No independence before majority rule
No independence before majority rule (abbreviated NIBMAR) was a policy adopted by the
white colonial minority, before the empire granted independence to its colonies. It was sometimes reinterpreted by some commentators as no independence before majority African rule though this addition was not government policy.[1]
Rhodesia
In particular, the NIBMAR position was advocated with respect to the future status of
Lester Pearson, the Prime Minister of Canada, formulated a draft resolution committing Wilson to NIBMAR. Wilson defended the policy when it was attacked as disastrous by opposition Conservatives.[2]
The accomplishment was short-lived, however, as Wilson continued to extend offers to Ian Smith, the Rhodesian Prime Minister, which Smith ultimately rejected.[3] The UK policy of NIBMAR led Smith's government to declare Rhodesia's independence without British consent.
References
- ISBN 9780112905837. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ House of Commons Hansard 20 December 1966
- ^ Good, Robert C. (1973). U.D.I.: the International Politics of the Rhodesian Rebellion. Princeton University Press.