South Africa and the Reagan coalition : a foreign policy under fire

Moderator
Person Interviewed
Wallop, Malcolm
Weber, Vin
Abstract
Examines U.S. foreign policy towards South Africa under apartheid, and the split within President Reagan's conservative coalition over South Africa.
Description
For the first five years of the Reagan administration the United States pursued a policy of "constructive engagement" with the South African Government, believing that positive diplomatic relations would pave the way for reform of its repressive apartheid system. Yet while blacks living in South Africa did make some economic gains during this period, political rights remained scarce, and by 1985 a campaign was growing in the United States that called for a tougher stance on apartheid. Leading the charge for this movement on Capitol Hill was the Conservative Opportunity Society, a group of young Republican congressmen pushing for increased opposition to apartheid. The emergence of this faction in Congress threatened to split the conservative coalition that had traditionally supported President Reagan's foreign policy, alarming many Republican policymakers. In this episode, host Peter Krogh sits down with two Republicans on opposite sides of the issue to discuss President Reagan's policy of constructive engagement, the current state of affairs in South Africa, and the question of negotiations between the white South African Government and its black population. Featuring Senator Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming, supporter of Reagan's South Africa policy, and Representative Vin Weber of Minnesota, chairman of the Conservative Opportunity Society.
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Date
1985-10-05
Subject
Location
Africa; Southern Africa; South Africa;
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