A Little Of The Old In And Out



(Time's commemorative issue via tvnewser)

In: Ted Kennedy. I just finished a post for AWEARNESSblog on "Uncle Teddy":

"The death of Senator Ted Kennedy is a great loss to all those who take seriously humanitarian issues. As we collectively weigh the lion of the Senate's immense contribution to human rights, it might be instructive to focus on his role in the ending of apartheid in South Africa. To many of my generation, the modern day injustice of apartheid in South Africa during the 80s was a political awakening. President Reagan instituted a failed policy of 'constructive engagement' with the apartheid regime. The argument at the time was that limited economic sanctions against the totalitarian regime would lead -- eventually -- to slow, manageable change. South Africa, we cannot fail to note, was, at the time, an ally to the administration in the Cold War (totalitarianism be damned!). Ted Kennedy, in the United States Senate, disagreed. He could not overlook the issue of apartheid for the sake of a military alliance against another totalitarian regime. Kennedy favored hard sanctions with real teeth which he believed -- correctly -- would accelerate change on the horn of Africa."

For the full article here.