The Geopolitical Forum

With France's retreat from parts of West Africa rose an anti-colonial movement in Burkina Faso and a strong leader, Ibrahim Traoré, There are many stories about Ibrahim Traoré. Many are very colorful and flattering but factually incorrect, and still others are slanderous lies.

Ibrahim Traoré is a military commander and president of Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, with a population of 23 million, with the largest ethnic group the Mossi people. It was colonized by the French as Upper Volta, a self-governing colony within the French Community, which gained full independence in 1960. Renamed Burkina Faso, the “land of the honest / incorruptible men,” it remains one of the least developed countries in the world.

Since it gained its independence, the country has been subject to instability, droughts, famines and corruption. There have also been various coups, in 1966, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, and twice in 2022. There were also unsuccessful coup attempts in 1989, 2015, and 2023.
Burkina Faso is a state that is struggling to overcome the conditions it found itself in in the neo colonial era.

Under Traoré's administration, Burkina Faso has pursued a revolutionary and anti-colonial agenda, expelling French soldiers and strengthening ties with Russia.

https://youtube.com/shorts/wgkvpZ0K5Z0?si=Nml57dLbbGXHCB8b

Burkina Faso has nationalized its wealth by creating a state mining corporation, aiming for more control over its gold mining resources. This move immediately scored points with people who have been advocating that where the country’s wealth be distributed primarily within its borders.

It obtained control of two industrial gold mines formerly controlled by a British company, and in April 2025, granted an industrial mining license to the Russian company Nordgold for a new gold project.

Neighboring Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, has the fourth largest economy in the continent. A multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 different languages, Nigeria is a regional power in Africa and a middle power in international affairs.

SPEAKER
Olawale Adeniran
Native of Nigeria, Olawale moved to the US at age 15. He graduated from Roger C Sullivan high school in Chicago and attended Harper college in Schaumburg and Southeast community college in Lincoln, Nebraska. He worked at the State of Nebraska as a mental health specialist for three years and at the State of Illinois as a mental health Technician for two. He is currently a producer in the life insurance industry.

To attend via Zoom

The "nine-dash line" is a series of dashed lines on maps used by China to demarcate its territorial claims in the South China Sea. These claims are highly contested, as they overlap with the claims of other countries in the region, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. The nine-dash line encompasses a vast area of the South China Sea, including numerous islands, reefs, and atolls, and is a source of tension in the region in recent two decades.

Rober Whitley and Eric Mao will debate on "Does China have a valid claim to the greater South China Sea?"

Motion: China has a valid claim to the greater South China Sea. Defending: Eric
Opposing: Robert

Robert Whitley
Robert Whitley has been a Geopolitical Forum member since early 2024 and has this year completed, with honor, his B.A. in International Relations & Global Security with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies from American Public University. He is a seasoned custom broker that has been working in international trade logistics for the past 27 years.

Eric Mao
Founder of the Geopolitical Forum, Eric Mao is an analyst and writer of international affairs. He writes on Substack under @ericshepherdmao and has a presence on X as @ShepherdMao. He is the author of Diversity the Modern Fetish and Equality in the Guise of Ideal, published in 2018.

To attend via Zoom