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Russia's UN Resolution on Neocolonialism is Pushback Against West's Dictatorial Attitude: Expert

18:05, 28 October 2024

Muhammad Nooh Osman

Writer/Editor

Earlier this month, at the meeting of the Fourth Committee of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Pyotr Ilyichev, called for a draft resolution entitled "Eradicating colonialism in all its forms and manifestations."

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Dr. Ongama Mtimka, acting director of the Raymond and Saba Center for Governance and Leadership at Nelson Mandela University, believes that Russia's recent UN General Assembly resolution on the eradication of neocolonialism presents an opportunity for African countries to reclaim their economic and political independence.

"It's appreciated that this discussion pushes back against the dictatorial [...] attitude that is sometimes held by Western Europe and the US when it comes to these countries in the global South, diversifying their trade [...] to also include the East," Dr. Mtimka told Sputnik Africa.

He noted that "Russia has been an ally of formerly colonized countries from when they were colonized." "If you look at the history of struggles against colonialism, the [Soviet Union was] instrumental in the liberation of various countries across the global South," he added.

"Russia can play a role of being increasingly a trading partner that brings about technology transfer [...] while at the same time remaining respectful as far as national sovereignty is concerned and the right of African countries for self-determination," he explained.

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He acknowledges that the resolution faces challenges in translating into concrete action, particularly given the entrenched neocolonial structures that benefit from the status quo: "They happen beneath the surface. They happen economically through illicit financial flows, among other things."

"Multinational corporations siphoning money out of developing countries unfettered in significant ways […] compromise on this country's ability to generate tax revenues that can be useful for that development," he stated, underscoring the need for greater transparency and accountability in international financial flows.

Dr. Mtimka pointed to the rise of alternative power blocs like BRICS as a key factor in diminishing the West's unchecked influence. "The increasing number of rising powers and coalitions around BRICS makes the unchecked power relations of the West to be a lot more contrived because now they are alternatives to the two into two deepening international relations," he said.

The expert believes that this new global landscape empowers African nations to demand more favorable terms from Bretton Woods institutions.

"The idea that developing countries can choose to collaborate to form part of the international system, but also can assert autonomy and independence," he concluded, expressing gratitude to Russia for championing this cause.