ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the general context in which the Organization of African Unity (OAU) operates. This context consists essentially of three different levels of variables: an array of domestic or “sub-state” factors; the national process of foreign policy formulation and decision-making; and the structures of Africa’s international relations. These structures of international relations and the foreign policies of states may be seen as the most important variables in the functioning of international organizations as the OAU. The chapter discusses domestic factors, the foreign policy process and Africa’s international relations. As colonial creations, African states are culturally highly heterogeneous. The factor of ethnicity permeats many political and socio-economic issues, as well as the functioning and composition of state institutions and other forms of social and political organization. The structures of international relations do not fully determine foreign policy. As there is often no clear sight on the costs and benefits of a specific policy choice, situations allow for conflicting strategies.
