Case 174 - The United States and South Africa: The 1985 Sanctions Debate

Trverton, Gregory F. and Pamela Varley

This case study begins with a brief background sketch of the state of affairs in South Africa in the early 1980s and the Reagan administration’s policy of constructive engagement. It then traces a yearlong sequence of events, beginning with heavy U.S. television coverage of South African riots in the fall of 1984 and ending with President Reagan’s executive order in the fall of 1985 that imposed a series of mild sanctions against South Africa. The case is designed to give students of international affairs a chance to discuss the multitude of factors that influence bilateral l relations and provoke shifts in foreign policy.