The African Union as a foreign policy player: African agency in international cooperation

The African Union (AU) is a complex organisation at the interstices of bilateral and multilateral foreign policy execution in Africa. The foreign policymaking roles of the heads of government, the chief of the AU Commission and other role players in exercising African international relations are varied, as they are complex. The AU is the face of Africa and represents continental interest when it negotiates and implements agreements on issues such as international trade, international law, international security and other important issues. The AU occupies an important role and position in foreign policy agency. The success of African collective diplomacy in international cooperation also depends on the role of an incumbent Chairperson of the AU Commission. The common but politically tenuous position opened up the space for the AU to be sidelined when it absented itself from meetings of the 35-member strong Libyan Contact Group in London.