African Nemesis : War and Revolution in Southern Africa, 1945-2010

Brassey (UK), 1990. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 6" x 9.25. h/b 540 pages, condition is very good. Southern Africa's history is drenched in bloodshed. This remarkable study of politics and warfare since 1945 reflects Paul Moorcraft's exceptional knowledge and understanding of the labyrinthine interplay of revolutionary movements throughout southern Africa and the wide range of conflicts they have produced. Combining narrative with strategic analysis, Moorcraft vividly describes the war inside South Africa and all the wars of destabilisation in the neighbouring states. As well as describing the battles - some from first hand experience as a journalist and film-maker - he also includes the personalities and politics behind the gunfire. Contemporary political and military issues have roots in the struggles of the past. An implicit theme of this study is that the long series of inter-related conflicts in southern Africa have militarised the political process. Weaving in the impact of the various wars on South Africa and its emergence as the region's superpower, Moorcraft considers the rise of African nationalism, particularly the African National Congress, in the context of militancy throughout the region, He analyses the various white responses to the growth of the ANC's armed struggle: the expansion of the South African Defence Force's military and political role, and the harsher methods of police control The domestic aspects of this war are looked at from both black and white perspectives: black ghetto attitudes; white conscription; the uses of propaganda and general trends in the militalisation of the white power structure, Moorcraft suggests there are five main fronts challenging white supremacy: conventional war; urban "terrorism", rural insurgency, union militancy and sanctions. The economic and political factors of each are assessed in relation to their military significance. As the pressure for reform in South Africa itself begins to yield results, Moorcraft analyses the forces at work and projects various scenarios for the future of the country. including the possibility of the first victory of a guerrilla army in a nuclear-armed state. Paul Moorcraft pulls no punches as he analyses the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and attempts to answer the question: what kind of society is likely to emerge from the death throes of apartheid? Lively and inevitably controversial, African Nemesis is a non-partisan study of the pariah state and its often beleaguered frontline neighbours.