Foreign Policy in an Era of Globalization: The Need for Nigeria to Refocus Its Priority

Abstract

Globalization has undoubtedly brought some challenges such as polarization of wealth and poverty, elongation of gap between the North (Developed countries) and South (Developing countries), and erosion of part of powers and activities of the nation-states, it has therefore become imperative for states in the South including Nigeria to reassess its relations with other national governments and transnational actors as international organization and multinational corporations. This is with a view to repositioning itself for these challenges. In an era of globalization, these challenges have unnaturally downplayed multilateralism and in its stead uplifted unilateralism. This is because globalization has heralded such phenomena as marketization and territorialization. It has also evolved strong competition among nation-states. The onus is now on the states in the South including Nigeria to respond to these challenges. Again, such happenings in the international arena as nuclearism, Islamic fundamentalism and climate change phenomenon, which have wider implications for developing country as Nigeria have meant that Nigeria should refocus and reformulate its foreign policy purely from its national interests rather than through the prism of African-centered policy. The paper concludes that the polymorphism of events has made it imperative for Nigeria to work out a counteractive foreign policy that is capable of meeting the challenges posed by globalization.

Keywords: Globalization, Nigeria, Foreign Policy, Domestic Factors, External Factors