The United States and decolonization in West Africa, 1950-1960

The 1950s was a decade of momentous political change in (West) Africa which led to independence. More often than not, independence is used interchangeably with decolonization. But the working premise here is that decolonization involved not just independence, but a redefinition of center-periphery relations to allow for the integration of the African political elite into the colonial network. The redistribution of power at the global level after World War II meant that this redefinition was occurring within an American-dominated world system. On this score, America's involvement in Africa in the period beginning from 1948 was an integral part of its post-1945 striving for "a preponderance of power" in the international arena. This ensured that, as elsewhere, Washington's major objective in Africa was to be the arbiter--or, at least, to influence the process--of political change. This broad rubric included ensuring a pro-Western orientation by Africans, and therefore warding off countervailing influences such as "Communism" and nonalignment. Of greater importance, however, was Washington's interest in raw materials extraction. These were needed to help in the rehabilitation of Western Europe and for the United States' strategic stockpiling program. Closely related to this, was the goal of securing access to markets and investment opportunities for American private capital. But given the expansive nature of its global responsibilities and given that Africa was peripheral to the "national security" dimension of those interests, the U.S. devoted rather slim resources in Africa. In effect, this meant that Washington opted for an essentially symbolic, augmentative role and relied on the Europeans to project its hegemonic interests in Africa.