Walid BOUKAA

Thesis title:

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

Summary of the thesis in French :

By the end of the '50s, the USSR was gaining ground in the Third World, and Communist ideology was winning over non-aligned and newly decolonized states. In the United States, this situation fostered a feeling of insecurity among American leaders, who feared a worldwide Communist offshoot. Against this backdrop of East/West confrontation, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps, an independent agency of the U.S. government, whose mission was to promote world peace and friendship, particularly in developing countries. The aim of this thesis is to show how this agency has become, over time, an indispensable tool of US 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 the September 11th attacks) and ensuring the survival of this model threatened by this new autocratic wave.

English summary:

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 supervisor : Eric Savarese