The Soviet/Cuban Factor in the New United States Policy toward Southern Africa

Abstract

Africa in general, and Southern Africa in particular, has emerged as an important area for United States' foreign policy. The United States now strongly supports majority rule in Southern Africa. is attempting to find a peaceful solution to conflicts in the area, and has repealed the controversial Byrd Amendment. Why the sudden interest on the part of the United States in majority rule and civil rights for blacks in Southern Africa? This article analyzes these new developments in the context of Soviet/ Cuban activities on the African continent, with special emphasis on the countries of Southern Africa South Africa, Namibia (South-West Africa), Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Angola, and Mozambique. The major contention is that the shift in U.S. policy, from one which favored minority rule and few rights for the majority to one which advocates majority rule and minority rights, is a direct response to political realities in Southern Africa which have been highlighted by Cuban and Soviet intervention. Contemporary foreign policies are not formulated in a vacuum. Events in one part of the world will affect those in another. Relations between Africa, the United States, Cuba, and the Soviet Union are part of great living web of action, reaction and interaction.' The new United States policy toward Southern Africa reflects the interdependency of actors in world politics. The confrontation between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. in Africa is indicative of this interaction. Both nations are vying for the friendship (or the lessening of hostility) of African countries and trying to gain political, economic, military, and strategic advantages. However, to suggest that