A comprehensive history of the relationship between Africa and the United States Toyin Falola and Raphael Njoku reexamine the history of the relationship between Africa and the United States from the dawn of the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the present. Their broad, interdisciplinary book follows the relationship's evolution, tracking African American emancipation, the rise of African diasporas in the Americas, the Back-to-Africa movement, the founding of Sierra Leone and Liberia, the presence of American missionaries in Africa, the development of blues and jazz music, the presidency of Barack Obama, and more.

Bookended by remarks from African American diplomats Walter C. Carrington and Charles Stith, the essays in this volume use close readings of speeches, letters, historical archives, diaries, memoirs of policymakers, and newly available FBI files to confront much-neglected questions related to race and foreign relations in the United States. Why, for instance, did African Americans profess loyalty and support for the diplomatic initiatives of a nation that undermined their social, political, and economic well-being through racist policies and cultural practices? Other contributions explore African Americans' history in the diplomatic and consular services and the influential roles of cultural ambassadors like Joe Louis and Louis Armstrong. The volume concludes with an analysis of the effects on race and foreign policy in the administration of Barack Obama. Groundbreaking and critical, African Americans in U.S. Foreign Policy expands on the scope and themes of recent collections to offer the most up-to-date scholarship to students in a range of disciplines, including U.S. and African American history, Africana studies, political science, and American studies.

U.S.-Africa Relations: From Clinton to Obama examines political, economic, and cultural relations between the United States and Africa during the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations within the context of the post-Cold War era and the emergence of the war on terror. The book's contributors argue that each administration, despite changing the names of their policies toward Africa, continued to evaluate their policies based on U.S. national interests--democracy, economic interests (oil and gas), and security--particularly following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

This book contains critical analyses of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy instruments toward Africa and suggests how to continue, strengthen, and modify these policy instruments. The examination begins with the theme of policy continuity and change, followed by those on military intervention, competition and perceived threats, crisis management, politics, economic development, and social policy. Each chapter starts with an introduction of the policy instrument, provides an analysis of the instrument, and concludes with suggestions. This book presents the objectives for vibrant and lasting relations between Africa and the United States and the concrete measures to achieve them.