The Tragedy Of The United States Diplomacy: The Evolution Of The United States Foreign Policy Towards South Africa's Apartheid (1948-1991)

South Africa is a multi-ethnic nation comprised of indigenous people, white, colored, Indians and other Asians. Since the mid-17^th century, racial discrimination and segregation had ever been in existence here until the end of 20^th century. Especially when Afrikaner right-wing representative of the National Party took office, for the sake of cultural, traditional, economic and political considerations, he carried racial discrimination to its extreme, the Apartheid system, which means one's political, economic, social and other rights are determined by his color or skin. This, of course, met with domestic non-white resistance and opposition from other countries. This paper is to study the United States' policies on South Africa's Apartheid system in the historical context of cold war, and its impact on the abolition of the system.There existed a relatively close relationship between the United States and the South Africa before World War II, but mainly the economic relations. After the war, United States and South Africa, these two multi-ethnic countries in the race policy embarked on different roads. The United States had been going its way toward racial integration, while South Africa had been doing everything possible to set apart different nationalities vigorously implementing the apartheid system. South Africa's Apartheid system became the most important issue in the relations between the two countries. During the period the United States' policy on South Africa's Apartheid system can be divided into four stages.The first stage ranges from 1948 to 1960, which is the middle road period of the United States' policies on South Africa's Apartheid system. Because of the fierce confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States, although the United States did not agree with South Africa's Apartheid system, the United States needed the support of South Africa. In this dilemma, the Truman administration and the early Eisenhower administration took the middle road policy, that is, on the one hand, they didn't approve of apartheid system, on the other hand, they fought against international intervention of South Africa's so-called domestic racial issue. Then, in favor of the United Nations the right to interfere, but they declined to condemn South Africa's apartheid regime. Finally, although in favor of the condemnation of apartheid system in South Africa, they refused to put pressure on South Africa to take any action.The second period lasts from 1961 to 1984, during this period the United States' policies on South Africa's Apartheid system had a great shift from the indifference to the start of limited sanctions against South Africa. With a large number of African nations gaining independence, the strengthening of Soviet Union's offensive in the third world, the development of civil rights movement in the United States and the turmoil in South Africa, out of America's interests, Kennedy administration began to adjust its practice on South Africa's racial issue. In 1963 John F. Kennedy forged a voluntary arms embargo against South Africa, which was a first concrete act to force South Africa to change its racial policy. After taking office Johnson administration continued the policy of the Kennedy Administration, and enhanced, and expanded the scope of the voluntary arms embargo on South Africa and take a little restrictive measures on economic. The United States began to implement limited sanctions on South Africa; the United States' policies on South Africa's Apartheid system had an important change.The Nixon - Ford and Carter administrations stressed under the limited sanction to communicate and restrict with South Africa. In the meantime, though the Nixon -Ford and Carter administrations were confronted with different historical backgrounds, their polices on South Africa's racial system changed within the following scope, from political condemnation, economic restriction, military arms embargo to the forced military arms. Each American government had his own way to force South Africa to change its racial policy, for example, some emphasized restricting its relations with South Africa such as jimmy Carter; and some focused on communication with South Africa such as Nixon and Ford. But their final goal was to force South Africa to abandon its unacceptable racial policy.Reagan's first term reduced and weakened the condemnation of apartheid, reduce the restrictions of the arms embargo on South Africa and expand ties with South Africa's "constructive engagement" policy, hoping that this would expelled the communist from Southern Africa and to promote the domestic reform of racial policy in South Africa. However, the Government of South Africa apartheid and stubbornly adhere to the policy of apartheid and undermining the stability of the region, making the Reagan administration's "constructive engagement" failed.The third period is from 1985 to 1991, during this period the United States' policies on South Africa's Apartheid system had a great shift from the limited sanctions to comprehensive sanctions against South Africa. In the mid-1980s, long-time resistance by the non-white large-scale activities in South Africa, together with the rise of anti-apartheid movement in the United States caused the American Congress to take the initiative on this issue and forced Reagan administration in September, 1985 to impose limited economic restrictions on South Africa, which changed America's common practice towards South Africa's racial system in the past several decades of years, that is resolute resistance and opposition to impose economic restrictions on South Africa. Thanks to Reagan administration's negative resistance and South Africa's white regime's intransigence, American Congress in October 1986 overturned Reagan's veto and passed a comprehensive anti-apartheid, therefore starting comprehensive restrictions on South Africa and pointing out the requirements that South Africa should be met in order to stop this restriction.Confronted with non-white resistance and economic difficulties domestically, foreign condemnation and sanctions, African President FW de Klerk who came to power in 1989, recognized that apartheid system wouldn't work, and started to take measures to abolish it in February, 1990, thus South Africa entered a new historical chapter.There is no doubt that South Africa peacefully repealed the deep-rooted apartheid system for more than 300 years mainly by domestic effort. But the world's anti-apartheid movements also played a very active role in its abolition for the past few decades. As world's great power, the United States took the connivance attitude, but it also played some active role in it.From the United States' policies on South Africa's apartheid system of this period, it can be seen, for a long time, out of the cold war towards the Soviet Union and to safeguard their interests in South Africa the United States, despite condemned the apartheid system of South Africa and also imposed an arms embargo on South Africa, has been stubbornly resisted calls of the imposition of economic sanctions against South Africa from home and abroad. Although until the mid-1980s, the United States government was forced to impose economic sanctions on South Africa, but implemented negatively and rejected the UN Security Council resolutions of imposing economic sanctions against South Africa. It can be said that the United States' policies on South Africa's Apartheid system is actually long term condoned and even supported the system of apartheid system in South Africa. To the United States foreign policy which has been advertised on human rights, democracy, freedom of, this can not be said a tragedy. The root cause of this tragedy lies in when moral, human rights, freedom, democracy conflict with the interests, the United States often opt for the latter.