by Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 31 May 2023 As soon as Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years, and with apartheid still in place, UK officials were lobbying him for their business interests in South Africa, declassified files show. British officials feared Nelson Mandela would nationalise South Africa’s economy and lobbied him to […]
Topic: South Africa
Documents FCO, Planning Staff draft paper, “British objectives and priorities in Africa South of the Sahara, 1976-80”, November 1975 (click here) ‘Mandela “furious” at adviser after Thatcher meeting vetoed’ (US Embassy, South Africa, 28 November 2010) Articles Apartheid ‘Clinton Envy, Mandela and a Horse: Glimpses From the U.K. Archives‘ (New York Times, 28 December 2018) ‘Queen […]
“Traditionally, from the days of trade in slaves and ivory, Africa has supplied natural products to Europe and received finished goods in exchange”. New UK investment in Sub-Saharan Africa was £148.1m or 9.1% of all overseas investment in 1973 – of that, 5.4% was to South Africa. Total stock of UK investment in SSA in […]
Cabinet Defence and Oversea [sic] Policy Committee, ‘Issue of foreign policy: A memorandum by officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’, 29 June 1970 “It will be important to ensure that, as Western Europe develops, it retains a close partnership with the United States. We shall wish to keep our special links with the United […]
In February 1974 the Permanent Under Secretary’s Planning Committee of the Foreign Office approved papers for the incoming Labour government, consisting of 42 departmental papers plus an overview of “Britain in an altered world: The outlook for Foreign Policy”. A key aspect of these papers was to argue against the new government implementing its manifesto […]
FCO paper, ‘Britain in an altered world: The outlook for foreign policy’, 26 February 1974 In February 1974 the Permanent Under Secretary’s Planning Committee approved papers for the incoming Labour government, consisting of 42 departmental papers plus an overview of “Britain in an altered world: The outlook for foreign policy”. “British foreign policy is largely […]
By Mark Curtis An edited extract from Unpeople: Britain’s Secret Human Rights Abuses In the mainstream, the official view is that British governments provide enduring support to the United Nations. The opposite is true: it is clear from the historical record that the UN has traditionally been seen as a major threat. Britain’s ambassador to […]
Published in the Huffington Post, 26 July 2016 Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange control over $1trillion worth of Africa’s resources in just five commodities – oil, gold, diamonds, coal and platinum. My research for the NGO, War on Want, which has just been published, reveals that 101 companies, most of them British, control […]
By Mark Curtis Reviewing British arms exports for the ten-year period under New Labour, the figures speak for themselves: – The UK has exported £45 billion worth of arms around the world since 1997. – Over £110m of military equipment has gone to Israel, throughout a period of offensive operations in the occupied territories and […]
Britain’s Real Role in the World. In his explosive new book, Mark Curtis reveals a new picture of Britain’s role in the world since 1945 and in the “war against terrorism” by offering a comprehensive critique of the Blair government’s foreign policy. Curtis argues that Britain is an “outlaw state”, often a violator of international […]