The Changing Faces of East African Region Economic Cooperation: Is it Politics or Economic Expediency?

Abstract

This paper sought to investigate the dimensions of the changing faces of East African regional economic cooperations whether it is moved by political or economic expediency. Whereas one would think that economic cooperations are solely economics at play, the politics of states would imply that economic cooperations among states is a political venture hence behind the shadows of such cooperations is proper politics, this leads into thinking of the thin lines that exist between politics and economics. Which would be the best drive, economic or political expediency? By looking at what has taken place elsewhere, this discourse by finding out the changing faces of East African region overtime, also examined this key issue: political and economic expediency, and finally sought to assess the likely impact of both in the enhancement of the regional economic cooperations. After the discussions of the objectives in relation to what other scholars have written, the authors came up with a conclusion on this paper which has adopted a qualitative approach to suggest that; one, at independence East African regional cooperations were shaped by both economic and political interests of the then colonial masters even into the designs; two, these cooperations have much been affected by politics because their existence is first and foremost realists’ endeavours; and finally, as neo-liberalism sweeps across the globe, the changing political patterns of interests and state’s redefinitions within the International system make the changing faces inevitable amidst immeasurable conflicts.