A former Senior Deputy Secretary of Information in Pretoria shows how U.S. economic and trade sanctions against South Africa brought about radical political change there. This insider history describes how commercial, cultural, and diplomatic punitive measures over almost 40 years transformed the social and political system of the nation and brought about the demise of apartheid policies and the elections of 1994. This lively, timely, and thought-providing account, easy-to-read and well-written, will interest students, teachers, and general readers concerned with international affairs, global economic relations, and world history.

As a participant in the events in South Africa, de Villiers uses a wide range of primary and secondary sources and oral testimony in his critical examination of the efforts of various anti-apartheid and prosanctions groups and shows how devastating formal and informal measures can be. He provides a perspective also for understanding the new bilateral relationship between South Africa and the United States today and the effectiveness of sanctions as a foreign policy tool. This lively, timely, and thought-providing account, easy-to-read and well-written, will interest students, teachers, public policymakers, businessmen, and general readers concerned with international affairs, global economic relations, and world history.