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.

Includes maps of: Administrative Divisions of Ethiopia, 1974.

A lion in the streets -- From sly fox to king of kings -- Mussolini and the legacy of Adwa -- Liberation under the shadow of Britain -- The treasure of Kagnew -- A very royal first state visit, 1954 -- The spring of the lion -- The rituals of U.S. and Ethiopian diplomacy -- 1960, the annus horribilis of Haile Selassie -- The lion of Judah at Camelot : the second state visit, 1963 -- He shall have a noble memory : the Kennedy funeral -- The winter of discontent : the third state visit, 1967 -- Gotterdammerung : the Nixon visits, 1969, 1970, and 1973 -- Epilogue.