Oxford University Press, USA
Betting on the Africans: John F. Kennedy's Courting of African Nationalist Leaders
Key Metrics
- Philip E Muehlenbeck
- Oxford University Press, USA
- Paperback
- 9780199380718
- 9.16 X 6.34 X 0.86 inches
- 1.15 pounds
- Political Science > International Relations - Diplomacy
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Africa was particularly important because a wave of independence saw nineteen newly independent African states admitted into the United Nations during 1960-61. By 1962, 31 of the UN's 110 member states were from the African continent, and both Washington and Moscow sought to add these countries to their respective voting bloc. Kennedy feared that neglect of the newly decolonized countries of the world would result in the rise of anti-Americanism and needed to be addressed irrespective of the Cold War. Philip Muehlenbeck demonstrates how Kennedy used all means at his disposal-economic, cultural, personal-to appeal to the leaders of the developing world, including Nkrumah, Senghor, Tour�, Nyerere, and Ben Bella.
Drawing on archival sources from Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Muehlenbeck closely examines Kennedy's policies towards Guinea, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Egypt, Algeria, Tanganyika, and South Africa, which were to a large extent successful in winning the sympathies of its peoples, while at the same time alienating more traditional American allies. Betting on the Africans adds an important chapter to the historiography of John F. Kennedy's Cold War strategy as well as the history of decolonization.
Author Bio
Philip E. Muehlenbeck is a visiting part-time faculty in Department of History Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
He is the author of Betting on the Africans: John F. Kennedy's Courting of African Nationalist Leaders and editor of Religion and the Cold War and Race, Ethnicity, and the Cold War.
Education
2001-2007 George Washington University
Doctor of Philosophy, History (received May 2007)
• Dissertation title: Betting on the Dark Horses: John F. Kennedy’s Courting of African Nationalist Leaders
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Hope Harrison (chair), Dr. James Hershberg, and Dr. Nemata Blyden.
Master of Arts, History (received August 2003)
1997-2000 Michigan State University
Bachelor of Arts
• Major: History
• Minors: Political Science and Psychology
Source: Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and C-Span.org
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