‘We must analyse where our national interest lies and not worry too much about other people’s domestic policies’ : Richard M. Nixon and apartheid South Africa in the early 1970s

Abstract

This article explores the pragmatic stance that the United States adopted, during the Nixon era, regarding relations with Pretoria. The Nixon administration believed that Washington needed to prioritise the protection of its own strategic and commercial interests and not become overly concerned about the domestic agenda of its global partners. The vehement anti-communism of the National Party government combined with a profitable economic relationship and the abundant mineral resources of the apartheid state dictated a need on practical grounds for closer ties with South Africa. This stance was further reinforced by Nixon’s contempt for sub-Saharan Africans and lack of interest in achieving racial justice.