Intervening in Africa: Superpower Peacemaking in a Troubled Continent (Studies in Diplomacy)

As the Cold War faded, Ambassador Hank Cohen, President George Bush's Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, engaged in aggressive diplomatic intervention in Africa's civil wars. In this revealing book Cohen tells how he and his Africa Bureau team operated in seven countries in crisis: Angola, Ethiopia, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan. He candidly characterizes key personalities and events and provides a treasure trove of lessons learned and basic principles for practitioners of conflict resolution within states. As the Cold War wound down in 1989, Africa was awash in civil wars. Appointed Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs by President George Bush, Ambassador Hank Cohen initiated an aggressive policy of diplomatic intervention in African conflicts, using the prestige and credibility of the world's only superpower to search for peace. Cohen details his own and others' efforts in seven civil wars, with results ranging from heady triumph in Mozambique to utter disappointment in Angola. At every stage, deadly power struggles and bureaucratic and political infighting raised formidable obstacles. Cohen skilfully integrated his Africa conflict resolution policy with his government's priority objectives of US-Soviet cooperation and the fight against world hunger. With civil wars still raging in Africa, Cohen's experiences as a diplomatic practitioner of conflict resolution and the complex lessons he learned in the trenches remain as relevant as ever. Published in association with the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series "During the years before the Russian Revolution, diplomats across Europe were widely condemned for lacking the skills needed to cope in the threatening international environment. They were also frequently criticized for being out of touch with public opinion and too ready to clothe their activities in a veil of secrecy. This book suggests that many of these charges were unfair. Important changes took place in the organization of the British Foreign Office in the early years of the twentieth century. Administrative reform even took place in the Russian Foreign Ministry, despite the reputation of the tsarist bureaucracy for incompetence and venality. In both Britain and Russia, however, the role of diplomats and foreign ministry officials was governed above all by changes in the domestic political environment. While they played an important part in determining the foreign policy of their respective countries, their influence was often much weaker than their critics assumed."--BOOK JACKET. Intervening in Africa......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 The ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Map of Africa......Page 15 1 Forging a New US Policy for Africa......Page 16 2 Ethiopia: Ending a Thirty-Year War......Page 32 3 Sudan: Total North–South Incompatibility......Page 75 4 Angola: From Euphoria to Tragedy......Page 102 5 Liberia: A Bold Plan Hijacked......Page 141 6 Rwanda: Could We Have Prevented Genocide?......Page 178 7 Mozambique: Pieces Falling into Place Nicely......Page 196 8 Somalia: Better Late than Never......Page 212 9 Superpower in Africa: Mediator or Meddler?......Page 233 Notes......Page 244 Index......Page 266 "As the Cold War wound down in 1989, Africa was awash in civil wars. Ambassador Hank Cohen initiated an aggressive policy of diplomatic intervention in African conflicts, using the prestige and credibility of the world's only superpower to search for peace. Cohen details his own and others' efforts in seven civil wars, with results ranging from heady triumph in Mozambique to utter disappointment in Angola. At every stage, deadly power struggles and bureaucratic and political infighting raised formidable obstacles."--Jacket Herman J. Cohen. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.