The United Nations. Decolonization

I am a strong supporter of the United Nations, but we must be fair. Decolonization was a mized blessing. Africa is a prime example. I was in South Africa and Rhodesia under the old order. I went there to check on the reports which I had read and accepted, describing the horrors of apartheid and racism. I was surprised to find in South Africa a peaceful coexistence broken by nasty episodes like the Biko case. Rhodesia was a lovely, peaceful country without apartheid. Presumably South Africa was somewhat similar under Louis Botha (1862-1919). who was transformed from a Boer guerrilla fighter into an advocate of reconciliation. He became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. I traveled across French and Spanish North Africa long before it became a theater for proxy fighting in the Cold War. Of course these countries were far from perfect, but compare their present condition with what I saw.

I would not bring this up again had I not received a folder "United Nations and Decolonization", which suggests that the UN is determined to keep alive the spirit of the disgraceful anti-racist meeting in Durban. The cover shows young colonial people smiling happily smiling at the prospect of decolonization, two of them raising clenched fists. The only African country listed is Western Sahara, but in the column "Administrating Authority" there is a blank, presumably out of deference to Morocco, an African country. Otherwise the target is Asia and the Pacific, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean and Mediterranean. It lists small territories administered by Great Britain (including Gibraltar, which enjoys virtual autonomy), the US (including Guam), France (New Caledonia), and New Zealand (Tokelau). There is no discussion of the viability of these countries as independent entities or their wishes to be such , just the usual UN declarations. It may be that these matters are discussed in meetings of the Special Committee on Decolonization, which has to justify its unnecessary existence. There is no mention of the Middle East or Kashmir, where there are real problems.

Ronald Hilton - 2/3/02