Why did the United States back away from pressuring its European allies to grant self-government to colonies in Asia and Africa? a. American strategists reasoned that national independence in Asia and Africa was likely to benefit the Soviet Union more than the United States. b. Southern Democrats in Congress did not want to inspire civil rights campaigns at home by supporting national independence in Asia or Africa. c. The United States depended on European nations to wage war against communists in the developing world. d. American diplomats valued nations like France more highly for their alliance in the European Cold War. e. Since the United States was expanding its own empire, it was losing the moral high ground against European colonial powers.

The United States was generally in support of decolonization and encouraged European powers that had colonized territories in Asia and Africa to withdraw from their colonies overseas and grant them self-government.

However, United States was part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which comprised of countries from North America and Europe who were in agreement to defend each other with their resources, if attacked. Some of these countries, like France, had strong control over their colonies and were not willing to give them up, stating that the economic and military advantages they get from their colonies were also beneficial to NATO.

Because the United States was at the time, fighting the Cold War against the Soviet Union and needed its allies, it did not force the issue of decolonization and instead, simply advised its European allies to grant self-government to their colonies.