Foreign Intervention in Africa
From the Cold War to the War on Terror

This book chronicles foreign political and military interventions in Africa from 1956 to 2010, helping readers understand the historical roots of Africa's problems.

Elizabeth Schmidt (Author)

9780521882385, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 March 2013

284 pages, 16 b/w illus. 8 maps
23.5 x 15.5 x 2 cm, 0.51 kg

'[The book's] case studies are fleshed out enough to support Schmidt's central thesis but without getting bogged down in details that might turn away budding academics. The prose itself is clear and crisp and will not present a barrier to the layperson. … this book should be essential reading for all students of Africa, decolonization, or foreign military interventions. It is an invaluable introduction that will also hold new perspectives even for a veteran reader.' Charlie Thomas, H-Net Reviews

Foreign Intervention in Africa chronicles the foreign political and military interventions in Africa from 1956 to 2010, during the periods of decolonisation and the Cold War, as well as during the periods of state collapse and the 'global war on terror'. In the first two periods, the most significant intervention was extra-continental. The USA, the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and the former colonial powers entangled themselves in countless African conflicts. During the period of state collapse, the most consequential interventions were intra-continental. African governments, sometimes assisted by powers outside the continent, supported warlords, dictators and dissident movements in neighbouring countries and fought for control of their neighbours' resources. The global war on terror, like the Cold War, increased foreign military presence on the African continent and generated external support for repressive governments. In each of these cases, external interests altered the dynamics of Africa's internal struggles, escalating local conflicts into larger conflagrations, with devastating effects on African peoples.

Foreword William Minter
Acknowledgments
Illustrations list
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Nationalism, decolonization, and the Cold War (1945–91)
2. Egypt and Algeria: radical nationalism, nonalignment, and external intervention in North Africa (1952–73)
3. The Congo crisis (1960–5)
4. War and decolonization in Portugal's African empire (1961–75)
5. White minority rule in Southern Africa (1960–90)
6. Conflict in the Horn (1952–93)
7. France's private African domain (1947–91)
8. From the Cold War to the War on Terror (1991–2010)
Conclusion
Index.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS], Military history [HBW], African history [HBJH]