Preventing the Vacuum: Determinants of the Namibia Settlement
This paper examines the political, military and economic factors behind the diplomatic agreements which led to the withdrawal of South Africa's colonial occupation of Namibia in 1989–90, and it identifies some of the major constraints which Pretoria placed upon the independence of the new Namibian state. The view that the South African government withdrew from Namibia — but not Walvis Bay — because of military defeats in Angola during 1988 is rejected. It is argued that explanations for the settlement given by US diplomats, Chester Crocker and Charles Freeman, do not take into account key variables such as the underlying economic imperatives, South Africa's state and party building strategy in Namibia, and the political actions of the Namibian people themselves. Such determinants have also been ignored or obscured by most of the radical literature on South Africa's destabilisation of the sub‐region. It is argued here that Pretoria's attempts to consolidate stable conditions for a semi‐colonial state on it...
Angola — ’the forgotten tragedy‘
Angola's September 1992 election should have marked the end of 30 years of conflict. The legacy of Angola's pivotal position within the Cold War, and ten years of South African destabilisation, have denied Angola a sustainable peace. This article places the election within an historical context, discussing the preceding events and then offers explanations for its failure. Particular attention is paid to the role played by the United States and the United Nations, with the conclusion that the international community abandoned Angola at this critical moment in the country's history. The resumption of the war has seen the development of military tactics new to Angola, in particular the siege, which has characterised this phase of the struggle. The siege of central Angolan towns has continued against a backdrop of negotiations to achieve a cease‐fire and peace settlement. The international community has responded to the conflict by condemning one of the parties to the struggle, and by imposing limited sanctio...
The current 'upswing' in the South African economy and the international capitalist crisis: A reinterpretation of South African 'development'
This paper attempts to situate the current economic 'upswing in the South African economy in the context of the on-going economic crisis which is plaguing the international capitalist economy. I will argue that the two phenomena are integrally linked. The principal features of the international capitalist crisis and, even more centrally, the measures hitherto taken to resolve this crisis, are the principal factors contributing to the present 'upswing in the South African economy. The first section outlines the major features of the international capitalist crisis and the measures taken to counteract it. The second section examines some aspects of the current 'upswing' in the South African economy. In the final section, in the form of a critique of some writings on the subject, some implications for the future trajectory of capitalist development in South Africa are drawn. Clearly, there are highly complex issues involved, and a short article can only hope to provide some fruitful points for departure.