Reagan Policy in South Africa
President Reagan refuses to impose economic sanctions against the government of South Africa in belief that they would not work and might even “backfire.”
The Reagan Administration, however, believes that economic sanctions will work against Nicaragua. Do I smell a double standard among us?
Reagan said, about South Africa, in 1985 (and again this year) that “our aim cannot be to punish South Africa with economic sanctions that would injure the very people we are trying to help.” Isn’t Reagan trying to “help” the people of Nicaragua from a “totalitarian communist government” with economic sanctions? Do economic sanctions affect black South Africans differently than Nicaraguans?
Reagan is trying to protect Nicaraguans from a popular Marxist government that is trying to rebuild its country after a brutal U.S.-supported dictatorship and defend itself from the U.S.-financed terrorists, the contras, by imposing economic sanctions against it. And Reagan is protecting a totalitarian capitalist government where the minority white are rich and in power and the majority black are oppressed.
Reagan’s not trying to preserve freedom and democracy, he’s trying to protect the rich and the free enterprise system.
AARON HUNTER
Manhattan Beach
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