The Us and Africa

News Report Winter, 1980/1981 The Black American Lobby for Africa and The Caribbean THE U.S. AND AFRICA: 1981-1984 As the Reagan administration puts its ad According to Robinson, "The new cast of an increased U.S. military deployment visors on U.S. Africa policy in place, Trans foreign policy actors holds little hope for throughout the world to act as " deterrent Africa ' s Washington staff is receiving constructive future relations between the forces" to "illegal intervention " on the part numerous calls from members and others U.S. and Africa. Almost across the board of the Soviets, particularly in the Third concerned about the likely outlook of the they are Globalists in their perspective and World. new advisors toward Africa . Commenting on biased toward the white minority regime in On the question of U.S./South Africa rela Secretary of State Alexander Haig's first South Africa ." tions Haig has suggested that South Africa press conference, TransAfrica's Executive Secretary of State, General Alexander Haig, should be included in a western military Director, Randall Robinson , said "It is has wasted no time in establishing a tone of alliance against the Soviet Union thus mak already clear that the administration 's preoc confrontation with the Soviet Union as a ing South Africa an unofficial member of cupation with U.S./Soviet competition for basic tenent of future U.S. foreign policy. NATO. He believes that possible Soviet ac control of resources and political influence Haig's limited knowledge of African affairs is tivities in mineral rich Southern Africa could will shape the course of U.S. foreign policy one reason TransAfrica fears he will be quick trigger a "resource war" which could result toward Africa, leaving little room for serious to assign the continent the role of bat in the loss of " 90 percent of several key consideration of African objectives." Tran tleground for U.S. / Soviet rivalry. Haig served minerals" to the Western world. According sAfrica and other black groups, including the Nixon / Ford administrations as white to one legislative assistant for TransAfrica , the Congressional Black Caucus, have main house chief of staff after having been a "It is perhaps this concern over access to tained that American fortunes in Africa will deputy to national security advisor Henry strategic minerals that allows Haig to elevate not suffer from Cuban or Soviet involvement Kissinger. During his tenure at the national the importance of the white minority regime so much as from a lack of a U.S. policy security council Haig was a persuasive ad in South Africa well above the world com responsive to Africa's priorities of political vocate of the 1972 Christmas bombings of munity's concern over political and freedom in southern Africa and economic Hanoi. While in the position of NATO Com economic freedom for black South Africans. developm·ent throughout Africa. mander from 1975 to 1979, Haig called for (continued on page 6) Alexander Haig Chester Crocker Richard Allen AFRICA ASKS OF AMERICA: ''ARE YOU WITH US OR AGAINST US?'' Excerpts from a speech by Randall Robinson, given at the Department of State, February 3, 1980, on the occasion of Black History Month. I strongly believe that American relations the U.S. military occupation of Haiti in Yet given its doubtless importance, Africa with Africa will badly deteriorate in the com March 1920. Nor were the foreign policy has traditionally been seen by United States ing years to the mutual detriment of the contributions of the Pan-African Congress policy makers through the fogged lens of United States, Africa and the World . I am Movement founder, W.E.B. DuBois, well Soviet designs on penetration. On issues not yet certain that this course is irreversi received in the land of his birth . ranging from South Africa's racial policies ble. A considerable body of evidence in Then as now , the general attitude was that to the war in Eritrea, never has the United dicates, however, that it may well be. For blacks should steer clear of foreign policy States focused primarily on understanding similar reasons, I believe that race relations and concentrate on domestic affairs. In the often single-minded course of African within the United States have already begun 1914 blacks were denied passports to attend political, economic and social development to deteriorate. By some curious time tested the Pan African and Versailles Conference in and framed its responses accordingly. As a law of socio-political behavior, in periods of Paris to express their views on the disposi consequence of this , opportunities have too economic and strategic trial , those in power, tion of the German colonies in Africa, yet often been lost, policy reverses too frequent the advantaged, do not listen to outsiders - Armenian Americans were permitted to ly suffered , and potential friends African outsiders, African-American out testify at the Peace Conference on the treat squandered because of an American inabili siders, the disadvantaged generally. Out ment of Armenians after the dismantling of ty to appreciate legitimate African central siders with their grievances left to fester un the Ottoman Empire. The full weight of the objectives and the intensity with which ob treated are to be swept from public sight, Cointelpro Operation fell on the Late Martin jectives are embraced by broad African con unseen and unheard, their problems, to the Luther King following his Riverside Church stituencies. extent that they are described at all, to be speech in 1965 which strongly criticized No issue galvanizes African opinion as described by those in power, to those in U.S. involvement in Vietnam . Today there are does the fundamental affront of South Africa power, in terms that comfort those in power. indefensibly few blacks working inside this to the entire continent of Africa , indeed to Such is the stuff of blindness, a formula for building at serious policy levels and those of the entire African World. South Africa is the sad and costly awakenings. us from the outside who express our con only country in the world where the right to Already at home, the term racism has cerns from time to time I dare say are more vote is exclusively reserved to one race. become unfashionable though the awful tolerated than closely listened to. Black South Africans may not own land , social and economic consequences of racism This is tragic indeed , not only for those not move within their own country without clearly have not. Even blacks speak of it less. listened to, but more for a nation proceeding passes or enjoy other social and political The advantaged are tired of it, irritated by in a troubled world without benefit of rights ordinarily associated with citizenship . the stridency. We have gotten the message. counsel from a sign if ica nt segment of its Indeed, South Africa's program of " Separate But this per"nicious disease continues to er population . Development" or Ba ntusta nization deprives rode our cities and rip apart the social fabric In the last twenty years the significance of blacks of their fundamental right to citizen of our society. How do the suffering at home Africa has increased enormously in the ship . and abroad win the constructive attention of economic and strategic calculus of the There are no peaceful avenues to change those at whose hands in part they suffer? American foreign policy making apparatus. within South Africa; political opposition by Listen to the voices of America . They seek to Thirty-eight percent of the United States im whites and blacks alike is met with arbitrary salvage us all. ported petroleum comes from Africa. Much arrest, prolonged detention without charge, I am often asked if blacks are really in of the balance of the oil we import from the banning orders, torture and often death . terested in foreign policy, "Isn't this a new Middle East travels sea lanes that Africa Under the Internal Security Act of 1976, the notion7", they ask. I am always deeply of rests astride. Growth in United States/Africa Terrorism Act, the Riotous Assemblies Act fended by such questions. They demonstrate trade and investment continues impressively and the Unlawful Organization Act, the the extent to which our society has gone to with badly needed benefits for a sagging South African Police State has unlimited ignore its black holders of a different view. United States economy. From 1970 to 1976 capacity to control and destroy dissent by Indeed, this is hardly a new phenomenon . United States exports to Africa tripled in blacks and whites alike. This nation 's leaders sought to ignore the value. It is projected that exports to Africa Secretary of State Alexander Haig has black abolitionist Frederick Douglass when will increase ten percent annually by 1987 remarked recently that the United States will he pressed for U.S recognition of the two creating in the process some 780 ,000 addi stand firm against terrorism. African leaders black independent nations of his time: Haiti tional jobs in the United States. Added to will watch American closely to see how firm and Liberia. American did not heed the urg this is an increasing United States the new administration will stand against ings of the NAACP Field Secretary, James dependency on Africa for supplies of the state terrorism of South Africa. Last Weldon Johnson who spared no effort to end minerals vital to our economy and defenses. (continued on page 7) Page 2 ANGOLA: THE BELEAGUERED NATION "Has the U.S. any moral or legal justification for her objection to Cuban military intervention in Africa? . ... In a situation where the soldiers of South Africa keep on attacking Angola, President Neto felt free to seek foreign assistance to cope with the aggression.

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