Abstract

The election of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, as the chair of the African Union in February 2009, reopened the debate on continentalism versus regionalism, and also provided grounds for fresh analyses on the prospect for an African Economic Community. The axis of the debate on continentalism and regionalism is the extent to which political integration and economic integration can be pursued simultaneously or as separate processes, and how these could lead to a continent-wide government. It raises the question of the geographical form of African unity and development. Two main camps have dominated that debate, with one camp promoting a radical view by which the whole of Africa should be governed from one centre of power, a continental government of some sort. The other camp espouses regionalism as a pragmatic approach towards rebuilding post-independence Africa. While the history of the debate on continentalism versus regionalism is well documented, its contemporary strands which are embodied in the formation of the African Union and the election of Gaddafi as chair of the African Union in 2009 have not been given proper attention. The association of a continental government with individuals such as Gaddafi provides avenues for debating new dimensions and perspectives on continentalism and regionalism in Africa in the 21st century. This paper seeks to highlight these new dimensions and to account for their ideological grounding.