Boaz K Mbaya

Kenya's Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Boaz K Mbaya

In the past decade or so the study of international relations and diplomacy has become popular in most universities in Kenya. Kenya's Foreign Policy and Diplomacy: Evolution, Challenges and Opportunities is a pioneering comprehensive textbook, which examines and evaluates Kenya's foreign policy since independence. The author analyses Kenya's formation as a state, its national interest, determinants of its foreign policy and how the country has applied its diplomacy in response to constantly changing dynamics in international relations to secure a role and place for itself on the international stage. He describes the successive stages of orientation of Kenya's foreign policy as it maintained good relations with its traditional development partners during the Cold War, but found itself under the microscope by the same partners after 1989. The author then discusses the foreign policy under President Kibaki, which progressively re-orients Kenya to the East, and President Uhuru and the ICC dilemma. He also discusses the influence of domestic agenda in Kenya's mediation role and emerging issues in international relations namely: environmental diplomacy, terrorism, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Students of international relations and diplomacy, practicing and aspiring diplomats, scholars, researchers, historians and the general reader will find this book relevant.