ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the discourses held by various agencies of the Bush administration to reveal key American representations of West Africa. It explores the theoretical framework upon which the analysis is based, explaining why an analytical focus on the role of representations in foreign policy and international relations helps to understand the recent evolution of US policy in West Africa. The governmental agencies this chapter investigates are those located at the center of US foreign policy towards West Africa: the White House, the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the US Agency for International Aid. Though this chapter focuses on West Africa, it must be noticed that growing major oil producers are also to be found in Central Africa and Southern Africa, mainly Angola, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome e Principe. The chapter sets the contrast between the three representations of West Africa and alternative ways to represent West African political reality.
