1st Edition

The United States And The Horn Of Africa An Analytical Study Of Pattern And Process

By Okbazghi Yohannes Copyright 1997
    368 Pages
    by Routledge

    368 Pages
    by Routledge

    The recent collapse of the bipolar world order has been accompanied by momentous changes, dynamically setting the international system in motion toward an uncertain future. Such a profound transformation of the international system mandates an evaluation of American foreign policy and the role of the United States in this radically changed world order. In this insightful new book, Okbazghi Yohannes examines the role of U.S. foreign policy with regard to the four countries that make up the Horn of Africa: Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The book begins by analyzing the historical patterns and processes of American policy in relation to the African Horn during and after the Cold War, offering a comprehensive description of the fundamental policy choices of the United States and the means chosen to achieve American objectives in the region. Finally, Yohannes considers the extent to which the American role in the African Horn aided or impeded the emergence of political democracy and the promotion of economic development within the region. By juxtaposing this new method of examination with traditional approaches, the book reveals a greater coherence in the structural relationship between U.S. policy and the politics of the African Horn. Skillfully incorporating informative background material regarding the history, politics, and diplomacy of the countries covered by the study, Yohannes addresses the interests of both the specialist and the general reader.

    Introduction -- The United States and Ethiopia -- The Quest for a New Paradigm of Diplomacy -- The Uneasy Alliance: 1953–1976 -- The Struggle to Win Each Other Back: 1977–1996 -- The United States and Eritrea -- At Odds with Self-Determination -- The American Quandary over Eritrea: 1952–1976 -- The Twin Strategies—Containment and Pro-Insurgency: 1977–1996 -- The United States and Somalia -- Domesticating Somalia -- Somalia Goes East: 1960–1976 -- The Somali Paradox—From Strategic Asset to Humanitarian Liability: 1977–1996 -- The United States and the Sudan -- Laying the Foundations -- The American Struggle over the “Bridge”: 1956–1976 -- From Strategic Partnership to Open Confrontation: 1977–1996 -- Epilogue

    Biography

    Okbazghi Yohannes is associate professor of political science and international studies at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. He has written numerous articles in his field and is the author of Eritrea: A Pawn in World Politics. Currently, he is working on another book examining the political economy of Islamic radicalism in Egypt and Turkey.