Kenyan foreign policy remains constant in a changing world - Mudavadi

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said that the world is experiencing a shift in the existing post-Cold War global order as new alliances and rivalries emerge.

Speaking when he gave a public lecture at the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy on Kenya’s Perspective on the Unfolding Geopolitical Landscape Regionally and Globally, Mudavadi said that the old unipolar or bipolar order had given way to the forces of the next world order with the emerging powers, new actors, evolving interests, and the assertiveness of developing states are recalibrating the global status quo.

Mudavadi said that the global landscape that is unfolding before us is that of multipolarity and not unipolarity, the world is that of unilateralism rather than multilateralism, protectionism rather than free trade, and callous indifference and transactionalism rather than humanitarianism.

“There is a shifting world order where even liberal states desire to insulate themselves against globalization by adopting hyper-nationalism and isolationism and prioritizing individualistic state-centric security and defence approaches over collective security, thus reviving the post-World War Two security dilemma including nuclear weapons threats and proliferation,” said Mudavadi.

The Prime CS, who is also the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary, said the world was witnessing a gravitation towards illiberal actions by liberal states.

The net effect, he said, was that global powers are embroiled in hypocrisy, mischief, unilateralism, and militarism hence undermining global governance and established international relations values and principles of sovereignty, human rights, democracy, collective action, human solidarity, and shared prosperity, and a rules-based international order founded on multilateralism.

“The unfolding global landscape presents a puzzle for Africa and Kenya because it is apparently at parallel with the African philosophy of conducting diplomacy,” he said.

Mudavadi noted that the broad African perspective of international relations is that of communalism rather than raw selfish interests, consensus on intergovernmental relations rather than competition and rivalry, and consideration for being a “brother’s keeper” as per the Pan-African goals rather than hegemonic dominance and power projections.

“As such, whereas Africa is rising and gradually becoming assertive and aspiring not to be a persistent victim of dependency and humanitarian disasters, due to the rapidly mutating geopolitics, the continent is once again facing looming challenges of resurgent Cold War and a new scramble for Africa,” said the PCS.

The prevailing geopolitical flux, Mudavadi said, was uniquely impacting global security, including escalating conflicts regionally and globally, geopolitical tensions, and other global dangers such as violent extremisms, climate change risks, pandemics, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyber warfare, and weaponisation of technology, and economic volatility among other severe human security threats.

“Today we are witnessing violent conflicts characterised by indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations, including schools and hospitals, use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war, the decimation of economic livelihoods and forced displacements,” said Mudavadi.

According to the PCS, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in its ‘Global Appeal 2025’, projects that over 139 million people globally will be forcibly displaced or become stateless by the end of 2025 due to conflicts most of the from vulnerable people in the developing countries noting that over 2.8 million children are out of school were out of school a grave risk to almost an entire generation.

“In the Horn of Africa, despite the huge humanitarian crisis in Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia, the weakening global governance and increasing international indifference to the continent’s challenges, risks relegating the Horn of Africa crises to world’s forgotten conflicts,” said Mudavadi.

Sadly, the PCS noted, the multilateral institutions are facing growing challenges that undermine their ability to effectively address contemporary global concerns of great significance.

“Geopolitical divisions have deepened, often leading to gridlock in decision-making at the UN Security Council, while resource constraints continue to hinder the timely deployment of critical interventions. This is likely to get worse as states increasingly adopt inward looking policies,” he said.

This situation has created an increasingly complex and fragmented international landscape, making it difficult to forge consensus-driven solutions to pressing global security issues.

He said Kenya’s position on major geopolitical issues remained consistent yet adaptable to the emerging and evolving realities of geopolitics.

“Kenya is guided by our Foreign Policy principles of non-interference, ensuring peaceful coexistence and promoting resolution of conflicts by peaceful means, Kenya espouses the achievement of a two-state solution founded on relevant UN resolutions and African Union position on Israel-Palestine conflict. Having been a victim of terrorism, Kenya abhors the use of terror and other forms of violence that harm innocent civilians,” said Mudavadi.

On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he said Kenya called for a speedy and peaceful resolution.    

“Similarly, Kenya continues to actively engage in mediation and peace initiatives both regionally and internationally, including in DRC, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, and Haiti among others because we recognize that sustainable peace in one part of the world contributes to the shared prosperity globally,” said Mudavadi.