In this book Gareth Winrow provides the first comprehensive account in English of East German foreign policy towards Africa since the early 1950s. He challenges the conventional view of the GDR's role in Africa as solely that of a proxy for the Soviet Union. Instead, as he convincingly argues, East German foreign policy in general, and in Africa in particular, should be understood as a strategy both for closer ties with the Soviet Union and for international recognition and legitimacy. Gareth Winrow explores the development of GDR relations with Africa and shows how they remain of particular significance as a means of discrediting the West German presence and supporting Soviet interests. He discusses military involvement in the continent, trading relationships and the extent of GDR development assistance. He also compares the new Soviet political thinking on Africa - accommodation rather than confrontation - with GDR policies and in a concluding section raises questions on the GDR's future role. The foreign policy of the GDR in Africa is based on an extensive use of official East German texts and statistics. It will be of interest to specialists and students of Soviet and East European studies, with special reference to the GDR, North-South relationships, superpower competition and the politics of development.