The Inevitable Pipeline into Exile

Book excerpt: The role played by Botswana in various southern African liberation struggles has previously been neglected in historical studies. The countrys politics of support and mobilisation early on in Namibias struggle for independence from South Africa proved crucial for the formative period of both nation states. Botswanas difficult and contradictory position as neighbour of the South African apartheid state and colonial power in Namibia are carefully dealt with, as are the challenges faced by the fragile Namibian refugee networks and liberation movements, SWANU and SWAPO, operating in Botswana for decades. The Inevitable Pipeline into Exile deals with a crucial phase of nationalism and transnational politics during the period of southern African decolonisation at the height of South Africas diplomatic and military aggression throughout the region.