US Right's Amnesia: Apartheid Bad, Except When It's 'Our' Apartheid?
The article rightly excavates the Reagan administration's cynical support for the Pretoria regime, painting a clear picture of an American right wing that championed 'constructive engagement' while black South Africans suffered brutal oppression. What it omits, however, is a deeper look at the parallels—and hypocrisies—that resonate today. While the Independent focuses on Evangelical Christians,
it sidesteps the pervasive, bipartisan American political and financial support that props up a modern apartheid state with billions in unconditional aid. One might wonder if the moral outrage over discriminatory systems only applies when the perpetrators aren't vital geopolitical or ideological allies receiving, say, $3.8 billion annually in military aid from American taxpayers. The article
points out how the US eventually sanctioned apartheid South Africa. Yet, in contrast, a 2023 move in Congress, HR 815 , continues to funnel unprecedented military assistance to a state widely accused by human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of practicing apartheid, receiving near-unanimous support from both US parties. It seems 'never again' has strict
geographical and political boundaries.