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From: WLIM@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU
Newsgroups: mod.politics
Subject: Re: Poli-Sci Digest   V6 #99
Message-ID: <12263065327.2.MCGREW@RED.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Mon, 15-Dec-86 16:09:45 EST
Article-I.D.: RED.12263065327.2.MCGREW
Posted: Mon Dec 15 16:09:45 1986
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  From: Steve Walton 
  
  Personally, I can't see that the nations of black Africa grant much
  more freedom to their citizens than the Afrikaners give to black
  South Africans, and that includes Zimbabwe.  Would Idi Amin be an
   improvement over P.W. Botha?

You forgot about Bostwana which is a democracy but currently being
bullied by the white tribe (i.e. the Afrikaners see the Wall Street
Journal and the Economist over the last few months) in South Africa.
You should also note the curious fact that hundred of thousands of
whites who fled Zimbabwe to SA are now returning to Zimbabwe (again
see the Wall Street Journal and the Economist over the last few
months).  These whites originally left for fear of the blacks doing
onto them what they have done onto the blacks (i.e. subjugation) and
also for the belief that the blacks are going to screw the country up.
Now they obviously think that Mugabe is an improvement over P.W.
Botha.  SA is worried about the economic success of Zimbabwe as it is
the first front line country that over time will be strong enough to
threathen SA.  Furthermore the British have investments in Zimbabwe
and are helping in training the Zimbabwean military, building the
railroad to Beira, a port in Mozambique so that Zimbabwean goods can
get out without going through SA (see the latest issue of the
Economist).  There is also talk of having white settlers along the
Beira railroad to protect it from the SA backed guerrillas.
Furthermore, the former Zimbabwean minister of agriculture (a white)
has been abroad canvassing for financial support for the
revitalization of the Beira line.  As an aside, in a recent issue of
Forbes, Zimbabwe now has the most sophisicated (i.e. highly
computerized) and the world's largest tobacco auction floor in Harare.
It is built by a Zimbabwean white.  There was also a report on human
rights in Zimbabwe which said that the whites have experienced very
little atrocities committed against them.  So don't you think that the
Zimbabwean whites are doing pretty well under black majority rule?

As another point, many African nations have served us well by showing
the world what a big lose communism is.  It was reported in the Time
magazine that it was Machel (a Marxist) the late leader of Mozambique
that persuaded Mugabe not to repeat his mistakes.  Until his death,
Machel was starting to move to our camp (the British and the West
Germans are starting to return to Mozambique).  I don't think the
black INDIVIDUALS in SA would repeat the mistakes of the other African
nations (which are now admitting the mistakes of Marxism and starting
to experiment with elements of the free market) when there is majority
rule.  I do find it troubling that some people still think that black
Africans don't know what it is good for them i.e. economic freedom
which include the freedom to own property and businesses.  SA has a
long way to go with regard to this even if you were to ignore the
right to one man one vote.  Furthermore a black African leader (I
think it was Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia where the ANC is headquartered)
said that SA is the jewel of Africa.  I don't think he would want to
see it destroyed by a careless implementation of majority rule.

SA, the so-called friend of capitalism, will not let any of the front
line nations become economically successful even via capitalism for SA
wants these nations to be subservient to SA.  It is a matter of time
before SA's interests conflict with our national interest (i.e. more
pro-West, economically viable and stable states in southern Africa).
One would be curious to see then if the white tribe in SA would find
the communists in all-white Russia and Eastern Europe more preferable
to the racially mixed but democratic and capitalistic USA.


Willie
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