La “carta israeliana”: lo Zaire di Mobutu dalla guerra di ottobre alla ripresa delle relazioni diplomatiche bilaterali, 1973-82

Abstract

The “Israeli card”: Mobuto Zaire from the October War to the Recovery of Diplomatic Bilateral Relations, 1973-82

On 4 October 1973, two days before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, or the October War, Joseph Mobutu — who was then the President of the Republic of Zaire — announced to the United Nations General Assembly that his country was severing diplomatic relations with Israel. Less than ten years later, in 1982, relations were re-established. Drawing on an analysis of declassified primary sources and available literature, this paper explores how playing the “Israeli card” shaped Zaire’s foreign policy, highlighting the pragmatic nature of the country’s approach and Mobutu’s ability to exploit tensions and contradictions to his advantage, both within Africa and in the broader context of international relations at the time.