據我所知，德克拉克是在柏林牆倒三個月不到，共產體製分崩離析不成威脅之後（如你所說，自顧不暇），才釋放曼德拉的。曼德拉和一貫支持他暴力反抗的蘇聯對這一點心知肚明，雙方為避共產擴張之嫌，才沒立即投懷送抱，以免危及隨後廢除種族隔離製的談判。請見：
South African History Online
A non-event: Mandela and Moscow
With the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990, and his visits to many capitals of the world, the possibility of his visit to Moscow became an issue with both the ANC and the Soviets. Yet, Gorbachev, according to Shubin, was overly cautious about being seen to expand communism while he was wooing the West. Gorbachev extended an invitation to Mandela but somehow the two sides never agreed on an appropriate date.
