South Africa: Twelve Perspectives on the Transition
Most of the pieces in this volume are by acknowledged experts, and all originally appeared as issues of CSIS Africa Notes published by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Dating from January 1988 to January 1994, they address a range of topics including shifts in South Africa's military and nuclear policies, the evolving politics of the African National Congress, and the white governments that ruled before April 1994. A chapter written in mid-1992 compares democratization efforts in Russia and South Africa. Reading such recent but outdated analyses is rather like nibbling at the remains of yesterday's salad, but researchers in years to come will find the collection a useful historical resource.
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South Africa's political miracle may not be followed by an economic one. Despite its claims of superiority to black governments to the north, the National Party pursued economic policies like most African countries'--import substitution, a wasteful public sector--leading to staggering black unemployment. Only slow private sector growth can lift the black majority out of poverty. But the National Unity government, while avoiding the worst populist temptations, must win citizens over to structural adjustment with gains in education, infrastructure investment, and affirmative action. Of those given little, much is asked.
Despite remarkable progress since the end of apartheid, South Africa today is badly wracked by AIDS and severe wealth inequalities, with a leadership still fixated on racial struggle. After more than a decade in power, the ANC has yet to reconcile its various ambitions: curbing racism, promoting political participation, and advancing the interests of all South Africans.
South Africa's negotiating parties continue to stave off violent extremists on both the right and left. More than a tussle over constitutional mechanics, the current negotiations are an effort to construct a political center that will hold. But agreeing on a spring election well before establishing the rules of the game has transformed the talks into a power struggle, and the eight-month election campaign into a gauntlet of uncertainty.

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