ABSTRACT
Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as President of South Africa on May 10, 1994 served as a crucial turning point in African history with important implications for the future of United States (USA) foreign policy toward southern Africa. An analysis of USA foreign assistance trends portrays evolving ‘official’ interests in southern Africa. The most significant change in USA regional priorities during the 1989–94 period revolved around South Africa’s emergence as the second largest recipient of USA foreign aid. The continued downward trend in southern Africa’s place within the USA foreign aid hierarchy is clearly demonstrated by the Clinton administration’s foreign aid request for the Fiscal Year. An important factor in declining USA foreign aid toward Africa has been the emergence and strengthening of trade and investment as the preferred tools of USA foreign economic policy. The ‘regionalization’ of foreign policy initiatives serves as an important component of USA foreign policy towards southern Africa.
