Abstract

The end of the cold war and its hot war proxies, has loosened up such trading and security blocs as the OECD and NATO, but without always creating the new alliances necessary to meet the challenges of the new century. One particular challenge is that of finding a partnership with the new democracies of Africa, independent of the European aid conventions which grouped together all former colonies, however repressive their regimes. A new beginning might be made with an Atlantic Rim partnership, drawing on the trading experience of the pacific rim and Indian ocean rim alliances, but now also based on shared democratic and even religious and cultural, ideals. 

Key words: Atlantic rim, democracy, slaves.