Sub-Saharan Africa: Pragmatism in the National Interest

Abstract

US foreign policy is based on an assessment of our interests and the amount of resources available. One category of interests - national interests - are truly vital in that the consequences of a policy failure could effect our territorial integrity , economic survival or our way of life. Another category - those areas of concern in the national interest - is less important. Successful policies here might enhance our prosperity or prestige. but the consequences of failure would not be great. Current conditions in Africa place US interests in the second category. Given the many vital US interests in other parts of the globe, the amount of resources available to support the US role in Africa is limited. Based on this assessment, foreign policymakers need to develop a more pragmatic approach towards Africa that will best apply the limited US resources available in order to maximize U S interests there.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA441985

Entities

People

  • Jeff L. Brown
  • John Bacon
  • John Bendyk

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Democracy
  • Economic Systems
  • Economics
  • Failed States
  • Governments
  • Investments
  • Market Economy
  • Markets
  • National Security
  • Natural Disasters
  • Natural Gas
  • Natural Resources
  • Regions
  • Saharan Africa
  • Security
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Strategic Security Studies