ABSTRACT
Racial issues like that of apartheid in South Africa became of concern to the United States since they were the antithesis of what are commonly referred to as American ideals. The very genesis of the United States was based on these ideals which Gunnar Myrdal called the “American Creed”. Although there are differences of opinion on the precise ideals of the American society, there appears to be a general agreement that equality, liberty and democracy are among them. The dominant political creed of the United States is in essence the seventeenth century liberal philosophy of John Locke, who is considered the ideological godfather of the American Revolution. The American predicament was thus concerning United States policy towards apartheid and South Africa. Foreign policy goals should reflect not only the security concerns of the nation and economic interests of groups within the country, but also the political values and principles that define American identity.
