Burying the Divide: An Analysis of the USA and USSR Involvement in the Nigerian Civil War

Abstract

The end of the Second World War ushered a new phase in the international system in which two superpowers, namely, USA and USSR (with divergent ideologies) became the key players. Each strove to surpass the other in the maintenance of a bloc of faithful allies. They encouraged the newly independent African states to be positively inclined towards their ideologies or exploited internal crises in such countries to establish their presence and also plant their ideologies. Between 1967 and 1970, Nigeria was embroiled in an internecine war that took a toll on her population and almost tore the country apart. One would expect the USA and USSR to confront each other by supporting opposite sides of the conflict. But rather than that, the USA adopted a policy of aloofness or neutrality while the USSR openly lent it support to the federal side through massive supply of arms, thus burying their ideological divide. This is evident in the fact that the war did not "seriously intensify tension between USA and USSR" (Stremlau 1977:4). This appears to be in utter defiance of the spirit of cold War superpower politics prevalent at the time and also a contradiction of their policies in the Congo and Vietnam conflicts.