Nigeria-South Africa tensions leave African leadership gap

Relations between South Africa and Nigeria have long resembled a rollercoaster without a safety bar. While Africa’s first- and third-largest economies, respectively, have shared a close relationship, it is one marked by volatility and tension. And during the past three years, this critical bilateral relationship has begun to wobble dangerously, finding itself today in need of urgent détente

Continuity and change in the foreign policies of the Mbeki and Zuma governments

There is a commonly held view in foreign policy analysis circles that in the transition from the Mandela to the Mbeki government, continuity was the order of the day, while from Mbeki to Zuma it purportedly suggested change. Was this the case? We are interested in establishing whether Mbeki introduced important nuances, refinements and changes in foreign policy that might reveal some discontinuities, and whether the foreign policy directions and strategies of the Zuma presidency resembled a fundamental break from those pursued by Mbeki. In terms of the latter, the leadership tensions in the African National Congress (ANC) which brought about the Zuma presidency were said to be accompanied by changes in policy. Could it be that this rupture in the ruling ANC and the government was ironically characterised by policy continuities

The African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) : restoring a relationship challenged?

Africa faces a dual challenge of governance and development, with institutional and implementation crises looming large. Whereas the continent has gone through an energetic period of diplomacy during the decade 1998–2008, in which institutions and programmes like the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) have been established, we have also witnessed serious problems revealing themselves. One such problem has been institutional rivalries which served to undermine the continent’s political and development agendas, and one such enmity was the tension and rancour between the AU and NEPAD. The newly elected Chair of the AU Commission in Addis Ababa will have to address such serious institutional tensions and rivalries in the continent

THABO MBEKI COMO O PANTEÃO AFRICANO: REIVINDICANDO O SÉCULO XXI PARA A ÁFRICA GLOBAL

habo Mbeki is a global Pan-African in his own right, and one of the foremost Pan-African thought leaders of his generation. The man who was called sensitive, ruthless and hard-nosed, has left a distinct mark in pan-African discourse, both during and after his tenure as the second democratically elected president of South Africa. This strategist and tactician, who espoused a transformational and visionary leadership style, has earned his stripes, in part, by making a unique contribution to Pan-Africanism and is indeed among Pan-Africa’s Pantheons. He pursued an African Renaissance as a vision and a strategy aimed at the Africana world broadly – a Global Africa strategy.  As one of the Pan-African pantheons – heroes – he has made major contributions not just to Afro-continentalism, but also to Global Africa, in other words to continental Africa and the diaspora.Thabo Mbeki é um pan-africano global por direito próprio, e um dos principais líderes pensadores pan-africanos da sua geração. O homem que foi chamado de sensível, implacável e intransigente, deixou uma marca nítida no discurso pan-africano, tanto durante como após o seu mandato como o segundo presidente democraticamente eleito da África do Sul. Este estrategista, que adotou um estilo de liderança transformacional e visionário, ganhou sua credibilidade, em parte, fazendo uma contribuição única para o pan-africanismo e está, de fato, entre os panteões pan-africanos. Ele perseguiu um Renascimento Africano como uma visão e uma estratégia voltada para o mundo africano em geral - uma estratégia da África Global. Como um dos panteões pan-africanos - heróis - ele fez contribuições importantes não apenas para o afro-continentalismo, mas também para a África Global, em outras palavras, para a África continental e a diáspora

Reflections on the African Union after decade one : looking back in order to look forward

his special edition of Africa Insight focuses on the African Union (AU) after a decade since its inception. The idea is to cast a critical eye over the past 10 years of the AU, successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), who will itself in 2013 commemorate 50 years since its establishment in 1963. Writing in May 2012, one of the chief architects of the AU and of Africa’s post-Cold War Continental Order, former South African president Thabo Mbeki remarked in the form of two probing questions: As we celebrate the fi rst decade of both the AU and NEPAD, and prepare to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the OAU next year we must answer these questions honestly: ● What progress have we made towards the achievement of the objectives of the OAU, the AU and NEPAD? And, ● What shall we do in this regard

An overview of the EU-SA Strategic Partnership 10 years on : diverging world views, persisting interests

Abstract: The EU-SA Strategic Partnership (SP) has entered its 10th year. It is a product of its time and particular regional and international circumstances. These having changed somewhat over the course of the last decade, it is not surprising that the dynamics of the relationship, expressed through the strategic partnership’s parameters, have undergone commensurate changes. Based on the recognition that the partnership is between a multilateral institution and a state, the difference in their respective strategic positions is inevitable. The challenge therefore, is for the EU-SA Strategic Partnership to maintain a flexibility that allows for continued contestation, development and relevance. This paper reviews the historical context of the partnership and the challenging dynamics that have evolved over the lifespan of partnership, providing the basis for the thematic discussion which follow in this issue. The analysis in this article demonstrates that in spite of acknowledged challenges, the functionality of the strategic partnership based on persisting interests remains intact

Southern Africa’s conflict & governance template

On the one hand, southern Africa is one of the least violent regions in Africa from the standpoint of inter-state and intra-state war. On the other, southern Africa faces major human security and governance challenges that are eroding the region’s hard-won governance and stability gains. The region faces major human security threats; inequality and poverty are on the rise, and these factors make for prospects for serious social dislocation and conflict. Former OAU Secretary-General, Salim Ahmed Salim said about southern Africa ‘…the region has experienced large-scale insecurity…This insecurity persists because the region has not yet managed effectively, human security challenges such as threats to civilians’ livelihoods, pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, natural disasters, conflict in the DRC and Angola, trafficking of drugs and arms, and cross-border crime’1. Human security threats such as drug and arms, the flows of refugees and migrants, have indeed been regionalized in southern Africa. Southern Africa’s political, development and security realities remain at once intertwined, contradictory and in a state of flux; its politics is unstable and development is under severe stress. Democratization in the region is inconsistent and fragile. While more of the region’s states than ever before can be classified as formal democracies – in the sense that they adhere to the minimum requirement of democracy such as holding elections – the substance of democracy is far more unsteady. Typically, southern Africa states fair well on the minimum threshold of formal or procedural democracy – elections on time, distinction between three spheres of government, the separation of powers (between the legislature, judiciary and government), and opposition parties. But the region is fairing poorly when it comes to the strengthening of substantive democracy – the ability of states to be responsive to the needs of the citizenry, eradicate poverty, ensure the effective participation of the citizenry in decision-making and governance, tackling social injustice challenges such land dispossession and economic injustice’. The gender relations of power typically receive scant attention in southern Africa; yet it is a key governance question in the sub-continent. The sub-region has a long way to go in introducing genuine empowerment of women; this is typically a male-dominated environment. The vexed question of youth and youth participation in politics in the region needs to receive similar attention. Youth are increasingly being alienated and marginalized from mainstream African politics. The issues just do not speak to them. For example, the issues of activism and cross-border youth political organization would help to shed light on the challenges of democratization and political governance in southern Africa

Pan-African internationalism through partnership, not neo-paternalism

Abstract: Imbibing the core partnership principles was considered vital as a result of a growing sense amongst a new generation of Africans that development partners had to adhere to such evolving norms and standards, to redress the injustices of the past

The foreign policy orientation and national role conceptions of a post-apartheid South Africa: options and scenarios

This thesis should essentially be considered as an exposition of the foreign policy of a "new", apartheid-free South Africa in a post-Cold War international arena, arguing for a pro-active and prudent foreign policy. An important goal of the study is to make as dispassionate and rational as possible a contribution to the debate on South Africa's future foreign policy, national roles and external relations. A further aim of the study shall be to deduce relevant results of perpetual and viable foreign policy orientations and national role models within the framework of policy alternatives to South Africa's decision-makers in the future