Borstelmann makes a persuasive argument in this book that the United States aided and abetted the establishment of the apartheid regime in South Africa because, despite reservations about Nationalist racial policies, it viewed South Africa as a vital ally in the Cold War. Especially noteworthy is the way the book interweaves race relations in both societies and how this affected policy.



Borstelmann's book has a controversial thesis that impinges greatly on the nature of USA anti-communist foreign policy in the years after the Second World War. Borstelmann makes a persuasive argument that the United States aided and abetted the establishment of the apartheid regime in South Africa because - despite reservations about Nationalist racial policies - it viewed South Africa as a vital ally in the Cold War. Exceptionally well-written and substantively strong, the book is diplomatic history in a broad context. Eschewing the reductionist, economic-determinist view that characterizes many critical accounts of US policy toward South Africa, and stressing broader strategic and ideological considerations, Borstelmann provides a rich and sophisticated account of American policy-making in that era.