An evaluation of the USA's Africa policy since the Cold War

Abstract

In this study, the African policy of the USA has been analyzed. In the bipolar world, in the competition with the Soviet Union and communist ideology, Africa was seen as a geography that should not be lost to its rivals in American foreign policy. It is observed that the interest of the USA, which became the sole power of the international system with the collapse of the Soviet Union, in Africa decreased in the first years of the post-Cold War period. However, after the terrorist attacks that took place in his country at the beginning of the twenty-first century, with the effect of the energy reserves that started to be discovered in the continent and the increasing interest of the great powers such as China, the EU, India, Japan and Russia towards Africa, the USA started military operations in Africa during the Bush era. By increasing its presence, it established a separate command responsible only for the continent and became the foremost commercial partner of the continental countries. With the presidents who came to power later, the interest in Africa decreased compared to the Bush era. In the Obama and Trump eras, it is seen that the USA lost its quality of being the most important trade partner of Africa to China and the EU. Therefore, it is seen that Africa, which rose to an important position in American foreign policy in 2001-2008, decreased in the following years. In this study, it will be emphasized how the 2008 economic crisis and the desire of the USA to reduce its dependence on foreign energy made a change in the African policy of the USA. With China's increasing interest in Africa, the fact that the continent has become a competition area of great powers will be discussed.