Comparative Analysis of Foreign Aid Strategies of France and China towards Fragile States in Africa

Providing foreign aid to fragile states is one of the central issues on the international aid system agenda. Today most countries that are considered fragile (according to OECD criteria) are developing states of the African continent. With this context, the aid strategies of the major donors to the African continent (France and China) are receiving growing attention. The aim of this study is to compare the major characteristics of the aid strategies of France and China to fragile African states with an emphasis placed upon the differences that are due to their positions in the international aid system (namely as a traditional and a new donor). The study is based on the paradigm of neo-realism and the concepts of the Copenhagen School of International Relations. The methods such as case study, event analysis and analysis of official documents are employed. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that, despite the fact that the security aspect is present in the aid strategies of both states, the aid policies of France to fragile countries of Africa are more closely related to the security aspect, which is explained by the different understandings of national interests by these states and by their different perceptions of foreign aid as an instrument of foreign policy.