Landlocked states are a special category of countries whose economic and social development is associated with a number of additional difficulties due to their geographical location. Among them are: limitation of participation in the international division of labor, high transport costs and costs associated with bureaucratic procedures for crossing the borders of third countries, as well as reducing the competitiveness of exports. The African continent has the largest number of such states. Simultaneously with the indicated political and geographical feature, various sanctions are in force or imposed on a number of this category of African countries, both by the UN and states individually. The sum of these factors negatively affected the development of these states. This article examines in detail two country cases of applying international sanctions against landlocked African countries: the CAR and Mali.
The study led to the conclusion that the effectiveness of sanctions imposed against these countries and targeted sanctions against members of their political elites is low. The main damage and negative consequences are for the general population, since they directly relate to everyday life needs and requirements. For a significant part of the population of both countries, the costs of sanctions are compensated by the possibilities of the “economy of war”: illegal extraction of local natural resources, smuggling and speculation of essential goods.
Peculiarities of the country’s geographical position, lack of access to the sea, under these conditions, can serve as a factor for further “decoupling” of elites from the sanctions issue and the continuation of their policies.
Anna Sharova reviews two recent books separately published by two English language authors – P. Martell and J. Young. The books are very different in style and mood. While P. Martell presents an excellent example of British journalist prose in the style of his elder compatriots Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene, who did their reporting and writing from exotic countries during fateful periods of history, J. Young offers a more academic, though no less ‘on the spot’ analysis of the situation in the youngest independent country of Africa.
J. Young’s considers two possible approaches to conflict resolution as possible outcomes: non-intervention cum continuation of the war, or the introduction of international governance.
P. Martell comes up with a disappointing prediction about the future of South Sudan. The war will go on, the famine will return, and the threat of genocide will not disappear. People will continue to flee the country, and refugee camps will grow. New warring groups will appear, new murders will be committed. Neighbouring states will not stop competing for influence and resources. New peacekeepers will arrive. Warlords will be accused of crimes, but, as before, they will escape punishment, while some will be promoted.
Egypt is the most dynamically developing country in the region of North Africa. In the nearest future, it is expected to turn into the largest economy of Africa in terms of GDP measured by PPP and to overtake Nigeria. The leadership of Egypt considers accelerated development of the national energy complex, including electricity sector, as one of the main drivers of the economic growth. It will be based on the latest achievements of scientific and technological progress and new forms of attracting foreign direct investment, mainly concession agreements in the format of public-private partnership. This allows medium-sized companies to participate in the process of transnationalization that becomes one of its distinguishing features on the modern stage. The master plan for the development of the electric power industry until 2035 envisages the use of various traditional and renewable energy sources. It is planned to create a balanced electric power generation structure, overcoming the current bank tilt towards gasfired thermal power plants. It is expected that in the 2034/35 financial year coalfired power plants in Egypt will account for 34.0% of electricity generation, 19.4% for solar power plants (11.8% for photovoltaics and 7.6% for concentrated solar power), 19.4% for gas-fired power plants, 14.6% for wind power plants, 8.8% for nuclear power plants, 3.2% for hydro power plants and almost 0.6% for thermal power plants working on fuel oil. The objective of electricity sector’s development is the creation of an advanced branch of the economy, in which renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies play an important role, ensuring uninterrupted and reliable energy supply, as well as turning the country into a regional energy hub. All this will contribute not only to overcoming the crisis phenomena in the industry itself, observed since 2010s, but also to further change in the nature of the inclusion of the Egyptian economy in the system of the international division of labor, which has undergone significant changes over the past decades.
Рассмотрены вопросы, связанные с реформированием электроэнергетики в арабских странах Западной Азии. В разной степени изменения затронули все государства региона. В настоящее время спрос на электроэнергию, в основном, удовлетворяется за счет собственного производства. Установлено, что спрос на электроэнергию имеет устойчивую тенденцию к росту, а его покрытие будет осуществляться за счет строительства собственных генерирующих мощностей с привлечением ведущих энергетических компаний мира. Это создает предпосылки для расширения присутствия российских энергокомпаний на электроэнергетических рынках рассматриваемых стран, прежде всего, за счет углубления взаимовыгодной кооперации с ведущими российскими и зарубежными энергетическими компаниями и финансовыми структурами.
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