Non-alignment: an analysis of its interpretation and application in Kenya (1963-1986)

Abstract

This study attempts to determine whether Kenya has been non-aligned in practice. The period covered is from 1963 to 1986, however these dates are not strictly adhered to. The central question in the study is to establish when and with regard to which aspects of non-alignment one can talk of Kenya as having been non-aligned or otherwise. In Chapter One an attempt is made to justify the study on grounds that Kenya's interpretation and application of the principle of non-alignment 1S of interest both to Kenya's policy-makers and to students of international relations. In the same chapter a review of literature is made and this further establishes the need for a study Fike the present one and reveals some of the allegations which have been made about Kenya's non-alignment. To facilitate the study, Power. Theory is adopted and from it a hypothesis is drawn to the effect that in practice states find it hard to benon-aligned. For a method of analysis, we have borrowed largely from Helge Hveem and Peter Willetts' approach which consists of the analysis of a country's military, economic, diplomatic and United Nations General Assembly voting patterns as indices of alignment. However, we have made certain significant modifications on this method to suit our purposes. Prior to embarking on actual analysis of Kenya's position vis-a-vis the implementation of non-alignment, in Chapters Two and Three the general aspects of nonalignment and non-alignment in Kenya's foreign policy are discussed respectively.