US POLICY TOWARD SOUTH AFRICA : COMPULSIONS AND OPTIONS

This article analyzes the compulsions and options shaping United States policy towards apartheid South Africa during the Reagan administration. It examines the intense debate within the US between proponents of "constructive engagement" and advocates for comprehensive economic sanctions. The study explores the strategic and economic interests that influenced the Reagan administration's initial resistance to sanctions, including Cold War concerns about Soviet influence in the region and the importance of strategic minerals. The research also details the growing domestic and international pressure for a stronger stance against apartheid, driven by the anti-apartheid movement, congressional action, and international condemnation. The paper argues that the administration was ultimately forced to shift its policy due to these overwhelming pressures. It concludes by assessing the options available to the US and the likely impact of sanctions on the apartheid regime.

During the 1980s, United States policy towards South Africa became a major point of domestic and international contention. This paper examines the complex interplay of compulsions and options that defined the Reagan administration's approach to the apartheid regime. The analysis begins by outlining the administration's initial policy of "constructive engagement," a strategy that favored quiet diplomacy and economic ties over public condemnation and sanctions, with the stated goal of encouraging gradual reform. The study critically evaluates the rationale behind this policy, linking it to the administration's broader Cold War geopolitical framework, which prioritized anti-communism over human rights concerns. The core of the paper is an analysis of the powerful counter-pressures that ultimately forced a change in US policy. It details the rise of the domestic anti-apartheid movement, which successfully mobilized public opinion and built a bipartisan coalition in Congress to push for sanctions. It also examines the international dimension, including the pressure from African states, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations. The study culminates in an analysis of the passage of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 over President Reagan's veto, a landmark event that marked a decisive shift in US policy. The findings illustrate the powerful role that domestic politics and normative pressures can play in shaping the foreign policy of a superpower, even when they conflict with the initial strategic preferences of its leadership.