The Truman adminstration and the decolonisation of sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The history of relations between United States of America and Africa is virtually unexplored. Africa, compared to Europe, has rarely been considered a Priority area because of the eurocentric orientation of most policy makers and historians in America. This orientation has given rise to two erroneous assumptions: first, that America has no interest or interests in Africa and therefore could not have had a- policy towards that continent; and second, that information does not exist to warrant studying the subject. Books on US-Africa relations, with a few exceptions, tend to be superficial, episode-oriented and unscholarly. But the reality is that the United States has had a long interest in the African continent. Her policies and personnel have influenced, and continue to influence, events in Africa. And, although Africa has rarely been a priority area, it has not been completely ignored.