United States Assistance Policy in Africa: Exceptional Power

Development assistance in Africa has been viewed as a US foreign policy tool to enhance national security objectives and improve the lives of those in the developing world. This book examines the American assistance discourse, its formation and justification in relation to historical contexts, and its operation on the African continent. It highlights how cultural, political, and economic conceptions influence the discourse and the relationship between American national security and its assistance policy in Africa.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 322 pages
Publication date: 17 January 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

From the conclusion of World War II to the conclusion of the Obama administration, development assistance in Africa has been regarded as a vital tool of US foreign policy. While many would describe it as a form of aid aimed at improving the lives of those in developing countries, it can also be seen as a means to achieve US national security objectives.

Utilizing a theoretical framework rooted in power, United States Assistance Policy in Africa delves into the examination of the American assistance discourse, its formation, and justification in relation to historical contexts, and its implementation on the African continent. Beginning with a problematization of development as a concept that establishes hierarchies between groups of people, the book underscores how cultural, political, and economic conceptions shape the American assistance discourse. The book further highlights the interconnectedness between American national security and its assistance policy in Africa during the Cold War, the post-Cold War, and the post-9/11 contexts.

This book holds significant appeal to students and scholars of Development Studies, Political Science, and International Relations, with a particular interest in US foreign policy, USAID, and/or African Studies.

Weight: 500g
Dimension: 158 x 233 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367172688