United States Congress Versus Apartheid examines the role of the African Affairs Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in shaping United States foreign policy towards South Africa. This subcommittee emerged as one of the major battlegrounds where United States foreign policy towards South Africa was shaped during the Reagan-Bush era, 1981-1992 (the time-frame examined). This book demonstrates that Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush were more oriented toward strategic calculations in their formulation of United States foreign policy towards the African continent.

Using a systems analysis approach, chapters in United States Congress Versus Apartheid focus on the political, social, economic, and cultural environment. Topics include the bargaining, conflict, cooperation, and lawmaking in the legislative process as well as demands, pressures, and support of the various groups within the political system.