U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1994: Conflict of Interests

This book provides a full account of the development of U.S. foreign policy towards South Africa from apartheid's inception in 1948 through to the fall of white minority rule in 1994. Drawing upon documents sourced in key archives, the twists and turns of the U.S. response to Pretoria's racial policies are pieced together. This history starts with Washington D.C.'s first expressions of concern brought forth under the Truman Administration. It continues via Kennedy's arms embargo, Kissinger's 'Communication' strategy, and Carter's confrontational approach, and ends with the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 and the birth of the 'new' South Africa in the early 1990s. It is an account history of conflicting interests, with strategic and economic concerns always clashing with U.S. human rights priorities.

Alex Thomson is Principal Lecturer in Politics at Coventry University in the United Kingdom.