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

the long version

"As an investigation of America's response to the decolonization process in West Africa, The United States and Decolonization in West Africa, 1950-1960 fills several important gaps. It focuses on a neglected decade when the "wind of change" swept across Africa. Critical of the traditional "nationalist" interpretation of the decolonization process in Africa, the author begins his book by placing the transition of British and French West African territories to statehood within a neocolonialist framework. In doing so, he abandons the conventional definitions and usages of "independence" and "decolonization," and constructs a compelling case that these are two related but different phenomena. Nwaubani argues that the United States was not a catalyst in the transition process in West Africa, but rather acted in a neocolonialist fashion itself. He also gives a nuanced appraisal of the Cold War, demonstrating that it was not as important as popularly believed in determining U.S. behavior in Africa. The primary focus of the book is on West Africa, with case studies focusing on the Ewe, Ghana (including the Volta dam project), and Guinea. The broad issues discussed are framed in the larger context of sub-Saharan Africa, and against the backdrop of the larger debates about the nature of post-1945 United States diplomacy."--BOOK JACKET.