re: #243 Dark_Falcon

But in the cases of Angola and Mozambique it wasn’t paranoia, the post independence governments of both nations openly sided with the Soviet Union. That left South Africa with two nations in the Soviet bloc in its vicinity. South Africa also possesses mines for gold and diamonds that we did not want to fall under the control of Soviet-backed government.

Yeah, it seems other regional conflicts were a factor in the “constructive engagement” policy.

The policy’s architect, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker, designed it to link the independence of South African-occupied Namibia to an easing of the arms embargo against South Africa and the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola