Both the United States and the Soviet Union had adopted a policy of international containment, which meant that they did not want to do anything that would force any country to request asylum to the other. As the Cold War continued, the United States was afraid to sign economic sanctions against the South African regime for fear of causing the government to seek aid from the Soviet Union. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the situation changed. The United States was less concerned with having a strategic advantage in the region and more focused on the humanitarian issues that arose. Other effects of the Cold War include the previously mentioned war with Angola. The Angolan communist government was supported by both Cuba and the Soviet Union. The war was therefore probably provoked by the collapse of the most powerful communist state in the world.