Africa Notes: A Watershed in U.S. Aid to Africa: Disengagement or a New Approach? - July 1992

With the November 1992 U.S. presidential and congressional elections less than four months away, campaign speeches and literature remain virtually devoid of substantive position statements (general or specific) on the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. With the continent no longer an East-West chessboard and the U.S. electorate increasingly focused on domestic concerns, a potentially controversial reshaping of U.S. priorities in Africa seems to be getting under way. It is taking place in an atmosphere of uncertainty and lack of consensus regarding U.S. foreign policy goals worldwide. If present trends within both the executive and legislative branches of government continue, a gradual disengagement from the region could be in the offing, involving a drop in economic assistance, a reduction in the number of aid missions, and possibly the eventual closing of embassies in some African countries.

Carol Lancaster