The Lion of Judah in the New World

THEODORE M. VESTAL is Professor of Political Science at Oklahoma State University. Professor Vestal went to Ethiopia as a Peace Corps executive in 1964 and has maintained a scholarly interest in the country ever since. Following the fall of the Derg in 1991, he returned to Ethiopia as a consultant to the Council of Representatives of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia and as an international election observer. He is an editorial advisor to the Ethiopian Register.

This insightful book relates how Emperor Haile Selassie helped shape America's image of Africa and how that image continues to evolve in the United States today.The Lion of Judah in the New World: Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and the Shaping of Americans' Attitudes toward Africa tells the story of a dynamic ruler who influenced the perception of an entire continent. Documenting the Emperor's state visits to North America, the book explores U.S. foreign policy towards Ethiopia and Africa over two decades. At the same time, it seeks to understand why Haile Selassie enjoyed such celebrity in the United States and how he became so important in determining U.S. attitudes toward Africa.The book includes a brief biography of the Emperor and also explores the geography and long, colorful history of Ethiopia. The tensions and contradictions that marked Haile Selassie's life are highlighted in significant episodes that underscore his astute use of public relations and personal diplomacy. His leadership of postcolonial Africa during the Cold War is examined, as is his ultimate rejection by the United States in 1973 that marked the end of the monarchy and ushered in the tragic fratricide of Ethiopian civil war.

A bibliography of useful sources for further research

Preface1 A Lion in the Streets2 From Sly Fox to King of Kings3 Mussolini and the Legacy of Adwa4 Liberation under the Shadow of Britain5 The Treasure of Kagnew6 A Very Royal First State Visit, 19547 The Spring of the Lion8 The Rituals of U.S. and Ethiopian Diplomacy9 1960, The Annus Horribilis of Haile Selassie10 The Lion of Judah at Camelot: The Second State Visit, 196311 He Shall Have a Noble Memory: The Kennedy Funeral12 The Winter of Discontent: The Third State Visit, 196713 Götterdämmerung: The Nixon State Visits, 1969, 1970, and 1973EpilogueNotesSelected BibliographyIndexPhoto essay follows p.