BEYOND THE BALLOT BOX: RETHINKING DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE LENS OF SINO-AFRICAN GOVERNANCE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHINA AND SIERRA LEONE

Abstrakt

Political Realism and its sub-sets are about power politics. Of the much that has been written about them, power acquisition and not reclamation is the prime focus. “Make America Great Again” is the sing-song of the Trump Administrations (1.0 and 2.0). This clarion call (though not exclusive to them) has become the cry-symbol of America’s revivalist quest for global dominance. This study used a tangential similitude of the power politics emblematic of an ecosystem to explain the current desire by President Trump to recalibrate the international system with the U.S. at its summit. Just like the Alpha lion sits at the helm of affairs in a Pride of lions, the desire of the Trump Administration is reflective of this grand design. Restoration Realism was used in this study to examine the subterranean pattern of power reclamation by any State desirous of lost power. The steps needed to realise these goals were adequately analysed. The data for this research were primarily drawn from secondary sources, cross-checked against the author’s observations of a wild lion den. By using the U.S. in a chronological format, salient patterns similar to what is obtained in a Pride of Lions were unraveled for a robust comprehension. It was discovered, among other things, that critical to America’s power-reclamation bid is maintaining its relationship with its traditional allies and maintaining a clear dichotomy with its known rivals.