ABSTRACT
Since his dramatic bid for the presidency in 1984, impassioned attempts have been made to examine the implications of the Jesse Jackson phenomenon. One result has been a spirited discourse on Jackson’s domestic agenda and his attempts to attract attention to his intended programs.1 What has been neglected, however, is an in-depth examination of Jackson’s foreign policy agenda and his international initiatives.2 It is not implausible to agree, for example, that during the 1984 and 1988 presidential election campaigns, Jackson’s international endeavors may have broadened the discussion of foreign policy in election forums to include such issues as apartheid in South Africa and Third World issues, which otherwise would have received less attention. In addition to, and perhaps even more important, is that Jackson’s international activities focused attention on citizen diplomacy, a dimension of international relations that has been insufficiently studied.
