Although historiography on US policy towards Africa is not particularly rich, numerous studies have been devoted to the early 1960s. Historians have long debated the scope of the novelties of the Kennedy Administration’s relations towards Africa, which stood in the complex intersection between Cold War and decolonization. On the contrary, Johnson's African policy has been studied very little, and the few studies that exist are almost all in agreement in giving a negative assessment. According to this reading, Johnson disregarded the entire continent and its development, neglected contacts with leaders of the newly independent countries, and drastically reduced development aid, which until then had been used as a tool of containment in Africa, as well as proof of the trust and optimism that the US wanted to demonstrate in the potential of African modernization, led by the United States and the West. Based on archival documentation and published diplomatic documents, this paper analyzes Lyndon Johnson's foreign policy towards sub-Saharan Africa and proposes an interpretation in the context of a long-term reading of the US policy in the area, focusing, in particular, on the events related to the Congolese revolts of 1963-65, on the Biafran crisis and on the revision of the development cooperation policy. A long-term reading of the main nodes of African politics in the United States makes it possible to downplay the negative evaluations that historiography and contemporary observers have offered of Johnson's African policy, often deriving from a direct comparison with that pursued by his predecessor. In particular, on analysing Washington’s stance towards the decolonization process, a more nuanced picture emerges regarding US relations with European countries, in this context, and foreign aid policy, whereby the differences appear less well-defined and where Johnson’s choices seem to be of continuity rather than a break with respect to previous years.
“Outside the main arenas of US attention”: The Johnson Administration African Policy
lorella tosone
2018
Abstract
Although historiography on US policy towards Africa is not particularly rich, numerous studies have been devoted to the early 1960s. Historians have long debated the scope of the novelties of the Kennedy Administration’s relations towards Africa, which stood in the complex intersection between Cold War and decolonization. On the contrary, Johnson's African policy has been studied very little, and the few studies that exist are almost all in agreement in giving a negative assessment. According to this reading, Johnson disregarded the entire continent and its development, neglected contacts with leaders of the newly independent countries, and drastically reduced development aid, which until then had been used as a tool of containment in Africa, as well as proof of the trust and optimism that the US wanted to demonstrate in the potential of African modernization, led by the United States and the West. Based on archival documentation and published diplomatic documents, this paper analyzes Lyndon Johnson's foreign policy towards sub-Saharan Africa and proposes an interpretation in the context of a long-term reading of the US policy in the area, focusing, in particular, on the events related to the Congolese revolts of 1963-65, on the Biafran crisis and on the revision of the development cooperation policy. A long-term reading of the main nodes of African politics in the United States makes it possible to downplay the negative evaluations that historiography and contemporary observers have offered of Johnson's African policy, often deriving from a direct comparison with that pursued by his predecessor. In particular, on analysing Washington’s stance towards the decolonization process, a more nuanced picture emerges regarding US relations with European countries, in this context, and foreign aid policy, whereby the differences appear less well-defined and where Johnson’s choices seem to be of continuity rather than a break with respect to previous years.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
