ABSTRACT
United States (US) involvement in Chad in the summer of 1983 was a comfort for many African states in that they have continually feared their own weaknesses when challenged by a relatively more powerful and expansionary Libyan state. The pre-1977 relationship between the US and Chad was essentially based on three bilateral treaties and a limited amount of private US business interests. Ronald Reagan's election coincided with American frustration over President Carter's ambivalent foreign policy in many areas of the world. Events in the US-Chad relationship in 1983 demonstrated a further willingness on the part of the US to commit itself to taking decisive action in Chad. Closely linked with the desire of the US to support Chad as a front-line state against potential Libyan destabilization activities is the volition of the Reagan administration to be a reliable partner in the eyes of African heads of state.
