Angola - Short Essay
In the country of Angola located Africa, the struggle for power had been at its greatest when the country had one it’s independence from Portugal in 1975. The Popular movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) headed by Eduardo Dos Santos and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) headed by Dr. Jonas Savimbi had been at war to secure leadership of the country. Angola had the potential to be a wealthy developed African nation since it possesses large petroleum and diamond reserves but with these two fighting. The Angolan civil war soon became a continuation of the Cold War in Africa with the MPLA being aided by the Soviets and Cuba; and the UNITA, backed by neighboring South Africa and the United States. The United States along with South Africa wanted to remove the strong Cuban military presence from the region and overall, the containment of communism.
The U.S. and the Soviet Union competed for influence in Angola in a major way. The United States saw how African nationalism was rising from being controlled by European countries and wanted independence so they supported them with arms, money, and any other kind of support they could in exchange When the U.S. saw Stalin and Cuba support the MPLA, they knew they had to support the other party, not because they were in favor of a liberation movement, but because they had to contain communism and to gain a hand in the Cold War. The U.S. and the Soviet Union ultimately led to no positive effects. While each side received support to make their armies much bigger, it ultimately led to destruction. When the U.S. stopped supporting the UNITA party and the U.N. ruled in favor of fair elections in Angola, the once good party returned to armed conflict and resorted to the sale of blood diamonds.
Overall, Angola fight for independence turned into a war of its own thanks to the Cold War. Due to the proxy warfare that results when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting
The U.S. and the Soviet Union competed for influence in Angola in a major way. The United States saw how African nationalism was rising from being controlled by European countries and wanted independence so they supported them with arms, money, and any other kind of support they could in exchange When the U.S. saw Stalin and Cuba support the MPLA, they knew they had to support the other party, not because they were in favor of a liberation movement, but because they had to contain communism and to gain a hand in the Cold War. The U.S. and the Soviet Union ultimately led to no positive effects. While each side received support to make their armies much bigger, it ultimately led to destruction. When the U.S. stopped supporting the UNITA party and the U.N. ruled in favor of fair elections in Angola, the once good party returned to armed conflict and resorted to the sale of blood diamonds.
Overall, Angola fight for independence turned into a war of its own thanks to the Cold War. Due to the proxy warfare that results when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting