Description
Book SynopsisThe author draws on both the documentary record and his years of on-the-ground experience to provide a uniquely comprehensive survey and interpretation of nearly eight decades of US policy toward Africa. Tracing how this policy has evolved across successive administrations since 1942 (beginning with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third term in office), the author illuminates the debates that have taken place at the highest levels of government; shows how policy toward Africa has been affected over the years by US relations with Europe, the Soviet Union, the Middle East, and most recently China; and points to the increasing reliance of Western economic interests on Africa’s natural resources. His deeply informed narrative reveals the roles not only of circumstance and ideology, but also of personalities, in the formulation and implementation of US foreign policy.
Trade Review“[This] comprehensive political history of US-African relations carefully chronicles American policy on the continent across successive presidencies, from the administration of Franklin Roosevelt to that of Donald Trump.” - Nicolas van de Walle,
Foreign Affairs In a time when respectful political discussions are increasingly difficult, Cohen’s account gives an honest, if even unflattering, take on history.” - Caleb Slayton,
The BridgeTable of ContentsThe United States and Africa: A Historical Perspective. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1941-1945. Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953-1961. John F. Kennedy, 1961-1963. Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-1969. Richard M. Nixon, 1969-1974. Gerald Ford, 1974-1977. Jimmy Carter, 1977-1981. Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989. George H. W. Bush, 1989-1993. William J. Clinton, 1993-2001. George W. Bush, 2001-2009. Barack H. Obama, 2009-2017. Donald Trump, 2017-2019. Reflections on Successes and Failures.
