Walid Boukaa

Thesis title:

The Peace Corps: an instrument of US foreign policy promoting the democratic model

Summary of the thesis in French:

At the end of the 1950s, the USSR was gaining ground in the Third World and communist ideology was appealing to non-aligned and newly decolonized states. In the United States, this situation fostered a sense of insecurity among American leaders who feared a global communist takeover. In this context of East-West confrontation, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps, an independent agency of the US government whose mission is to promote peace and friendship around the world, particularly in developing countries. The objective of this thesis is to show how, over time, this agency has become an indispensable tool of US foreign policy, spreading the principles and values of democracy, consolidates its foundations in the Third World (to combat extremist ideologies such as communism during the Cold War and radical Islamism after the September 11 attacks), and ensures the survival of this model threatened by the new wave of autocracy.

Abstract in English:

In the late 1950s, the USSR was gaining ground in the Third World and communist ideology was appealing to non-aligned and newly decolonized states. In the United States, this situation fostered a sense of insecurity among American leaders who feared a communist offshoot on a global scale. Against this backdrop of East/West confrontation, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps, an independent agency of the U.S. government, with a mission to promote world peace and friendship, especially among developing nations. The purpose of this thesis is to show how this agency has become, over time, an indispensable tool of U.S. foreign policy, spreading the principles and values of democracy, consolidating its foundations in the Third World (to combat extremist ideologies such as communism during the Cold War and radical Islamism after 9/11), and ensuring the survival of this model threatened by this new autocratic wave.

Thesis advisor:Eric Savarese