Newspapers / Black Ink (Black Student … / Feb. 25, 1991, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Black Ink February 25, 1991 (yoM'RE finy,&W6B c-mrr ^>6, Pi»y. 1 kJE'RE'Au- ReAu-y ir^ii^poVER HERE/ SS, FAiR-SHAI^^ 5- S. A/»r ua/lcss k/E" HAv/e To A- Whifney cem'ifJCij Excuse ME".' C0LIL.\7 we (S-CT TWAr PR^SEi^eR 3A^ ?! 5. S backin' 0*^''' S- s. F5«?ser ir South African Sanctions Must Continue Using economic levers By Grant Vinik Contributor Democracy is breaking out all over and the Republic of South Africa is no exception. The circum stances in Eastern Europe and South Africa, at Hrst glance, may seem assimiliar. Certainly one doesn ’ t consider Albania, Czecho slovakia, Hungary and other cnKrging democracies in Eastern Europe analogous to the revolu tion in Africa. Race has as little to do with the former as communism does to the latter. A further analysis, however, produces striking similarities— a reality which carries significant policy implications for the United States. To begin with, the people of all these countries have been oppressed under the current re gimes for roughly an equal amount of time— nearly the duration of the 20th century. The period-in both circumstances-has been char acterized by near total hegemony, stifling oppression and relatively ineffective dissent. That, of course, all changed. The change, however, was due in no small part to the emergence of an enlightened charismatic leader. In the east, it was Mikhail Gor bachev who in 1985 single handedly sparked the Russian revolution and was arguably the primary determinant of change throughout the rest of Eastern Europe. In South Africa change had been simmering but was brought quickly to a boil in 1986 by another like minded reformer, F. W. de Klerk. De Kleric lifted bans from a number of opposition groups (including the ANC) and released hundreds of political pris oners (including Nelson Mandela). Both those leaders were immedi ately embraced by the United States and its government Gor- bac hev was so popular at one point that he regularly scored above President Reagan in U.S. public opinion polls. Caught in the euphoria, the United States radically altered policies toward Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union with the confi dent declaration— change is ir revocable. Exuberance for devel opments in South Africa have been no less bridalled. Freedom and democracy is inevitable, the old line goes, so let U.S. policy reflect that Rescind sanctions! Re-open foreign trade. Are we so blind? Are we so blind that we can not anticipate that the Soviet politics of retrench- ment are bound-ycs bound-to emerge in the Republic of South Africa as well? The disenfran chised of the Russian revolution- the communists, the military and the Soviet right-have organized and are retaliating! Is it any won der? The old never gives way willingly to the new. Why should South Africa be any different. Because one liberal white says so? That’s no cause for change-it’s an invitations for as sassination. Whites in South Af rica today-like the hardliners in the Soviet Union yesterday— have not even begun to respond. When they do, F. W. de Klerk-like Mikhail Gorbachev-is not going to be the same man we all know and love. Political forces will as sure that the beloved lamb will grow up to be nothing less than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The policy direction is clear— sanctions must not be lifted. The only thing that is inevitable is that the hardliners in South African will react just like they have in the Soviet Union. And when they do, carrots will be useless and eco nomic levers will be the only stick we have left. The Truth Looking towards the future By Vangie King Contributor How can America claim to be the keepers of peace and democ racy when we allow apartheid to persist in South Africa. South Africa is a country with a white population of less than 20 percent. Yet, whites control the vast major ity of resources, both human and natural. This is injustice, undis guised. While we spend billions and billions of dollars claiming the moral high ground in the Middle East, weoveriook the brutal oppression of blacks in South Africa. This is injustice. America should play a greater role in bring ing an immediate and decisive end to apartheid. Liberal white “South Africans” scream that apartheid must come to a nonviolent end in which whites retain some measure of political power. 1 disagree. Whites in South Africa are illegal aliens. They are hostile foreigners who like white people all over the world have attempted to take an unfair share of resources and claim control over human lives. It does not take a nation of millions to hold us back, only a few insecure individuals who are discontent with untanned skins and who lack the morality which they claim to represent White people are a minority in this world. They’ve just about killed off the “Indians,” killed 6 million Jews, enslaved Africans and con tinue to oppress blacks in South Africa. They are a majority in America, a minority in South Africa and a minority in this world. Regardless of the demographic context of their exploits they have shown themselves to be some of the most brutal and oppressive people in the past several hundred years (whites are not inherently bad, because all races are guilty of crimes of oppression at various points in the history of the world) This is why all whites should be deported from South Africa Until they can live peacefully with people of all races they are only worthy to live with each other. America should call for the immediate withdrawal of all white “South Africans” from South Africa in the same way that we have called for the immediate withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait Why don’t we. It’s simple. South Africa is one of the strongest na tions in the world, both politically and economically. South Africa already has nuclear weapons. If blacks were to claim their rightful position of power in South Africa, they would have access to a lot of political, economic and military power. While American politicians are afraid of this. South Africa could become the most powerful black nation in the world. This will happen one day, all over Af rica and where ever you find Afiri- cans because as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We must be lieve that unearned suffering is redemptive”. We have been op pressed immorally and needlessly. What goes around comes around. One day Washington, D.C. will get its statehood. America will have a black President and black people will rise to the lofty height of the once great empires of Kush, Song- hay, Mali, Ghana and Kanem- Bomu. I only hope that we will not abuse our power in the same way that the while man has.
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 25, 1991, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75