A Study On Kennedy’s Policy Toward Africa

In1960, there had been17countries on the African continent declared independence, so it is historically known as the "Year of Africa". At the end of the year, Kennedy was elected as the35th president of the United States. The booming development of African countries’national liberation movement immediately aroused widespread concern in the international community, especially from two post-war superpowers, the United States and Soviet Union. Under the background of the cold war, both of the two countries wanted to affect the path of development of the independent African countries by their own strength, integrate the African independence movements into their own strategy design, expand their right of speech, influence and leadership in Africa as well as put the opposite party out of Africa.After Kennedy came to power, he objectively analyzed the development trend of the world history, responded positively to the political, economical and cultural demands from the African countries and proposed a new policy towards "New Africa". Thereby achieved the intention to unite Africa, contain Soviet Union and also effectively compress the former colonialist powers’influence in Africa. This thesis is mainly discussing from six aspects.The first chapter briefly reviews the US policy towards Africa on the eve of Kennedy administration. Generally speaking, the United States didn’t give too much attention to the business in the African continent but entrusted it to the European allies. This analysis not only introduced the background of the United States’policy towards Africa before Kennedy administration, but also analyzed the change of the US policy towards Africa during the Kennedy Administration.The second chapter mainly reviews the formation of Kennedy’s "Perspective on Africa", systematically analyzes Kennedy’s views towards the African continent and the business in Africa when he served as the senate and the chairman of the African Affairs Committee under the Senate Commission. Besides, summarizes the forming process of Kennedy’s "Perspective on Africa". Kennedy was a dynamic political figure with a thoughtful mind and strong character. Therefore, his foreign policy was deeply influenced by his personal character. So the analysis of the "Perspective on Africa" before Kennedy Administration will help us have a deeply understand the US policy towards Africa during the Kennedy Administration.The third chapter mainly analyzes the United States’response to Africa’s political aspirations during the Kennedy Administration. The political independence is the most important matter for African countries. In view of the national independence desire in African countries, the Kennedy administration positively supported the national liberation movement and nationalism in African countries, tolerated the existence of the neutralism and the Non-Aligned Movement which been advocated by some African countries. In addition, Kennedy also tried to keep a close relation with the African leaders through individual diplomacy. Meanwhile, we must see that the Kennedy Administration’s effort to unite the African countries is stemming from the competition with Soviet Union while how to contain the Soviet influence is the starting point of the US policy towards Africa. This thesis chooses the US-Soviet competition in Ghana and Guinea as well as the contest over the African airspace as two examples to illustrate the cold war in Africa. Although the United States was competing with Soviet Union in Africa, but it didn’t want to keep a hostile condition with Soviet Union there. This mainly manifested in the limitation of the armament competition in Africa and the resolution of the African internal crisis.The fourth chapter mainly discusses the Kennedy Administration’s response to Africa’s development aspirations. After obtaining the independence, almost all the African countries were facing the significant duty to develop the national economy and improve people’s living. In this regard, the Kennedy Administration transformed the mode of the aid to Africa from the military assistance to the development assistance and increased the shares of the development assistance in the US foreign aid. In order to affect the development of Africa, the Kennedy Administration also attempted to make the foreign aid been institutionalized and expanded the scope of the aid to Africa. Because of the weak foundation in Africa as well as the factors of external environment, the Kennedy Administration failed to achieve the ideal goal by the aid to Africa, however, the foreign aid had actually acted as an important policy instrument.The fifth chapter focuses on how the Kennedy Administration satisfied the African countries’demand for talent after they had achieved independence. That is one of the Kennedy Administration’s far-reaching policy decisions:the foundation of the Peace Corps. This chapter systematically studies the creation of the Peace Corps and its initial activities in African countries. It should be noted that both the organizers and the participants were opposed to make the Peace Corps became the policy instrument, however, during the process of the voluntary service in foreign countries, these team members unconsciously acted as the US policy instrument. Since the Peace Corps focused on the civilian activities in the grass roots, which to a certain extent made up the shortage of government relations and spread the US democracy and values effectively. But the Peace Corps also faced several problems in its development, such as inadequate preparation and formidable cultural difference.The sixth chapter discusses Kennedy’s policy towards Africa under basis of the US global strategy and its long-term policy. When we comprehensively analyze the influence of the Kennedy Administration’s policy towards Africa on the African continent, US-Africa relations as well as the cold war situation and the future world pattern, we should find that the US policy towards Africa during the Kennedy Administration should be considered on the basis of the US global strategy. Therefore, we may say, Kennedy’s policy towards Africa is the start of the US policy towards Africa in the modern significance. The spirit of understanding, respect and appreciation towards Africa which it had advocated not only met the needs of the United States during the cold war, but also laid the ideological foundation for the future US policy towards Africa. The US policy towards Africa during the Kennedy Administration is an important transitional period for the African continent as well as the United States’own policy. The Kennedy Administration’s policy towards Africa ushered a new chapter of the US policy towards Africa in the modern sense. During this period, the African countries which had been colonized also achieved their independence. Therefore, the study of the Kennedy Administration’s policy towards Africa not only contributes a comprehensive understanding of the development of the US policy towards Africa, but also provides one important reference for our operation and the development of the relationship with the big powers as well as the African countries.