A new look for Ghana: United States diplomacy toward West Africa, 1953--1961

This study examines the development of United States policy toward Ghana, the first black African nation to gain independence, during the Eisenhower administration. For the United States and Great Britain, Ghanaian independence was troublesome. While the Eisenhower administration viewed African liberation as a threat to global economic and political security, Britain feared that Ghanaian independence might lead to further instability in the Empire. Torn between supporting nationalist movements in Africa or backing NATO allies, the Eisenhower administration followed a 'Middle Path' policy that maintained linkages between the colony and metropole after independence. Grounding this policy on Eisenhower's "New Look," the United States approached Africa from a strategic perspective and made decisions based on a shrewd calculation of American interests. By exploring the events that took place throughout the Eisenhower administration, this study sheds light on how the Eisenhower approached decolonization in the Third World.