ANGOLA: IDEOLOGY AND PRAGMATISM IN FOREIGN POLICY .

The normal pattern for most African states at independence is to retain the foreign policy orientation that has been bequeathed to them by the departing colonial masters. In plain terms, and in spite of all the talk about non-alignment, this means being pro-West in their international relations. There are instances, however, when, largely as a result of the uneasy relations between the nationalist leaders and the metropolitan powers, some states boldly reject the idea of a foreign policy legacy. Many of these latter states tend, in varying degrees, to look more towards the foreign powers that had assisted them in the wars of national liberation than to the former colonial powers. In this regard, ideology can sometimes be an important factor, especially where the mentors hold different belief-systems from the colonial masters.
As far as Angola is concerned, the Popular Movement for the, Liberation of Angola (MPLA) achieved the country's independence largely through the support of the Soviet Union and Cuba. Consequently, for some years after independence, ideology became a crucial determinant in the direction and orientation of the country's foreign policy. As time wore on, and as the harsh realities of nation-building persistently stared the MPLA leaders straight in the eye, a good measure of realism was adopted: the once one-lane ideological express-way to Havana and Moscow was broadened and redesigned to have numerous access routes to the West. This paper discusses the way ideology and pragmatism have been blended to provide the base for Angola's external relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]