The United States should decouple it’s West Africa policy from France

Association with France’s colonial history and neocolonial policies are likely to handicap Washington throughout Africa in the medium to long term

I: Important lessons from the Cold War

After World War II the United States of America (U.S.) faced a dilemma regarding its Africa policy. On the one hand, it was allied with European imperialists in the region. But on the other hand, it feared losing influence in postcolonial African states to its Cold War geopolitical rival, the Soviet Union.

From the…