Regional Security in the Gulf of Guinea; A Vital Interest of the United States

In recent years, the Gulf of Guinea region of Africa has become a vital interest of the United States. The United States will import up to 25 of its oil from this region within the next 10 years and may be willing to conduct a military intervention to protect its interest in resources there. Poor governance, corruption, poverty, international crime, Islamic Fundamentalism, and tribalism are some of the issues confronting different states in the region. This thesis will review U.S. policies toward the African countries in the Gulf of Guinea region since the late 1950s in an effort to determine which policies have improved U.S. influence and interests in the region and which have not. The latter half of the 20th century is when many of the nations in the region gained their independence from their colonial mother countries. Vignettes from different eras and different countries illustrate the positive effects or shortcomings of U.S. policy in the region. These examples will enable the reader to understand how the region evolved to its current state. After gaining an understanding of which policies have worked and which have not, the author sets forth recommendations to improve the influence of the United States in the region with regard to security, economic development, and good governance. The intent is to avoid a future scenario in which the United States would be forced to employ a large-scale military force and vast financial resources to protect U.S. economic and security interests there.