[Marxism] Quito Cuanavale

[Walter Lippmann <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Some time ago I received some mail from some obviously white
South African who said he was doing research on this question
and was certain himself that the South African's hadn't "really"
been militarily defeated by the Angolan and South African forces.

Mandela has spoken about this and there are speeches by him
which were published by Pathfinder. I'm sorry, but I do not have
the books physically handy at this time. There is a multi-hour
filmed documentary on the subject which can probably be found
through International Action Center or ANSWER in New York City
or perhaps the Cuban mission to the United Nations.

Don't forget Piero Gleijeses' book CONFLICTING MISSIONS, which
is available in paperback. It's more a political book than diplomatic.
There are several titles on this subject available in Spanish from
Cuban publishing houses.

There's been some public debates on this question between Isaac
Saney, the author of an excellent recent study of the Revolution 
in Cuba called CUBA: A REVOLUTION IN MOTION, and some other
scholar whose name I don't recall who had the idea also that the
South Africans didn't, actually, lose at Cuito Cuanavale.

Don't know if the following book is any good, though Routledge is,
you would think, likely to be a reliable publisher. I just found this
while Googling around for answer to your question. Hope it's useful.

The Cuban Intervention in Angola, 1965-1991: From Che Guevara to
Cuito Cuanavale by Edward George

A new examination of why Cuba, a Caribbean country, sent half a
million of its citizens to fight in Angola in Africa, and how a
short-term intervention escalated into a lengthy war of intervention.
It clearly details how in January 1965 Cuba formed an alliance with
the Angolan MPLA which evolved into the flagship of its global
"internationalist" mission, spawning the military intervention of
November 1975 culminating in Cuba's spurious "victory" at Cuito
Cuanavale and Cuba's fifteen-year occupation of Angola. Drawing on
interviews with leading protagonists, first-hand accounts and archive
material from Cuba, Angola and South Africa, this new book dispels
the myths of the Cuban intervention, revealing that Havana's decision
to intervene was not so much an heroic gesture of solidarity, but
rather a last-ditch gamble to avert disaster. By examining Cuba's
role in the Angolan War in a global context, this book demonstrates
how the interaction between the many players in Angola shaped and
affected Cuba's intervention as it headed towards its controversial
conclusion.


Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Routledge
Date Published: 2006-04-28
ISBN: 0415350158
Description: New. BRAND NEW! !
Languages: English
Alibris ID: 8833903612


Walter Lippmann
=======================================================
>Can you or anyone on the list direct me to a good reference about the 
>battle of Cuito Cuanavale -- esp. one that goes in-depth into the military 
>aspects and political significance? Cursory internet searching shows a lot 
>of controversy about whether or not it was a defeat for South Africa or not 
>(at least, in military terms).
>
>Rahul 
>




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