Ethiopia’s Asian Options: A Collage of African and Asian Entanglements

Abstract

Africa-Asia relations are a controversial subject at the moment and many authors have attempted to shed light on what the renewed relations between Africa and Asia entail. Some have denounced what they see as a 'New Scramble for Africa', while others have identified the possibilities offered by these new South-South relations and have drawn attention to the impact of African agency in this new constellation. This article follows on from these discussions by reading the growing global dynamic as a collage of African and Asian entanglements. It is based on research conducted within the University of Frankfurt's Inter-Centre programme on Africa's Asian Options (AFRASO). In line with the programme's empirical, comparative and trans-regional objectives, the three authors conduct research on the interactions between Africa and Asia. 1