Soviet Strategy Toward African National Liberation Movements

The author argues that Soviet involvement in the developing world can be heuristically characterized by two ideal types of strategies--model and ally strategies. With an ally strategy the Soviet Union seeks to develop an alliance relationship with a developing world regime or movement, largely on the basis of mutual economic, strategic and political interests. Potential allies, therefore, are selected on the basis of the interests they share with the Soviet Union and not on the basis of their political orientation. Conversely, with a model strategy Soviet relations are largely based on the basis of a regime's, or political movement's, commitment to Soviet style Marxism-Leninism. Using these categories, this study seeks to determine: what strategy, if any, has guided recent Soviet strategy toward African national liberation movements. Toward this end, it examines three cases studies: (a) Soviet strategy toward the African National Congress, (b) Soviet strategy toward the Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (MPLA), and (c) Soviet strategy toward the Zimbabawe African People's Union. The author concludes that in each of the above cases Soviet strategy generally conformed to the model strategy during the 1970s. However, since 1980 Soviet strategy has increasingly contained various elements of an ally strategy.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Political Science

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Kempton, Daniel Robert

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kanet, Roger E.

• Political Science, International Law and Relations

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8815367

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/69813