Selassie was one of the rare African leaders who also had a popular following in the West, and maintained personal relationships with many Western leaders including President John F. Kennedy. While he understood and took part in the alliances which united Western countries, Selassie also had experienced the exclusivity firsthand in 1936. So, in 1963, Selassie presided over the formation of the Organization of African Unity, which has now become called the African Union (AU), creating a forum for African leaders to build the same sort of alliances that bind the west.