US Defense Policy Towards Africa

Running head : U .S . DEFENSE POLICY TOWARDS AFRICA

U .S . Defense Policy towards Africa

[Author 's Name]

[Tutor 's Name]

[Class]

Abstract

The U .S . defense policies in Sub-Saharan Africa raise considerable debate . On the one hand , the American state pursues the goals of promoting democracy in problematic areas of the world . On the other hand , democratic ideals can hardly be promoted by supplying weapons to African military hotspots . It seems that the U .S . must shift its political and military emphases in defense policies towards Africa

U

.S . Defense Policy towards Africa

Introduction

The Unite States promote its defense policies all over the world . The last attempt to promote democracy in the Middle East and in Iraq in particular has turned into a mass violent conflict , the outcomes of which are still unclear . Africa and especially Sub-Saharan Africa is not an exception . Since the time of the Cold War the U .S . was trying to develop a sound defense policy in terms of Congo (Zaire , Somalia , and other African countries . Whether these attempts were successful is to be discussed in more details

The historical implications of the U .S . defense policies in Africa

Since the beginning of 1990s , globalization processes have expanded beyond the areas of economic activity , to be noticed in the political arena . Globalization has simultaneously displayed its benefits and negative sides "While technological advances and the spread of telecommunications have made the world more interdependent through greatly increased information , business , and personal contacts , these same trends have also helped spawn conflict (Noonan , 2002 Globalization makes it evident that the use of global military instruments does not always imply the proliferation of arms or military forces these instruments often take forms of computer viruses or informational blockades . Since the middle of 1990s , Africa has become the center of mass violent conflicts . By 1998 , Africa was already involved into 11 military conflicts of local character , and evidently the continent was not able to cope with those military and political problems without external support

There are many supporters of the U .S . defense policy towards Africa Supporters often view the U .S . defense strategies as the means to eliminate violence against people , and to bring peacemaking initiatives into the continent . However , was the U .S . defense policy rooted in peacemaking initiatives only , or did it stem from the far-reaching mistakes the U .S . made to suppress the striking civil conflicts ? The U .S . defense policies in Africa prove the latter . Statistics is persuasive , and it is difficult to deny that "throughout the Cold War (1950-1989 , the U .S . delivered over 1 .5 billion worth weaponry to Africa (Arms Trade Resource Center , 2000 . Somalia , Liberia , Sudan , and Zaire (now- the Democratic Republic of Congo ) were the top "clients " of those weaponry supplies . Thus , the picture becomes a little bit clearer what I personally think is that the weaponry supplies have greatly contributed into the development and the current course of events in Africa . This does not mean that the U...