The genesis of this book was a desire to write a systematic overview and analysis of United States foreign policy toward Africa that would be of interest not only to scholarly audiences and members of the policymaking establishment, but also to those Africans entrusted by their respective governments in negotiating the labyrinth of Washington's foreign policy establishment. As an Africanist with training in the fields of international relations theory and comparative foreign policy, I often have been frustrated by the paucity of scholarly research in these fields that addresses my particular interest in US relations with the African continent. Indeed, the study of Africa within the fields of international relations theory and comparative foreign policy historically has been a low academic priority. Studies that either focus on traditional security concerns, such as East—West relations and the nature of the Atlantic Alliance, or geographical regions of perceived greater importance, such as Southeast Asia, Central America, and, more recently, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, are given priority. Similarly, this attitude is found in official policymaking circles, as well as among segments of the general public.

The primary purposes of this book, therefore, are threefold. The first purpose is to address the lack of understanding and attention that Africa has received within the fields of international relations theory and comparative foreign policy.