USENIX and South Africa

[Doug Gwyn]

In article <811 at ssc.UUCP> fyl at ssc.UUCP (Phil Hughes) writes:
>If other organizations were also willing to "stick their neck out" things
>like the repressive situation in South Africa would not exist.

Not to pick on you in particular, but it's the prevalence of this kind
of simplistic approach to big problems that contributes to the problems
getting worse.  To properly determine the action to take, you should
first find out what is going on, obtain as much relevant background
information as possible, then evaluate the situation with respect to
a justifiable, consistent philosophy.  Clearly profession technical
societies do not even come close to being able to properly make such a
determination.  Therefore, if they attempt to meddle in such affairs it
is most likely that their actions will be totally inappropriate, judged
by objective standards.  Much better to leave these affairs to those
whose primary job it is to deal with them.

Note that, according to what I've been privately told by past and
present USENIX officers, the actual issue is what to do about the
request on the part of what seems to be an anti-apartheid group in
South Africa that wants to affiliate with USENIX.  The only reason
this is even an issue is that it would cost the USENIX associate
a considerable amount of money in legal fees etc. before they would
be able to admit the group, due to U.S. government restrictions
against dealing with any agent in a country that practices apartheid.
(We at the same time encourage doing business with the bloodiest
government in history; would you say that our foreign "policy" is
rational?)  While some would favor admitting the group, and some seem
to think that dealing with them would somehow encourage apartheid
practices by the government of South Africa (I don't follow their
reasoning), the practical matter to be decided is simply whether or
not to spend the money on a legal battle with the U.S. Dept. of
Commerce about this.  Since I don't see the need for USENIX to
volunteer for an expensive crusade, I think we should just say,
"Sorry, so long as our government imposes obstacles, we cannot
pursue admitting you."  Of course the outcome is unfair to the group
requesting admission, but that's because the U.S. law is unfair.