'"To have its cake and eat it too:" US policy toward South Africa during the Kennedy administration


Autoria(s): Hyman, Zoe
Data(s)

2015

Resumo

The assumption that US policy toward Africa was characterized by continuity during the cold war has recently been challenged by scholars who argue that President John F. Kennedy embarked on an African policy that was distinct from his predecessors. This may be true for black Africa, but Kennedy’s support for African nationalism did not extend to South Africa. This article reveals that Kennedy’s cold war priorities ensured continuity in US policy toward the apartheid state and, in some cases, additional cooperation as cold war crises increased the perceived importance of South Africa as an ideological and strategic ally and bastion against communism on a rapidly changing continent. This article also explores the role South Africa’s apartheid government played in this cold war alliance. The ruling National Party recognized its importance to US foreign policy goals and used this to stave off serious American criticism of its racial policies, deflect attention in the United Nations, and ensure continued economic and military cooperation with the United States.

Identificador

http://pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/to-have-its-cake-and-eat-it-too-us-policy-toward-south-africa-during-the-kennedy-administration(63bbfa91-068e-49fe-9d1d-292e8af5c2df).html

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17541328.2015.1099836

Idioma(s)

eng

Direitos

info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess

Fonte

Hyman , Z 2015 , ' '"To have its cake and eat it too:" US policy toward South Africa during the Kennedy administration ' The Sixties: A Journal of History, Politics and Culture , vol 8 , no. 2 , pp. 138-155 . DOI: 10.1080/17541328.2015.1099836

Palavras-Chave #United States; John F. Kennedy; South Africa; apartheid; foreign policy; cold war; United Nations; segregation; National Party; America; race relations; civil rights
Tipo

article