Africa and the Cold War

Abstract

This chapter provides a succinct review of the role of the major Cold War actors (the USA with its European allies and the USSR) on Africa’s decolonization process. Based on the actions of these major actors, Kalu argues that the intrigues of the Cold War shaped Africa’s decolonization process in very significant ways, and led to the evolution of extractive and utterly predatory political and economic institutions in postcolonial Africa. Drawing from several cases of foreign interventions in Africa during the Cold War, Kalu contends that the activities of the USA and its allies were not always focused on advancing the interests of Africans, but were more concerned with ensuring that African countries did not imbibe communist ideas.