American Collusion with the Republic of South Africa during the Angolan Civil War (1975-1990)

Between 1948 and 1994, the Republic of South Africa enacted one of the most brutal white supremacist regimes in recent history, known as Apartheid. Across the world, nations pressured South Africa to end its racist legislature through economic sanctions, limited diplomatic contact, and non-cooperation with the government. The United States was one such nation to decry Apartheid since it stood against American values of equality and freedom. This all changed when the Angolan Civil War broke out in 1975, and South Africa stood as the primary neighboring anti-communist interventionist in the conflict. This research explores exactly why and how the United States chose to compromise its values and support and cooperate with a regime they had previously detested. Over a fifteen-year span (1975–1990), the US Congress turned from divestment in Apartheid South Africa to actively funding and supplying their military campaigns in Angola. Through analyzing declassified government documents from the US Executive Branch and Central Intelligence Agency, a clear picture emerges demonstrating the gradual shift in American perceptions of the role of the United States as an anti-communist bastion first, and a warrior for international peace and justice second. Right after the United States ceased their materiel involvement in the war in 1990, they went right back to opposing Apartheid. This demonstrates that, during the last decade of the Cold War, America’s dominant efforts continued to be spent defeating communism, not upholding American values.