An Emerging South African Foreign Policy Indentity

This paper attempts to provide a broad framework for reviewing South Africa’s emerging foreign policy identity on the eve of the second elections

Five years after South Africa’s first democratic elections, the new direction of Pretoria’s foreign policy on Africa is emerging, and is increasingly bringing South Africans to confront the realities of a continent that is facing severe institutional challenges. With all the enthusiasm of the newly converted, many South Africans might well be described as ‘born again democrats’, sometimes naive and unrealistic about foreign policy and the capacity of their own country to effect regional change.

With the passage of time, the ‘miracle’ that has been the negotiated settlement in South Africa has started to give way to a more balanced and sober assessment of South Africa, its foreign relations and particularly its engagement in Africa. This paper attempts to provide a broad framework for reviewing South Africa’s emerging foreign policy identity on the eve of the second elections in June 1999, and amidst the turmoil that has come to characterise much of Africa in recent years. In order to do so, the paper briefly comments upon recent developments on the continent, as well as South Africa’s dependence on the region. The final sections explore the emerging South African foreign policy identity with particular focus on the country’s future participation in peace missions and the potential role of civil society.  

Author

Jakkie Cilliers, Executive Director, Institute for Security Studies