The East Africa Community Integration. Globalization and regionalism steering change in the greater Eastern Africa Region

Globalization and regionalism are two theories in International Relations which are now abuzz. These two terms have impacted the East African Community as a regional integration unit within the African continent. Originally, the EAC only had three member nations and they encountered political turbulence, which disrupted its cohesion in the 1960s and 1970s. The Mediation Agreement gave it a lifeline. Upon its revival, globalization and regionalism implicitly and explicitly became the guiding factors which guided and still guide the ‘new’ EAC. It now has an expanded membership of seven neighboring nations. The EAC is one of the fastest growing sub-regional economic integration units in Africa and in the world. The analysis extrapolates how globalization and regionalism have impacted the globe and corroborates some factors with what is happening in the EAC sub- region in recent times.