Abstract
Examines the question of whether the United States should fund UNITA forces in their fight against Angola's communist government.
Description
For 10 years, Jonas Savimbi's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, or UNITA, had been waging war against the Soviet and Cuban backed government of Angola. 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. In 1985 the congressional ban on funding UNITA was finally lifted, but the question remained, should the United States uphold the Reagan Doctrine of aiding anti-Communist rebels in countries aligned with the Soviet Union, even if it meant entering into a de facto deal with an oppressive South African regime? In this episode, Senator William Armstrong of Colorado and Congressman Howard Wolpe of Michigan discuss the Reagan Doctrine, the issue of American funding for UNITA, and American foreign policy in Angola.
Location
Africa; Southern Africa; Angola;
