South Africa in remission: The foreign policy of an altered state

Journal of Modern African Studies

Volumn 34, Issue 2, 1996, Pages 249-269

  Evans, Graham ^a  

^a SWANSEA UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0007273698     PISSN: 0022278X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/s0022278x00055324     Document Type: Article

References (27)

1. See Scott Thomas, The Diplomacy of Liberation: the international relations of the African National Congress of South Africa, 1960-1985 (London, 1995).
2. Francis Meli, South Africa Belongs to Us: a history of the ANC (London, Harare, and Bloomington, 1988), p. 46.
3. Ibid. p. 55.
4. For an excellent account of the ANC during this second phase, see Chris Alden, 'From Liberation Movement to Political Party: ANC foreign policy in transition', in The South African Journal of International Affairs (Johannesburg), 1, 1, Spring 1993, pp. 63-9.
5. See, especially, Philip Nel, 'The ANC and Communism', in Willie Esterhuyse and Nel (eds.), The ANC and its Leaders (Cape Town, 1990), pp. 42-66.
6. This is an adaptation of Canadian phraseology that the goal of sanctions was to bring the South African régime 'to its senses, not its knees'. See David Black and Audie Klotz, 'International Legislation and Domestic Political Change: implications for South African foreign relations', in Southern African Perspectives (Bellville, Centre for Southern African Studies, University of the Western Cape, 1995), No. 42, p. 10.
7. For an account of the deterioration in USSR/ANC relations from 1990 onwards, see Vladimir Shubin, 'Reflections on Relations between the Soviet Union/Russian Federation and South Africa in the 1980's and 1990's', in ibid. No. 37, 1994, pp. 24-31. Moscow only informed the ANC about Neil van Heerden's visit at the last minute, and claimed that officially he was supposed to be just in transit to Tokyo. This prompted a sceptical ANC official to ask: 'What happened to geography? How is the way to Japan via Moscow?' Ibid. p. 28.
8. For an account of the deterioration in USSR/ANC relations from 1990 onwards, see Vladimir Shubin, 'Reflections on Relations between the Soviet Union/Russian Federation and South Africa in the 1980's and 1990's', in ibid. No. 37, 1994, pp. 24-31. Moscow only informed the ANC about Neil van Heerden's visit at the last minute, and claimed that officially he was supposed to be just in transit to Tokyo. This prompted a sceptical ANC official to ask: 'What happened to geography? How is the way to Japan via Moscow?' Ibid. p. 28.
9. Deon Geldenhuys, 'The Head of Government and South Africa's Foreign Relations', in Robert Schrire (ed.), Malan to De Klerk: leadership in the apartheid state (London, 1994), P. 287.
10. Quoting F. W. de Klerk's speeches during 1990-1, Geldenhuys emphasises that the President shared the old vision of South Africa as the 'undisputed economic engine of Southern Africa', and as occupying a 'leadership role which history has carved out for us on a continent facing many Problems'.
11. Denis Venter, South Africa and the African Comity of Nations: from isolation to integration (Pretoria, Africa Institute of South Africa, 1993), Research Paper No. 56, pp. 39-41.
12. African National Congress, 'Ready to Govern: ANC Policy Guidelines for a Democratic South Africa', May 1992. For an indication of the extent to which van Heerden's 'New Diplomacy' has been assimilated by the ANC, see 'South Africa's Foreign Policy Objectives' by Aziz Pahad, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chatham House, London, 18 November 1994.
13. African National Congress, 'Ready to Govern: ANC Policy Guidelines for a Democratic South Africa', May 1992. For an indication of the extent to which van Heerden's 'New Diplomacy' has been assimilated by the ANC, see 'South Africa's Foreign Policy Objectives' by Aziz Pahad, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chatham House, London, 18 November 1994.
14. Alden, loc. cit. p. 75.
15. Richard Calland and David Weld, 'Multilateralism, Southern Africa and the Postmodern World: an exploratory essay', in Southern African Perspectives, No. 38, October 1994, p. 1.
16. See Robin Birchall, 'South Africa and the European Union: between Lomé and bilateralism', in South African Institute of International Affairs, International Update (Johannesburg), 1 July 1995.
17. J. E. Spence (ed.), Change in South Africa (London, Royal Institute of International Affairs and Pinter, 1994), p. 21.
18. For a perceptive elaboration and critique of this view, see Robert Davies, 'South African Foreign Policy Options in a Changing Global Context', in Southern African Perspectives, No. 40, January 1995, pp. 1-12.
19. Comment made by Dr Ian Phillips (ANC-MP) at a conference on 'South Africa and Peacekeeping in Africa', Johannesburg, 13-14 July 1995. Jan Smuts House News (Johannesburg), 3, 2, November 1995, p. 6.
20. The Nigerian question continues to vex policy-making and its attentive public in South Africa. The GNU's difficulty involves resolving the tension between a formal commitment to Nigeria's democratic opposition, stemming from a belief in the indivisibility of human rights, and a pragmatic grasp of the dangers of diplomatic isolation within Africa which might well be a by-product of Mandela's high-profile rôle in calling for economic sanctions to be imposed on General Abacha's régime. In essence, this dilemma is an example of the classic 'choice' between framing foreign policies in accordance with what justice demands or what circumstances permit. That South Africa is now a 'normal' state in this regard can be seen in the attempt by the Foreign Ministry to abort a conference organised by prominent Nigerian dissidents by refusing to grant entry visas to many of Abacha's opponents in April 1996. For an account of the divisions within the ANC leadership over what is desirable and what is possible in this regard, see R. W. Johnson, ANC Presses Pretoria to Abandon Anti-Abacha Line', in The Times (London), 1 April 1996, P. 9.
21. The Sowetan (Johannesburg), 4 October 1994. See also, William Gutteridge, South Africa's Continuing Defence Dilemmas (London, 1995), Research Institute for the Study of Conflict and Terrorism, Project No. 4, p. 2.
22. The Sowetan (Johannesburg), 4 October 1994. See also, William Gutteridge, South Africa's Continuing Defence Dilemmas (London, 1995), Research Institute for the Study of Conflict and Terrorism, Project No. 4, p. 2.
23. Reuters Report (London), 17 May 1995.
24. For an account of the Evans/Suttner controversy and the Maphai/Vale initiatives, see Weekend Argus (Cape Town), 5 December 1993, and Sunday Times (Johannesburg), 12 February 1994, as well as Weekly Mail (Johannesburg) and The Guardian (London), May 1995.
25. For an account of the Evans/Suttner controversy and the Maphai/Vale initiatives, see Weekend Argus (Cape Town), 5 December 1993, and Sunday Times (Johannesburg), 12 February 1994, as well as Weekly Mail (Johannesburg) and The Guardian (London), May 1995.
26. For an account of the Evans/Suttner controversy and the Maphai/Vale initiatives, see Weekend Argus (Cape Town), 5 December 1993, and Sunday Times (Johannesburg), 12 February 1994, as well as Weekly Mail (Johannesburg) and The Guardian (London), May 1995.
27. See Thomas Ohlson and Stephen John Stedman, with Robert Davies, The New Is Not Yet Born: conflict resolution in Southern Africa (Washington, DC, Brookings Institution, 1994), pp. 277-81.