William Bradley: “on May 10, the world witnessed an event that was little short of a miracle. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated President of…”

“on May 10, the world witnessed an event that was little short of a miracle. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated President of South Africa, marking the peaceful end of white rule in South Africa. As President Mandela stated, this day marks ``a victory for all the people of South Africa.'' The cold war taught us to expect vicious United States-Soviet proxy wars in far flung corners of the world, including southern Africa. Our experience since the dissolution of the Soviet Union has shown us that ancient enmities die hard. Even the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, relaunched with such hope last September, has been slowed by violence and terror. Given this sorry litany of the obstacles to democratization and reconciliation, I must admit I was not certain that the journey begun by F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in February 1990, when the latter stepped from prison a free man, would end in success. The obstacles they faced were daunting: extremists who did not accept reconciliation in thought or deed; the legacy of white oppression of South Africa's black, coloured, and Indian population; and the cycle of poverty and violence that has wracked so much of Africa. The road has been long and difficult, costing thousands of lives. Indeed, even as the elections began, rejectionists continued to spread terror and spill innocent blood.”