GHANAIAN AGENCY IN DEMOCRATIZATION: EXAMINING DEMOCRACY PROMOTION IN U.S.-GHANA RELATIONS AFTER THE COLD WAR, 1992-2001

Abstract

This study examines the impact of U.S. aid on democratization in the post-Soviet world. It sheds light on how the U.S., emboldened by its new position as the world’s main superpower, promoted democratization, particularly the U.S. form of democracy, as a normative value throughout the developing world. More specifically, I explore the ways that the promotion of democracy in Africa was construed and even, challenged, through local democratizing efforts, civil society action and popular participation. Utilizing a case study approach, this work analyzes the impact of domestic ideology on American foreign aid policy in Ghana after 1990 and how the Ghanaian people and leadership understood democratization, its promotion and their relationship with external agents promoting the adoption of democracy. More importantly, the project argues that foreign assistance programmes for democratization in Ghana were not the main drivers for democracy. Ghanaian demands and activities to promote democracy as an alternative to one-man rule played significant roles in the transition to the rule of law in Ghana.