RUSSIAN POLICY IN AFRICA - DISENGAGEMENT OR COOPERATION

After several decades of expanding involvement and influence in Africa which focused on Lybia, Algeria and several Marxist regimes in Sub-Sa haran Africa, the Soviet Union disengaged from the continent in the la te 1980s as part of the global retrenchment associated with Gorbachev' s domestic economic reforms and ''new thinking'' in foreign and securi ty policy. As part of that process, the Soviet Union played an active role in the negotiations that resulted in peace agreements in Angola, Mozambique and Ethiopia. After the collapse of the Soviet state, Russi a continued its retreat from Africa, closing embassies in a number of states and eliminating almost all military and economic support for fo rmer partners and clients. However, by 1994, as part of a major reorie ntation of its foreign policy, Moscow began to reassess the implicatio ns of this withdrawal and announced its interest in reestablishing tie s with the countries of the continent, ties that focus on mutually ben eficial economic relations. However, the poor financial situation of m any African states will likely impede the implementation of Russia's p lans for expanded economic involvement. Moreover, Russian political in volvement is likely to remain limited, given the centrality of Russia' s political and economic problems at home and in the ''near abroad''.