Elements of Continuity: Promoting Democracy During the Cold War

Given the apparent renewed concern expressed during COVID by some Western capitals with the status of political freedoms and civil and human rights in countries benefitting from their development assistance, this chapter adopts a historical perspective to review the importance attached by Washington, Paris and London to such considerations during the Cold War and their rivalry with Moscow for influence in Africa. During those years, while references were occasionally made to the importance of such liberal values in decisions on aid disbursements to beneficiary countries, the reality was that any reservations around political governance practices, and even development progress, were always trumped by the need to maintain the pro-Western stances and political stability of friendly African countries. As Western geo-strategic priorities and national security concerns always remained paramount, Western development assistance during the Cold War helped regimes hostile to multi-party democracy entrench their rule, contributing to the widespread phenomenon of African strongmen. This Cold War track record of Western powers was one which would not be lost on the leaders of Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda, as they waited for the turbulence in their relations with their Western benefactors during COVID to pass.