Africa-European Union trade and development relations : a poisoned chalice?

Abstract: It is now incumbent on African countries to become subjects of history by turning this relationship from an instrumental project into a moral enterprise

Democracy and civil society in Africa: prospects, issues and challenges

Abstract not available.Resumen no disponible

L'action diplomatique sud-africaine pour la paix en Afrique

L’Afrique continue d’être le terrain de conflits durables et insolubles, et y mettre fin est crucial pour ses perspectives de paix, de stabilité et de développement. L’action diplomatique sud-africaine pour la paix en Afrique est l’une des priorités de la politique étrangère de Pretoria. Cet article tente de comprendre la structure de cette action diplomatique, la nature des conflits où elle est mise en œuvre, ainsi que les opportunités, les défis et les contraintes auxquels elle doit faire face. L’Afrique du Sud a appris que résoudre un conflit en Afrique est un art du possible, où il faut être conscient de ses propres capacités et de ses ressources, et mesurer coûts et bénéfices en fonction de son intérêt national.Africa continues to be the site of intractable and enduring conflicts and bringing these to an end is critical to the continent’s prospects for peace, stability and development. South Africa’s peace diplomacy, its initiatives and approaches to conflict intervention in Africa recognises this as an important element of its foreign policy. This paper is an attempt to understand the parameters of South Africa’s peace diplomacy, the nature of the conflicts in which it is engaged, and the opportunities, challenges and constraints that come with this engagement. South Africa has learnt hard lessons, particularly that resolving conflict in Africa is very much an art of the possible, where it has to be mindful of its own capacity and resource limitations and of the calculation of costs and benefits which either retard or advance its own national interests

The Middle East, North Africa and the 'Arab Spring' - towards revolutionary change or authoritarian adaptation?

Events surrounding the 'Arab Spring' have been subject to interpretive debates, particularly about their revolutionary potential. However, there are deeply embedded structural and behavioural characteristics in Arab states and societies which could obstruct any momentum that would result in fundamental and enduring change. Of particular interest is how these events can be informed by the state of the literature on transitions and impediments to democracy. As such, this article provides an empirical, conceptual and theoretical prism through which the changing landscape of the Middle East and North Africa can be viewed and understood. It considers those factors that militate against revolutionary change and this, in turn, invites a reflection on the relevant conceptual and theoretical concerns that underpin democratic transitions and the challenges that arise from these, especially the practice of patrimonialism. The empirical core of the article focuses on the resilience of authoritarianism and highlights problematic themes which persist in defining the reproduction and upgrading of authoritarian tendencies across the Arab world.http://www.ai.org.za/africa_insight.aspam2013gv201

Ubuntu as foreign policy : the ambiguities of South Africa’s global identity

Abstract: My main concern is based on the extent to which South Africa can and will continue playing an influential and consequential role on the global stage that is normatively defined and morally driven

Critical themes in South Africa's foreign policy

This article represents a synthetic overview of the key themes which have animated scholarly research in South Africa's foreign policy over the last two decades. These themes will be addressed and are situated against the broad contextual background of important philosophical challenges, transitional developments, and managerial dilemmas during the formative presidential periods of Mandela and Mbeki. This context provides the analytical parameters for the focus on six themes which arguably shape debates and thinking about the conduct of South Africa's foreign policy, namely: the institutional dynamics at the level of the state; the multilateral and global agenda; trade and economic diplomacy; the peace, security, and mediation dimension; the donor and development assistance role; and the scourge of xenophobia. These themes will continue to exercise a profound influence on the collective endeavour of South Africa's foreign policy community to sustain its standing as a middle-power with soft power assets that is able to shapeAfrican and global agendas. Arising from these thematic considerations, some concluding thoughts highlight on-going normative, substantive, and policy challenges for the Zuma administration.http://www.up.ac.za/en/political-sciences/article/19718/strategic-review-for-southern-africa/am201

The role of China in Africa’s industrialization : the challenge of building global value chains

The economies of Africa require urgent structural transformation and the great challenge is how industrial development can aid this transformation process. China’s ability to sustain high productivity growth was underpinned by resource allocation from low-to-high productive sectors and this was the essence of its own modernization processes. Most African countries remain highly reliant on commodity exports in a depressed global environment, exacerbated by declining demand from China as the continent’s major trading partner. This article examines the dilemmas of Africa’s reliance on commodity exports but, equally importantly, it seeks to investigate how China, based on its own experience, could contribute to assisting African countries to move up value chains via the imperative of a concerted industrialization endeavour and the commitments China has made in this regard. This article suggests an incremental approach that emphasizes the importance of institution building as the optimal route for promoting Africa’s development on a sustained basis.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjcc202019-04-28hj2017Political Science

Democracy and civil society in Africa : prospects, issues and challenges

Resumen: For the last eight years, Africa has been involved in what many observers believe is a veritable “democratic revolution”. Throughout the continent, authoritarian regimes have recently crumbled or felt the pressures to liberalise their polities as well as their economies. The demise of authoritarianism has been accompanied by a vocal popular repudiation of personal rule, elitist domination, ethnic entrepreneurship and official corruption. These shifts in Africa’s political landscape raise fundamental challenges for its political development. The era of political liberalisation, constitutional change and shifts to competitive electoral regimes do certainly not guarantee nor ensure transition to sustainable democratic rule in Africa

The Middle East, North Africa and the ‘Arab Spring’

Events surrounding the ‘Arab Spring’ have been subject to interpretive debates, particularly about their revolutionary potential. However, there are deeply embedded structural and behavioural characteristics in Arab states and societies which could obstruct any momentum that would result in fundamental and enduring change. Of particular interest is how these events can be informed by the state of the literature on transitions and impediments to democracy. As such, this article provides an empirical, conceptual and theoretical prism through which the changing landscape of the Middle East and North Africa can be viewed and understood. It considers those factors that militate against revolutionary change and this, in turn, invites a reflection on the relevant conceptual and theoretical concerns that underpin democratic transitions and the challenges that arise from these, especially the practice of patrimonialism. The empirical core of the article focuses on the resilience of authoritarianism and highlights problematic themes which persist in defining the reproduction and upgrading of authoritarian tendencies across the Arab world.Africa Insight Vol 43(1) – June 201