Introduction

This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part examines the record of arms-control negotiations in the UN and advances proposals for US policies aimed at arms reduction. It outlines the issues from an African perspective and calls on the United States to stop supporting "racialism and unfreedom" in Rhodesia, Namibia, and South Africa. The part describes the relationship between American interests and African problems and attempts to show how the Carter administration's human-rights policy shaped its approach toward the solution of those problems. It reviews the efforts of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The record of national governments on disarmament, both in the United Nations and outside, has been dismal. Emphasis in US foreign policy on human-rights issues has led this country, albeit belatedly, to attempt to regain some leadership on African questions.