Window on Freedom : Race, Civil Rights, and Foreign Affairs, 1945-1988

The civil rights movement in the United States drew strength from supporters of human rights worldwide. Once U.S. policy makers--influenced by international pressure, the courage of ordinary American citizens, and a desire for global leadership--had signed such documents as the United Nations charter, domestic calls for change could be based squarely on the moral authority of doctrines the United States endorsed abroad. This is one of the many fascinating links between racial politics and international affairs explored in Window on Freedom . Broad in chronological scope and topical diversity, the ten original essays presented here demonstrate how the roots of U.S. foreign policy have been embedded in social, economic, and cultural factors of domestic as well as foreign origin. They argue persuasively that the campaign to realize full civil rights for racial and ethnic minorities in America is best understood in the context of competitive international relations. The contributors are Carol Anderson, Donald R. Culverson, Mary L. Dudziak, Cary Fraser, Gerald Horne, Michael Krenn, Paul Gordon Lauren, Thomas Noer, Lorena Oropeza, and Brenda Gayle Plummer.

The civil rights movement in the United States drew strength from supporters of human rights worldwide. Once policy makers--influenced by international pressure, the courage of ordinary American citizens, and a desire for global leadership--had signed such documents as the United Nations charter, domestic calls for change could be based squarely on the moral authority of doctrines the United States endorsed abroad.

This is one of the many fascinating links between racial politics and international affairs explored in Window on Freedom. Broad in chronological scope and topical diversity, the ten original essays presented here demonstrate how the roots of U.S. foreign policy have been embedded in social, economic, and cultural factors of domestic as well as foreign origin. They argue persuasively that the campaign to realize full civil rights for racial and ethnic minorities in America is best understood in the context of competitive international relations.

The contributors are Carol Anderson, Donald R. Culverson, Mary L. Dudziak, Cary Fraser, Gerald Horne, Michael Krenn, Paul Gordon. Lauren, Thomas Noer, Lorena Oropeza, and Brenda Gayle Plummer.

Foreign Affairs

Each contributor to this first-rate collection examines how the movement for racial equality in America can be better understood if placed in the context of competitive international relations. Most chapters highlight the first two postwar decades, when a complex and halting process of triangulation developed between Washington policymakers, race-focused domestic constituencies from right to left, and foreign critics. The authors argue that domestic calls for reform proved largely unavailing until America's international image and prestige came under withering fire from newly independent African and Asian countries in the fledgling United Nations and exposure of American hypocrisies about race handed the Soviet Union a powerful Cold War card. Specific topics include the impact of Gunnar Myrdal's 1944 classic An American Dilemma, the waning international traction of white supremacist ideologies, shifting attitudes toward Europe's postwar brown babies, the unwelcome mat put out for African diplomats in metropolitan Washington, and the political reverberations of Bandung and Birmingham. Rich footnoting makes this work a very good resource for students of racial factors in international relations.

Contents......Page 6 Introduction (Brenda Gayle Plummer)......Page 10 Notes......Page 25 Seen from the Outside: The International Perspective on America’s Dilemma (Paul Gordon Lauren)......Page 30 Notes......Page 47 Race from Power: U.S. Foreign Policy and the General Crisis of White Supremacy (Gerald Horne)......Page 54 Notes......Page 68 Brown Babies: Race, Gender, and Policy after World War II (Brenda Gayle Plummer)......Page 76 Notes......Page 95 Bleached Souls and Red Negroes: The NAACP and Black Communists in the Early Cold War, 1948 – 1952 (Carol Anderson)......Page 102 Notes......Page 116 An American Dilemma: Race and Realpolitik in the American Response to the Bandung Conference, 1955 (Cary Fraser)......Page 124 Notes......Page 146 Segregationists and the World: The Foreign Policy of the White Resistance (Thomas Noer)......Page 150 Notes......Page 168 The Unwelcome Mat: African Diplomats in Washington, D.C., during the Kennedy Years (Michael Krenn)......Page 172 Notes......Page 186 Birmingham, Addis Ababa and the Image of America: International Influence on U.S. Civil Rights Politics in the Kennedy Administration (Mary L. Dudziak)......Page 190 Notes......Page 205 Antiwar Aztlán: The Chicano Movement Opposes U.S. Intervention in Vietnam (Loreno Oropeza)......Page 210 Notes......Page 225 From Cold War to Global Interdependence: The Political Economy of African American Antiapartheid Activism, 1968 – 1988 (Donald R. Culverson)......Page 230 Notes......Page 244 Selected Bibliography......Page 248 Contributors......Page 260 A-B......Page 262 C-D......Page 263 E-J......Page 264 K-M......Page 265 N-R......Page 266 S-U......Page 267 V-Z......Page 268 Seen From The Outside : The International Perspective On America's Dilemma / Paul Gordon Lauren -- Race From Power : U.s. Foreign Policy And The General Crisis Of White Supremacy / Gerald Horne -- Brown Babies : Race, Gender, And Policy After World War Ii / Brenda Gayle Plummer -- Bleached Souls And Red Negroes : The Naacp And Black Communists In The Early Cold War, 1948-1952 / Carol Anderson -- An American Dilemma : Race And Realpolitik In The American Response To The Bandung Conference, 1955 / Cary Fraser -- Segregationists And The World : The Foreign Policy Of The White Resistance / Thomas Noer -- The Unwelcome Mat : African Diplomats In Washington, D.c., During The Kennedy Years / Michael Krenn -- Birmingham, Addis Ababa, And The Image Of America : International Influence On U.s. Civil Rights Politics In The Kennedy Administration / Mary L. Dudziak -- Antiwar Aztlán : The Chicano Movement Opposes U.s. Intervention In Vietnam / Lorena Oropeza -- From Cold War To Global Interdependence : The Political Economy Of African American Antiapartheid Activism, 1968-1988 / Donald R. Culverson. Edited By Brenda Gayle Plummer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [239]-249) And Index. Seen from the outside : the international perspective on America's dilemma / Paul Gordon Lauren Race from power : U.S. foreign policy and the general crisis of white supremacy / Gerald Horne Brown babies : race, gender, and policy after World War II / Brenda Gayle Plummer Bleached souls and Red Negroes : the NAACP and Black Communists in the early Cold War, 1948-1952 / Cary Fraser An American dilemma : race and realpolitik in the American response to the Bandung Conference, 1955 / Cary Fraser Segregationists and the world : the foreign policy of the white resistance / Thomas Noer The unwelcome mat : African diplomats in Washington, D.C., during the Kennedy years / Michael Krenn Birmingham, Addis Ababa, and the image of America : international influence on U.S. civil rights politics in the Kennedy administration / Mary L. Dudziak Antiwar Aztlán : the Chicano movement opposes U.S. intervention in Vietnam / Lorena Oropeza From Cold War to global interdependence : the political economy of African American antiapartheid activism, 1968-1988 / Donald R. Culverson. Demonstrates how US foreign policy has been embedded in social, economic and cultural factors of domestic and foreign origin. It argues that the campaign to realize full civil rights for racial and ethnic minorities in the US is best understood in the context of competitive international relations