south.africa.comment

South Africa’s regional engagement for peace and security1Elizabeth Sidiropoulos National Director of the South African Institute of International Aff airs (SAIIA) in Johannesburg IntroductionSince its return to the international fold in 1994, South Africa has not fl inched from active engagement, both within its own region and on the global stage. Its peaceful transition to a democratic, all-inclusive state, largely driven by domestic actors, which then grappled to reconcile itself with its divisive past, was an example worthy of applause and emulation elsewhere. Thus, South Africa entered the post-Cold War international landscape with high expectations from the international community about the role it would play, but also great enthusiasm about the role it could play. At the end of 1993, Nelson Mandela said that “human rights will 2be the light that guides our foreign policy”. At the same time, South Africa’s own negotiated transition was seen as a model that other countries could follow in seeking to end their own confl icts. Over the last 14 years, a tension between pragmatism and principles has been at the core of South Africa’s foreign policy. Many argue that South Africa’s promotion of human rights and democracy in its external engagement is motivated by its principles. The country can be regarded as increasingly driven by realpolitik considerations, however. Indeed, as the new South Africa has become more experienced in the ...