The history of US policy in Southern Africa has been depressingly consistent. Because US government agencies and major corporations were so closely tied to the ruling white minorities of the region, it was only when majority forces rose up in armed rebellion and seized power that some members of the US elite were willing to accept the fait accompli of majority rule. But even then, there were powerful conservative forces that sought to “roll back” the advance of popular movements in countries like Angola and Mozambique. The Reagan administration sought to hold back the tide of leftist victories in southern Africa by giving Pretoria the international protection it needed to bring its neighbors to their knees.