“France-Afrique Architects”? Analytical Support of Current French Politics in Africa

The ongoing foreign policy failures of France in Africa, primarily in the countries of the Sahel zone, force to pay close attention to the mechanisms of decision-making in this area. The key focus of the article is the role of the academic community in the foreign policy expertise of France, its personnel composition, affiliation with the main government actors (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, French Development Agency), research centers and universities. The authors' concept of four concentric communities of applied research on Africa is presented in function of their influence on foreign policy decision-making. The most influential representatives working at the intersection of thematic areas of African studies, development studies and international security issues are studied. These areas of research act as markers of applied African studies. A multi-criteria analysis of the affiliation of the main participants was carried out. Conclusions are drawn about the features of the system of French foreign policy expertise in Africa. Special attention is paid to works that critically assess France’s current foreign policy strategy on the continent, highlighting both systemic and “unconventional” critics who move into the category of political activists. The problems and prospects for the development of two main scientific journals on African studies are revealed (“Modern Africa” and “African Politics”). The insignifi-cant role of immigrants from the continent in African studies of France is demonstrated. Despite an extensive network of scientific partnerships uniting dozens of French universities and African institutes, there is no deep integration of Africans into the French academy, which also reduces the quality of African expertise.