20 SOCIAL SCIENTIST
The U S policies in Africa can be perceived more clearly, in the light of these three major developments. To put it tersely, if the U S along with its West European allies was keen to entertain a dominant-dependent equation with African partners, the very structure of this equation came under severe strain. Under these circumstances the U S has, inevitably, chosen to become a champion of status quo to protect the Western interests against sm^i-status quo African states and movements which have been backed by the Soviet Union, its East European allies, as well as Cuba. In the process, Africa has been getting transformed into a theatre of East-West rivalry. Any exercise in spelling out some of the trends in AfrorAmerican relations would be meaningful with reference to a dialectical relationship between the East and the West. This article attempts to throw light on some of the major political manifestations of the U S imperialism in Africa in the context of East-West rivalry.
Parameters of Imperialism
Before proceeding further it would be essential to define the parameters of the term imperialism- Thanks to the enormous amount of Marxist and liberal writings, the term has been open to various interpretations. At least during this century ever since Hobson's major work on imperialism1 appeared, the connotation of the term has been acquiring a wide variety of subtle nuances according to changing times and patterns of imperialism. It is certainly not within the scope of this paper to debate over the merits of the different schools of thought on imperialism. Nevertheless, an operational definition of imperialism would afford this article a workable premise to build a necessary framework in order to place the relevant facts. Such a premise, due to its very broad nature, may not prove adequate enough to receive all the major complexities and nuances of imperialism. One can venture to define the term imperialism only by keeping these limitations in mind. Broadly, a country can ^>c called imperialist when it indulges in successful or unsuccessful attempts at political, territorial, economic and cultural aggrandisements.2 Both direct and indirect methods to extend influence are enmeshed in such attempts. In the process, state or states which become victims of imperialist designs tend to lose ingredients of their sovereignty, partially or totally.
In the light of the above definition of imperialism it can be safely stated that the U S policies in global politics in general and towards Africa in particular have not been free from imperialist tendencies. Admittedly, the United States may not be-the only imperialist power in the world but its policies certainly represent a particular brand of imperialism.
At the global level the main posture of the U S foreign policy, particularly since the post-Second World War phase, has been characterised