ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author addresses himself especially to seven triads that have conditioned relations between Africa, Europe, and the Arab world. The tripolar world of Europe, Africa, and Arab countries has a number of asymmetries. Economically Europe and the Arab countries do constitute a regional subsystem. The religion of the Arabs is in the process of converting nearly a third of the population of black Africa, the religions of black Africa have had little influence on the Arabs. The two main policy issues that emerge from the triad of acculturation are, first, the problem of synthesizing the three civilizations within Africa and, second, the problem of reciprocating the penetration of Africa by the other two civilizations. The domestic triad of stratification-peasantry, bourgeoisie, and proletariat in Africa especially-is bound to undergo significant changes in the rest of the century. As for the triad of international stratification, the Muslim world has become part of the vanguard of dissent.
