The Central African-Iberian Crossroads: Equatorial Guinea and Spain in US Policy during the 1970s

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the place of Equatorial Guinea in US-Spanish relations during the final years of the Franco dictatorship and the transition to democracy that followed. It analyses the relationship between US policies toward both countries, explores the degree to which fears of communism and other concerns overlapped and affected one another, and shows how US diplomats internalised Spanish perceptions of Spain’s former colony, thereby influencing US policy toward West Central Africa. The article also helps to decentre the history of the Spanish transition to democracy and the role of the United States therein.