American Intervention in the Angolan Civil War

[QueenofScots]

Let's say that LBJ doesnt escalate the Vietnam War. This is seen after South Vietnam falls as letting the Communists win, leaving a black mark on his presidency. The US is humiliated, and looking for a chance to prove itself. Flash forwards to 1975, when the Angolan Civil War starts. America sees its chance, and backs the side posing itself as anticommunist, UNITA. Would there be any chance for Angola to turn into a Vietnam? There's less jungle in Angola than in Vietnam, but its very mountainous, unforgiving terrain.

EDIT: Angola was called at the time "Cuba's Vietnam," due to the difficulty it had in the war.

 

[QueenofScots]

Any thoughts?

 

[riggerrob]

Republic of South Africa cough a proxy war on behalf of the USA.
Remember that reality was considerably different than the story told in the American press.

Kennedy and LBJ's adgenda required convincing American blacks that they could work themselves out of poverty. To achieve that socio-economic goal, American had to pay lip-service to the notion of opposing white-dominated countries like Angola, Congo, South Africa, Rhodesia, Kenya, etc.

In reality, the USA bought titanium, diamonds, etc. from South African mining companies. Meanwhile, North American, Israeli, etc. engineers (like Gerald Bull) helped South Africa develop modern artillery, etc-

 

[Francisco Cojuanco]

Republic of South Africa cough a proxy war on behalf of the USA.
Remember that reality was considerably different than the story told in the American press.

Kennedy and LBJ's adgenda required convincing American blacks that they could work themselves out of poverty. To achieve that socio-economic goal, American had to pay lip-service to the notion of opposing white-dominated countries like Angola, Congo, South Africa, Rhodesia, Kenya, etc.

In reality, the USA bought titanium, diamonds, etc. from South African mining companies. Meanwhile, North American, Israeli, etc. engineers (like Gerald Bull) helped South Africa develop modern artillery, etc-

Well, by this time the question was about which black political party in Angola to support.

 

[QueenofScots]

Republic of South Africa cough a proxy war on behalf of the USA.
Remember that reality was considerably different than the story told in the American press.

Kennedy and LBJ's adgenda required convincing American blacks that they could work themselves out of poverty. To achieve that socio-economic goal, American had to pay lip-service to the notion of opposing white-dominated countries like Angola, Congo, South Africa, Rhodesia, Kenya, etc.

In reality, the USA bought titanium, diamonds, etc. from South African mining companies. Meanwhile, North American, Israeli, etc. engineers (like Gerald Bull) helped South Africa develop modern artillery, etc-

Im not sure the US would frame it that way. Id see it more as a fight for democracy v socialism.

 

[wietze]

the essence of the cold war at this stage was letting the fighting do by proxies South-Africa as a western proxy, Cuba as a communist proxy.
If the us gets involved itself, there is also a chance the soviets might get directly involved also. not a confrontation you want

 

[Francisco Cojuanco]

Im not sure the US would frame it that way. Id see it more as a fight for democracy v socialism.

Keep in mind that UNITA was nominally also socialist, just anti-Soviet.

 

[GSpectre]

I forget which book it was, but i remember reading about Angola in a CIA memoir. ( Possibly John Stockwells in search of enemies) and the thing that stood out to me was that the CIA's instructions were not to go for the win but rather to go for the stalemate, and just how winnable the war actually was. Although supporting UNITA was not the way to win it. Savimbi was too openly venial, and too ethnocentric to really win, despite being one of the better fighters around. As shown by his success against the MPLA and Cubans despite the difficulties that the terrain imposed on any rebel movement. If you want a victory in Angola, the best way to achieve it is to keep the Portuguese in power, they had practically won the war before the Carnation revolution and their pull out.