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Jonas Savimbi: The Evolution of a Freedom Fighter
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10864 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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7 / 1986 |
3,656 Words |
| Author
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Henry Kriegel
Henry Kriegel writes on foreign policy issues and resides in
the Washington, D.C., area |
Is Jonas Savimbi a Maoist communist or a freedom fighter par excellence? The answer to this question could very well determine whether Savimbi and his 40,000 - man National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) force in Angola will receive any U.S. aid.
A controversial figure, Savimbi moved into the political limelight during his visit to Washington, D.C., in February. Amazingly, his strongest supporters are not black civil rights leaders like Jesse Jackson or Congressional Black Caucus member William Gray - who, in fact, oppose him - but conservatives.
Many of Savimbi's critics bring up his past association with Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Tse-tung, who in 1965 provided Savimbi and 12 men with guerrilla training, or with Che Guevara, the Cuban who brought Marxist revolution to South America. Savimbi says he has come to the realization that communism is a failing political and economic system, but the guerrilla training he received 20 years ago has proved to be very effective.
Savimbi's critics call him an opportunist - a man who, like a chameleon, will change his public face in order to get what he wants, which in this case is sufficient military aid to press the Soviet- and Cuban -backed Angolan regime into negotiations.
Time magazine recently noted that Savimbi has changed from a Maoist to a self-proclaimed "New Testament socialist," to more recently portraying himself in terms that U.S. conservatives find even more appealing: that is, as a freedom
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