With the geopolitical landscape experiencing significant dynamic shifts, the rise of global powers like China and Russia is putting pressure on non-aligned countries to adjust to the new realities. This thesis examines the evolving nature of Ghana’s foreign policy from non-alignment to alignment due to geopolitical pressures. Using a comparative case study of Ghana and Zambia, the thesis analyzes how economic dependency, military cooperation, and diplomatic behavior— especially with the United States—have influenced Ghana’s foreign policy trajectory between the Cold War and the post-2010 period. Through analysis of policy documents, defense agreements, and United Nations General Assembly voting records, the thesis finds that Ghana has moved from a historically non-aligned posture to an aligned position characterized by increased military and cooperation, leading to voting alignment with the United States. The comparison with Zambia proves that this shift reflects a broad pattern of pressure faced by other African states because of the dynamics in the geopolitical landscape.
","abstract_html":"<p>With the geopolitical landscape experiencing significant dynamic shifts, the rise of global powers like China and Russia is putting pressure on non-aligned countries to adjust to the new realities. This thesis examines the evolving nature of Ghana’s foreign policy from non-alignment to alignment due to geopolitical pressures. Using a comparative case study of Ghana and Zambia, the thesis analyzes how economic dependency, military cooperation, and diplomatic behavior— especially with the United States—have influenced Ghana’s foreign policy trajectory between the Cold War and the post-2010 period. Through analysis of policy documents, defense agreements, and United Nations General Assembly voting records, the thesis finds that Ghana has moved from a historically non-aligned posture to an aligned position characterized by increased military and cooperation, leading to voting alignment with the United States. The comparison with Zambia proves that this shift reflects a broad pattern of pressure faced by other African states because of the dynamics in the geopolitical landscape.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Owusu, Bernice"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Joseph Weinberg","Dr. Iliyan Iliev","Dr. Marek Steedman"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z","subjects":["Non-alignment","alignment","Foreign policy","Geopolitical pressures","Ghana","Foreign Direct In-vestment","Structural realism","military alignment","defense","Zambia","U.S.","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1092","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Joseph Weinberg","Dr. Iliyan Iliev","Dr. Marek Steedman"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Owusu, Bernice"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-12-31T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Non-alignment","alignment","Foreign policy","Geopolitical pressures","Ghana","Foreign Direct In-vestment","Structural realism","military alignment","defense","Zambia","U.S.","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1092"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["With the geopolitical landscape experiencing significant dynamic shifts, the rise of global powers like China and Russia is putting pressure on non-aligned countries to adjust to the new realities. This thesis examines the evolving nature of Ghana’s foreign policy from non-alignment to alignment due to geopolitical pressures. Using a comparative case study of Ghana and Zambia, the thesis analyzes how economic dependency, military cooperation, and diplomatic behavior— especially with the United States—have influenced Ghana’s foreign policy trajectory between the Cold War and the post-2010 period. Through analysis of policy documents, defense agreements, and United Nations General Assembly voting records, the thesis finds that Ghana has moved from a historically non-aligned posture to an aligned position characterized by increased military and cooperation, leading to voting alignment with the United States. The comparison with Zambia proves that this shift reflects a broad pattern of pressure faced by other African states because of the dynamics in the geopolitical landscape.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Ghana’s Shift from Non-Alignment to Alignment: A Comparative Case Study of Foreign Policy Under Geopolitical Pressures"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Joseph Weinberg","Dr. Iliyan Iliev","Dr. Marek Steedman"],"dc:creator":["Owusu, Bernice"],"dc:date.available":["2025-12-31T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["With the geopolitical landscape experiencing significant dynamic shifts, the rise of global powers like China and Russia is putting pressure on non-aligned countries to adjust to the new realities. This thesis examines the evolving nature of Ghana’s foreign policy from non-alignment to alignment due to geopolitical pressures. Using a comparative case study of Ghana and Zambia, the thesis analyzes how economic dependency, military cooperation, and diplomatic behavior— especially with the United States—have influenced Ghana’s foreign policy trajectory between the Cold War and the post-2010 period. Through analysis of policy documents, defense agreements, and United Nations General Assembly voting records, the thesis finds that Ghana has moved from a historically non-aligned posture to an aligned position characterized by increased military and cooperation, leading to voting alignment with the United States. The comparison with Zambia proves that this shift reflects a broad pattern of pressure faced by other African states because of the dynamics in the geopolitical landscape.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1092"],"dc:subject":["Non-alignment","alignment","Foreign policy","Geopolitical pressures","Ghana","Foreign Direct In-vestment","Structural realism","military alignment","defense","Zambia","U.S.","Arts and Humanities"],"dc:title":["Ghana’s Shift from Non-Alignment to Alignment: A Comparative Case Study of Foreign Policy Under Geopolitical Pressures"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:55Z"}