Intro -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Acronyms -- List of Figures -- Chapter 1: Introduction: A Masterclass in Dealing with Passive Aggressive Behaviour -- A Book Is Born -- What to Expect in This Book -- References -- Chapter 2: Empires of the Mind -- Thought, Word, and Deed: A Parody of Misconceptions About Africa -- Africa and the New World: A Hidden History -- Restoring African Agency: The Relationship Between Culture, Freedom, and Colonial Domination -- The Language of Development -- References -- Chapter 3: The Disappointing Discussion About Aid Effectiveness -- Fruit of the Poisoned Tree: A Brief Account of Aid and Charity in Africa -- Charitable Shift: A Double-Edged Sword -- Mind the Gap: The Compensation Debate -- Getting Beyond 'Good Governance' and Why That Matters -- References -- Chapter 4: Comparative Advantage Is an Old-Fashioned Trick -- An Interplay Between Commerce and Conquest -- The Dutch Disease -- The Challenges of Capital Flight -- The Yoke of the Global Value Chain -- Inherent Power Disparity -- Historical and Cultural Interlacement -- The Persistent Legacy of Colonial Discourse -- A Different Path: Lessons from Asia and Ireland -- Towards a Fairer Trade System -- References -- Chapter 5: Lost Decades or Blessing? -- A Narrative of Extraction and Foreign Interference -- Late Colonialism Is Not that Old -- Structural Adjustment: New Face, Same Old Ideas -- Persistent Poverty and Widening Inequality -- Stagnant Industrial Diversification -- Erosion of Food Security -- Escalating Debt Burdens -- Social Interest and Political Turmoil -- Good Wishes Are Hardly Convincing -- The Setting of Universal Goals Inaugurates a New Millennium -- References -- Chapter 6: The Good Samaritans Lose Their Way -- A History of Asymmetry -- The End of an Era: Cotonou Agreements Expire While the World Enters a Lockdown.

The Proof of the Pudding Is in the Eating: The Post-Cotonou Crash -- Navigating the Impact of China's Influence on the European Agenda -- Too Many Cocks: The Proliferation of EU Initiatives for Africa -- References -- Chapter 7: Migration Takes Centre Stage -- By 2050 One in Four People in the World Will Be African -- The Fixation on Linearity -- The Mass Hysteria Around Migration -- Age-Old Truths: How Ageing Populations Are Changing the Face of Economies and Societies -- EU Migration Policies and Pathways to Transcend Neocolonial Trends -- Deterrence from a Distance: The Unfolding of a New European Strategy -- EU-AU Agreements and Partnerships for Migration -- References -- Chapter 8: The Free Trade Fantasy -- Tilting the Balance in Favour of Europe -- The WTO: A Missed Opportunity to Build a Fairer Global Trade System -- Divide and Conquer: The Coming of the EPA to Africa -- Separating Cousins: The Different Treatment Reserved for North Africa -- Reassessing the Scale of Africa's Trade with the EU -- AfCFTA: A Transformative Paradigm Shift in African Trade Dynamics -- References -- Chapter 9: Conclusions: A New Era of African Agency -- A Long History of Asymmetry -- The Lost Development Decades of the Twentieth Century -- The Pushback: Strengthening Africa's Role on the Global Stage -- The Future Beckons -- References -- Annex A: Report of the AU High Representative for Partnerships with Europe to Member States (May 2019) -- Introduction -- The 20-Year Journey to a New Eu-Africa Partnership -- A Future Instrument -- Key Focus Areas for Africa -- Trade Relations -- Background -- Current Context -- Future Continent-to-Continent Framework -- Negotiation Parameters for Trade -- Peace and Security -- Background -- Current Context -- Future Continent-to-Continent Cooperation -- Negotiation Parameters for Peace and Security -- Migration and Mobility.

Background -- Current Context -- Future Continent-to-Continent Cooperation -- Negotiation Parameters on Migration and Mobility -- Way Forward -- Annex B: List of European Initiatives towards Africa 1972-2022 -- Index.