ABSTRACT
African empires such as Ethiopia and Morocco long survived against the European powers despite their technological inferiority and, succumbing briefly, have re-emerged with their imperialistic ideas intact and their imperialistic abilities enhanced from their close contact with the European powers and latterly the world super-powers. African imperialism has been accepted by the outside powers and even encouraged by them. It also expressed a desire: 'to assure the inhabitants of Eritrea the fullest respect and safeguards for their institutions, traditions, religions and languages as well as the widest possible measure of self-government.' How empty these words were, as was soon demonstrated. African imperialism has been part of the post-colonial African inheritance, tolerated because it has been perpetrated by African powers who were useful to the wider aims of the Cold War super-powers, and in the case of Morocco in the 1990s, useful in countering the spread of Islamic fundamentalism.
