DODOMA, Oct. 14 -- AS Tanzania commemorates Nyerere Day, marking the passing of the founding president, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, it is time to reflect on a pivotal year — 1965 — that profoundly shaped the nations foreign policy and commitment to self-reliance.

President Nyerere executed a breathtaking series of diplomatic ruptures with the worlds major powers in 1965 when he expelled two US diplomats, rejected West German aid and severed ties with the United Kingdom.

These actions, taken by a young, financially vulnerable nation, were a stunning display of post-colonial sovereignty.

They instantly transformed Tanzania from a newly independent state seeking patronage into an uncompromising moral leader of the Third ...