Diplomacy in armed struggle: A case of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO)
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Date
2015
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Abstract
The end of the Second World War witnessed the establishment of the United Nations Organisation and with it a wave of decolonisation over former colonies and mandated territories. The South African regime, however, refused to recognise the organisation especially with regards to the territory of South West Africa which South Africa wanted to annex and turn it into its fifth province. The South African racial policy and attempts at annexation led to uprisings within the territory of South West Africa/Namibia and the formation of nationalist movements in the 1950s and the 1960s. One such movement was the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) which was established in 1960 in opposition to South African rule. SWAPO adopted a three-pronged strategy with the aim of liberating Namibia from South African rule and this strategy included the political mobilisation of the people of South West Africa, a diplomatic offensive and armed struggle. SWAPO’s diplomatic offensive began with petitions brought, through various means, before the United Nations. Over the years, the targets of SWAPO’s diplomatic campaign diversified with continental and international organisations as well as individual nations being approached for diverse reasons and objectives. The main purpose of this research was thus to illustrate the importance of the diplomatic offensive embarked on by SWAPO in its struggle for the liberation of Namibia. The importance and relevance of the diplomatic campaign to liberate Namibia is often not valued for two reasons: firstly, the role played by Namibians in the diplomatic campaign to liberate Namibia is often ignored in accounts of international diplomacy on the question of Namibia. Secondly, the current political rhetoric on the liberation struggle for Namibia is mostly focused on the armed struggle component of the strategy without taking into account the diplomatic offensive which facilitated the armed struggle.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the Master of Arts
Keywords
Democracy, Armed struggle, SWAPO