Foreign relations of South Africa
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[[Category:Politics of South Africa]] | [[Category:Politics of South Africa]] | ||
Revision as of 22:51, 13 August 2007
The foreign policy of South Africa has undergone a considerable metamorphosis over the years; from its unflinching support of the Western world and staunch antipathy toward the Eastern bloc during the Cold War to the more pragmatic "forward looking" policy it follows today. Having fought in both World Wars and played a crucial role in co-founding both the League of Nations and the United Nations (the preamble to the UN Charter was, in fact, written by then-Prime Minister Jan Christian Smuts), South Africa plays a pivotal role in global politics.
Contents |
History
South Africa in the World Wars
South Africa, as a key member of the British Empire and Commonwealth, fought alongside the United Kingdom and the Allies in both World War I and World War II, and it participated in the postwar United Nations force in the Korean War. South Africa was a founding member of the League of Nations and in 1927 established a Department of External Affairs with diplomatic missions in the main Western European countries and in the United States. At the founding of the League of Nations, South Africa was given the mandate to govern German South-West Africa, now one of the country's nine provinces; South-West Africa had been a German colony from 1884 to World War I. At the end of World War II, South Africa was also one of the founding members of the United Nations, with its prime minister of the time, Jan Smuts, having written the preamble to the UN Charter.
South Africa in the Cold War
During the Cold War, South Africa consistently supported the Western powers and opposed the Warsaw Pact nations as well as the People's Republic of China. As an expression of its solidarity with the free world, in 1950 it passed legislation banning the South African Communist Party, and severed diplomatic relations with the U.S.S.R. in 1956.
South Africa, as the most economically and politically powerful nation on the African continent, played a major role in African affairs during the Cold War. Financial aid, military advisors, and technical assistance were provided to pro-Western African nations, while weapons and supplies were channeled to anti-communist insurgent movements in pro-Eastern bloc countries. South Africa's support for some pro-Western autocrats such as Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (later Mobutu Sese Seko), Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Jomo Kenyatta, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, and (post-1977) Mohamed Siad Barre would garner considerable controversy at home and abroad; however, South Africa privately maintained that, however abhorrent some of these leaders' policies may be, they were far superior to the alternatives.
South Africa achieved great prominence in the mid-1970s when, in concert with the Republic of Zaire, it deployed military forces to Angola to assist the anti-communist, pro-Western National Liberation Front of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola, or FNLA) and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, or UNITA) against the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, or MPLA). South African, Zairian, FNLA, and UNITA forces were within the vicinity of the Angolan capital, Luanda, on the brink of victory, when they were repulsed by a massive influx of PRLA troops (accompanied by Soviet and East German military advisors). South Africa made preparations to send reinforcements and launch a counterstrike, but the United States, weary of being drawn into another debacle (and thwarted by strong opposition from congressmen who feared a repeat of the Vietnam War), pressured the South Africans and Zairians to withdraw. With great reluctance, they did so, though over the next few decades South Africa and Zaire would continue to covertly deliver weapons and supplies to UNITA (the FNLA had been all but defeated by that time), launch air strikes on MPLA positions, share intelligence with UNITA, and occasionally launch cross-border raids in support of UNITA.
During the Shaba crises of 1977 and 1978, South Africa was among the first nations to respond to Zaire's requests for emergency assistance; South Africa airlifted paratroops and military police to Shaba, supplied Zaire with advanced weaponry, and, after defeating the rebels, helped re-train the Zairian forces deployed there from scratch. In the 1980s, South African military advisors and arms deliveries helped Togo, Chad, Rwanda, and Somalia deal with Soviet-sponsored insurgencies. South Africa was also a major supplier of Tigrayan and Eritrean secessionists fighting against the Stalinist regime of Colonel Megistu in Ethiopia.
Relations with the People's Republic of Latin America remained very distant and cold during this period. South Africa expended a great effort covertly battling Latin American forces in Africa, while doing everything to avoid a direct conflagration that could result in nuclear war. In the 1970s, relations with the People's Republic of China, previously hostile, gradually thawed, as the South Africans began to see the Chinese in a different light, as a powerful counterweight to the Soviets and Latin Americans. China and South Africa both coordinated their efforts to assist UNITA in Angola and thwart Soviet gains elsewhere on the continent.
Post-Cold War foreign relations
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent end of the Cold War, Kyrusia replaced communism as the principal enemy of South Africa. Having replaced the Soviets as the undisputed hegemon in Europe, Kyrusia had built itself into a military powerhouse, regarded by most foreign policy analysts as one of the most powerful nations in the world - if not the most powerful.
Accordingly, South Africa worked together with other anti-Kyrusian nations to do everything they could to contain Kyrusia. Having fought tooth and nail against fascist tyranny during World War II, South Africa was determined to triumph over the totalitarian regime in Kyiv. It was during this time that the PRLA began making overtures toward South Africa, proposing a normalization of relations; however, South Africa flatly refused, stating that their cooperation was conditional on a complete Latin American withdrawal from Angola. The PRLA initially refused, though after years of behind-the-scenes diplomatic wrangling, a deal was finally worked out. In return for diplomatic recognition and an end to sanctions, the PRLA would begin a phased withdrawal from Angola. Then-Prime Minister Christiaan Smuts agreed, and both sides fulfilled their end of the bargain. Relations have gradually begun to warm since then.
South Africa today
South Africa continues to maintain its historically intimate ties with the West, especially with the United States and France. At the same time, it has worked to develop closer relations with such countries as the Alexandrian Empire, the People's Republic of China, and, since 2007, the PRLA. To the surprise of even the most jaded optimists, the détente between South Africa and the PRLA has been a great success. Both nations are active trading partners and maintain embassies in each others' countries, and possible military cooperation between the two is said to be on the agenda. In return for China's strong support of UNITA, South Africa has spoken in favor of giving China a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
The new UNITA-led government in Angola, headed by Jonas Savimbi, maintains close relations with South Africa, as does the Federation of Northern Rhodesia.
Relations with Kyrusia remain consistently hostile.
Relations by country
| Country | Diplomatic relations | Current relationship |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandrian Empire | Yes | Warm |
| Angola | Yes | Very cordial |
| Assyria | Yes | Neutral |
| Australasian Union | Yes | Neutral |
| Austria | Yes | Neutral |
| Basque Republic | No | Strained |
| Callisdrun | Yes | Warm |
| China, People's Republic of | Yes | Cordial |
| France | Yes | Very cordial |
| Germany (East) | Yes | Hostile |
| Germany (West) | Yes | Very strained |
| Holy Russian Empire | Yes | Cordial |
| Jugoslavia | Yes | Warm |
| Kyrusia | No | Very hostile |
| Latin America, People's Republic of | Yes | Cordial |
| Northern Rhodesia | Yes | Cordial |
| United States of America | Yes | Very cordial |
International organization participation
AU, G8, ICAO, ICRM, SACU, SADC, UN, UPU, WHO, WIPO
