Mbeki and Mandela's Foreign Policy
1. Introduction
South Africa’s foreign policy has seen a number of changes over the years through transitions and administration transformations. It is the task of this essay to compare the foreign policy of the Mandela Administration with that of the Thabo Mbeki administration. In so doing, this essay will firstly consider the Foreign Policy pillars of the Mandela administration and the influences for this foreign policy dispensation. This discussion will be followed by a case study of Mandela’s Foreign policy in action. A discussion on Thabo Mbeki’s Foreign Policy will then commence, again by first considering Thabo Mbeki’s Foreign Policy pillars, followed by the influence for this Foreign Policy dispensation. This evaluation will again be followed by a case study of Thabo Mbeki’s Foreign Policy in Action. Lastly a comparative summation of both foreign policies will be put forward. Preceding this analysis however is first a conceptualization of key terms.
2. Key Terms
2.1. Foreign Policy: is defined by Russet et al (266:1) is “a guide to actions taken beyond the boundaries of a state to further the goals of the state”. (Robert Jackson (200:223) further expands his notion by adding that “it is their (governments) attempts and efforts to influence the goals and activities of such actors (states, NGOs and international organizations), whom they cannot completely control because they exist and operate beyond their sovereignty”.
2.2 National Interest: according to Mingst (2011: 70) can be summarised simply as “the interest of the state, in realist thinking, the interest is a unitary one defined in terms power, in a liberal thinking, there are many national interests…”.
2.3 African Renaissance: Is simply defined by the Department of International relations and cooperation as “…a program of Africa’s Renewal.” (DFA Annual Report, 2002/2003: 83).
2.4 State Goals: Russette et al (2006: 135) defines state goals as “…a vision of a state of affairs that
South Africa’s foreign policy has seen a number of changes over the years through transitions and administration transformations. It is the task of this essay to compare the foreign policy of the Mandela Administration with that of the Thabo Mbeki administration. In so doing, this essay will firstly consider the Foreign Policy pillars of the Mandela administration and the influences for this foreign policy dispensation. This discussion will be followed by a case study of Mandela’s Foreign policy in action. A discussion on Thabo Mbeki’s Foreign Policy will then commence, again by first considering Thabo Mbeki’s Foreign Policy pillars, followed by the influence for this Foreign Policy dispensation. This evaluation will again be followed by a case study of Thabo Mbeki’s Foreign Policy in Action. Lastly a comparative summation of both foreign policies will be put forward. Preceding this analysis however is first a conceptualization of key terms.
2. Key Terms
2.1. Foreign Policy: is defined by Russet et al (266:1) is “a guide to actions taken beyond the boundaries of a state to further the goals of the state”. (Robert Jackson (200:223) further expands his notion by adding that “it is their (governments) attempts and efforts to influence the goals and activities of such actors (states, NGOs and international organizations), whom they cannot completely control because they exist and operate beyond their sovereignty”.
2.2 National Interest: according to Mingst (2011: 70) can be summarised simply as “the interest of the state, in realist thinking, the interest is a unitary one defined in terms power, in a liberal thinking, there are many national interests…”.
2.3 African Renaissance: Is simply defined by the Department of International relations and cooperation as “…a program of Africa’s Renewal.” (DFA Annual Report, 2002/2003: 83).
2.4 State Goals: Russette et al (2006: 135) defines state goals as “…a vision of a state of affairs that