Paper long abstract:

Author: Gloria Emeagwali (Central Connecticut State University)

Numerous studies have been done on the impact of the Structural Adjustment Programs of the 1980s and 1990s on Africa. Few have discussed the relationship between these programs, corporate America and US foreign policy. In this paper we examine, first of all, some of the US interest groups, networks, institutions and mechanisms that have influenced decision making, with respect to the SAPs. The interconnections between the IMF, the World Bank and US domestic and foreign policy are also examined. In the course of discussion we also reflect on the neo-con offensive of the Reagan- Bush and Bush- Cheney administrations, America's propensity towards deficit spending, and the direct implications of these developments for US foreign policy, the SAPs and Africa.