in West Africa. The presentation also highlights the strategies African countries use to leverage their positions in international organizations to assert themselves and bring attention to pressing issues on the continent.
Speaker Bio
Emmanuel Balogun, PhD (@EA_Balogun) is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Skidmore College and Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University. He is a scholar-practitioner who researches African politics and agency. He is the author of the book, Region-Building in West Africa: Convergence and Agency in ECOWAS .
Emmanuel Balogun is an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations where he works with the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations as a Political Advisor. He also works with the Department of State as a policy advisor on US-African relations. Previously, he was a fellow with Bridging the Gap and Principal Investigator for a Fulbright-Hays program grant. Emmanuel has a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Delaware.