Abstract
Examines American foreign policy toward Angola and South Africa.
Description
In the 1980s Southern Africa was a region torn by civil, racial, and international strife. In Angola, the decades-long civil war that began following independence continued to rage, pitting Jonas Savimbi and his National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) against the Marxist government. Yet despite the apparent pro-western, pro-democracy nature of UNITA, no American aid had been given to Savimbi's forces out of fear that the United States would be perceived to be working with the apartheid regime of South Africa, which was also providing Savimbi with support. Torn between opposing an oppressive South African regime and a desire to counter communist influences in Angola, the United States faced difficult choices in Southern Africa. In this episode host Peter Krogh sits down for a conversation with Chester Crocker, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and architect of the Reagan Administration's Southern Africa policies. Together, they discuss American foreign policy towards Angola and South Africa and the obstacles facing U.S. mediation efforts in the region.
Location
Africa; Southern Africa; Angola; Botswana; Lesotho; Mozambique; South Africa; Tanzania; Zambia; Zimbabwe;
