Africa of the Great Lakes facing geopolitical changes

The end of the 20th century was marked by an important change in international life. This event of historical significance occurred since the structural change of the international scene following the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9 1989. Since then the balance of power dominated by bipolarity has been profoundly modified. These changes have not spared the African regions. They have however had a snowball effect in Africa particularly in the Great Lakes region. This new era marked the entry of the Democratic Republic of Congo then Zaire which lost its leadership to other regional powers. From then on this state with sub-continental dimensions became very vulnerable and unstable as evidenced by the various wars to which it was subjected. As a result the changing geopolitical situation in the region requires the DRC to rethink its foreign policy in order to better adapt to these changes and eventually regain its former position. These are the major concerns that are examined in this book.