Publication

This paper argues that while the contemporary 'Africa rising' narrative has been based on the influx of Chinese investment, silently sitting in the background are investment inflows from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The authors attribute this development to the Arab Spring and the likely rise of political Islam as the new norm from Cairo to Rabat. As a result, the authors further argue that the shape and intensity of GCC investment in Africa may well produce a more overt strategic dynamic in which the interests of East Asia clash with those of West Asia.