ABSTRACT
In the post-World War II era, America increasingly looked at Africa through the lens of the Cold War, and its intervention there was calculated to stop the spread of communism to the region. After independence in 1960, Cameroon quickly instituted a foreign policy whose objectives were all-encompassing: non-alignment, total liberation of Africa, nonintervention, respect of each nation’s sovereignty, promotion of peace through the support of organizations such as the United Nations and the African Union, and promotion of the nation’s economic growth. On the eve of independence, Cameroon entered a series of military and economic agreements which gave France overarching authority over the country’s domestic and foreign policy. Whether addressing the diplomatic missions or press group or in meetings with dignitaries in New York or the District of Columbia, Ahmadou Ahidjo articulated the themes of his foreign policy, invited Americans to come and visit Cameroon in droves, and reminded audiences that Africa had much to offer the world.
