CARPO Studies
Relations between West Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have become increasingly strategic amid shifting global power dynamics and the rise of a multipolar world order. This CARPO Study examines how governments, companies, diaspora networks, and individuals exercise agency through diplomacy, trade, security cooperation, and soft power. Using the NML-nexus (Networkability, Maneuverability, Leveragability) as an analytical lens, it shows that while Gulf states often leverage financial and security influence, African actors are far from passive as they use different tools and strategies to their advantage and shape the terms of engagement. The authors of this CARPO Study conclude that the future of these relations will hinge as much on African agency as on Gulf ambitions, offering a new lens to understand their evolving dynamics.
