Presidents, Africa, and democracy

In recent years the promotion of democracy has become one of the organizing principles of U.S.-Africa relations. The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the leadership initiatives and contributions of presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton in promoting democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa.; The main assumption was that while diplomatic pressure from the U.S. was important in promoting democracy abroad, for Sub-Saharan Africa, different idiosyncratic motivations informed, guided, and shaped the ensuing policy implementation processes. As world leader, presidents entered office with similar constitutionally mandated responsibilities but how they directed foreign policy was very much dependent on their individual skills, resources, and the opportunities available to them.; Grounded in an agenda setting process theory, the study probed the effects of presidential preparation and experience in implementing the policy. In addition, two questions were discussed in detail. First, what were the American interests in supporting the "democratic enlargement" agenda? Second, in what ways were the two presidents different in achieving their prescribed objectives for the region? The study accounted for the interplay between presidential styles and use of resources in initiating and directing the policy of promoting democracy in a number of African countries and also why the policy became an important post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy agenda.; Results show that while Bush gave the promotion of democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa its ideological framework, Clinton provided the policy with a clear form and structure. Furthermore, Clinton's "diplomatic tourism" surpassed Bush's "telephone diplomacy" by the sheer power of symbolism and also emerged as the more articulate interpreter of vital U.S. trade interests and how they would be better served with a more democratic continent. But data suggested that most of Clinton's actions and initiatives came during his second term in office. Finally, the inquiry provides opportunities for further investigations into the actual outcomes of presidential involvement(s) and the possibility that the presidency was an important intervening variable in how snowballing of democracy in Africa occurred.