At the start of his administration John F. Kennedy launched a
personal policy initiative to court African nationalist leaders.
This policy was designed to improve U.S.-African relations and
constituted a dramatic change in the direction of U.S. foreign
relations. The Kennedy administration believed that the Cold War
could be won or lost depending upon whether Washington or Moscow
won the hearts and minds of the Third World. Africa was
particularly important because a wave of independence saw nineteen
newly independent African states admitted into the United Nations
during 1960-61. By 1962, 31 of the UN's 110 member states were from
the African continent, and both Washington and Moscow sought to add
these countries to their respective voting bloc. For Kennedy, the
Cold War only amplified the need for a strong U.S. policy towards
Africa-but did not create it. The Kennedy administration feared
that American neglect of the newly decolonized countries of the
world would result in the rise of anti-Americanism and for this
reason needed to be addressed irrespective of the Cold War. For
this reason, Kennedy devoted more time and effort toward relations
with Africa than any other American president. By making an
in-depth examination of Kennedy's attempt to court African
nationalist leaders, Betting on the Africans adds an important
chapter to the historiography of John F. Kennedy's Cold War
strategy by showing how through the use of personal diplomacy JFK
realigned United States policy towards Africa and to a large extent
won the sympathies of its people while at the same time alienating
more traditional allies.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!