ABSTRACT
The subjectivity of International Relations (IR) theory has led to the emergence of theoretical multiplicity, which has found expression in the endurance of hegemonic and pluralistic perceptions of global relations. This chapter examines the history of EU-Africa relations based on a comparative analysis of IR theories of realism, liberalism and constructivism. The internal challenges of the African states were reflected in the making of the Cotonou Agreement of 2000 as amended in 2005, which laid emphasis on poverty eradication, antiterrorism and arms race as well as the recognition of emerging powers of non-state character. The Cotonou framework emphasises the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) aimed at establishing a common market between the EU and regional blocks in Africa. Liberalism sees interregional cooperation as a product of globalisation born out of the rationality of state survival in the international system. The pattern of EU-Africa relations feeds on the perception of the duo as constructed by historical realities.
