The Namibian War of Independence, 1966–1989

The decolonization of Namibia was delayed from 1966 to 1989—the period of the war of independence—pitting the Namibian nationalists against the South African minority-ruled regime. This book describes the diplomatic, economic and military campaigns of the Namibian and South African belligerents and draws a comparison with several other decolonization wars. Using data from parliamentary debates, the aftermath is examined of the Namibian war and the newly independent nation. The book provides a basis for further investigation of the decolonization process.

Richard Dale served as an enlisted man with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division in the late fifties, and later earned his Ph.D. in Political Science at Princeton. He has taught at three universities and the Army’s School of International Studies, and has published a number of books and article on politics in Southern Africa. He lives in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

Richard Dale
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 216
Bibliographic Info: 6 maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9659-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1807-4
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments  viii

Abbreviations and Acronyms  xi

Preface  1

Maps  6

Introduction  13

Part I: The Diplomatic Campaigns

Chapter One: The Diplomacy of Resistance  25

Chapter Two: The Diplomacy of Controlled Change  37

Part II: The Economic Campaigns

Chapter Three: Waging Economic Warfare  53

Chapter Four: No Easy Target  62

Part III: The Military Campaigns

Chapter Five: The War for the Colonial Spoils  73

Chapter Six: South Africa’s Bush War  92

Part IV: The Residue of the Campaigns

Chapter Seven: The Art of Bending  111

Chapter Eight: Conclusions  121

Appendix: The United Nations and Namibia  133

Chapter Notes  139

Bibliography  173

Index  195

“recommended”—Choice; “valuable”—The NYMAS Review; “comprehensive overview of Namibia’s long-frustrated quest for independence and the reasons for its protracted nature…solid…definitive…valuable”—Military Review; “an exceptionally informative work…meticulously detailed…impressively researched”—H-Net Reviews.