Select any country and discuss in detail how it applies FPA in the successful implementation

of its Foreign Policy.

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Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….1

History of South Africa…………………………………………………………………….2

Recalibrating South Africa’s Foreign Policy………………………………………………5

Strengthening African Cooperation and Regional integration…………………………….6

Consolidating global economic, political and social relations…………………………….7

Disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control…………………………………………8

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Introduction
According to Morgenthau 1948, Foreign Policy Analysis is a study that involves the process
of how individua states deal with their foreign policy in relation to other countries. In its
entirety, it draws upon the study of economic sanctions imposed on countries, diplomacy,
intergovernmental organizations and wars among nations. It can also be understood as a field
within the study of International relations which seeks to broaden the study of foreign policy
beyond the common knowledge of decision making. Therefore, this research aims at
analysing the foreign policy of the Republic of south Africa.
The essay will first seek to make a through understanding of South Africa’s history in pre and
post-apartheid, it will then outline the countries foreign policy, its approach to Foreign Policy
Analysis. Furthermore, it will explain the details of South Africa’s Internal Relations and the
three characteristics of complex inter-dependence. It will then conclude with a full analysis of
South Africa’s Foreign Policy in a Namibian context.
History of South Africa
South Africa has been for decades under great challenges of racial profiling and black
exclusion under the apartheid regime. Its most revered leader, Nelson Mandela was arrested
for 27 years alongside many of his fellow members of the movement and now ruling party,
The African National Congress.
In 1994, the country transitioned from an apartheid system to a majority rule state after the
election of 1994 which led to the African National Congress (ANC) being elected into office.
The ANC has since regained power over a period of 25 years by winning the subsequent
elections held within South Africa since 1994.
The 1994 election led to Nelson Mandela being sworn in as the first democratically elected
President of the Republic of South Africa. His government then stated a string of both
domestic and foreign policies such as the Recreation and Development programme (RDP) to
address the socio-economic consequences of apartheid.
After coming into office, the Mandela took a particular interest in helping to resolve the long-
running dispute between Gaddafi’s Libya, the United States and the United Kingdom. This
was over the trial of two Libyan who were indicted in November 1991 and accused of
bombing the Pan Am Flight 103. This subsequently broke apart and fell to and near the
Scottish Town of Lockerbie on 21 South Africa’s foreign policy outlook is based on its
commitment to the values and ideals of Pan-Africanism, solidarity with people of the
South and the need to cooperate with all peace-loving people across the globe in pursuit of
shared prosperity and a just, equitable and rules-based international order, (Kissinger 1994).

According The country’s diplomacy of Ubuntu continues to place cooperation with partners
as the thrust of its foreign policy endeavours above all forms of competition. South Africa
strives to address its domestic imperatives as enunciated in the NDP and national interest
while taking into cognisance the needs and aspirations of others.

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 The country’s diplomatic efforts over the past two decades include conflict resolution,
prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding (Geldenhuys, 1984).

 Africa embraces relevant national priorities by strengthening bilateral cooperation

with countries in Africa, particularly through focusing on increasing exports of South
African goods and services, FDI with technology transfers into value adding industries and
mineral beneficiation, and inbound tourism and the skills base. South Africa has foreign
representation in 47 diplomatic missions in Africa.

 Americas and  Caribbean embraces  relevant national priorities by strengthening

bilateral cooperation with countries in the Americas and Caribbean, particularly through 
focusing  on  increasing exports of South  African goods and   services, FDI with 
technology  transfers  into value   adding   industries  and   mineral   beneficiation, and
inbound  tourism  and  the  skills base. South Africa foreign representation in 16 diplomatic
missions in the Americas and Caribbean.

 Europe embraces relevant national priorities   by strengthening bilateral cooperation

with countries in Europe, particularly through focusing on increasing exports of South
African goods and services, FDI with technology transfers into value adding industries and
mineral beneficiation, and   inbound tourism and the skills base. South Africa has foreign
representation in 28 diplomatic missions in Europe.

Recalibrating South Africa’s foreign policy and services

South Africa’s foreign policy is formulated and executed in a global environment that is
constantly evolving.  It therefore requires frequent recalibration through comprehensive
reviews of various foreign policy levers, tools and instruments to remain relevant and in line
with the department’s mandate (Virk Kudrat, 2017).

To this end, in 2018/19, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation established
the Foreign Policy Review Panel and convened the inaugural Foreign Policy Review
Workshop to begin the process of reassessing South Africa’s foreign policy. The panel’s
work over the MTEF period was expected to provide strategic guidance and
recommendations on rationalising foreign missions.

Strengthening African cooperation and regional integration

According to Landsberg 2012, the integration of the Southern African Development remains
critical for the region’s economic development and for South Africa’s global
competitiveness. The revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2015-2020 and
the Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2063 are the key blueprints in place for this.

A renewed focus on industrialisation emerged from the 38th Ordinary Summit of SADC
Heads of State and Government, held in 2018, and will guide the department’s priorities in
leading the implementation and domestication of the region’s blueprints over the medium

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term. South Africa will continue to participate in the SADC double troika leadership
oversight structure, and monitor the implementation of SADC summit decisions and
resolutions in advancing political and economic integration. The department continues to play
an active role in African Union (AU) structures and processes for the advancement of peace
and security; and conflict prevention, resolution and management on the continent. This
includes the strengthening of mechanisms to consolidate peace and prevent post-conflict
countries, such as Libya and South Sudan, from backsliding into civil unrest.

Consolidating global economic, political and social relations

The DIRCO continues to focus on consolidating economic, political and social relations
through structured bilateral mechanisms and high-level engagements to promote national
priorities.

In 2018, (Bull et al 2018) stated that as the current chair of the Indian Ocean Rim
Association, South Africa will advocate for the restructuring of the  global political,
economic and financial architecture to be more balanced, representative, inclusive and
equitable; and ensure that the international system rests on the important pillars of
multilateralism and international law.

In 2019, South Africa assumed tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations
(UN) Security Council, and was expected to use this membership to promote international
peace and security through advocating for peaceful dispute resolution and inclusive dialogue;
and enhance cooperation and improve efficiency between the UN, the AU and other regional
and sub-regional organisations.

In support of South Africa’s economic growth, in 2019/20, the department was expected to
undertake 112 economic diplomacy initiatives on trade and investment, and 126 engagements
with chambers of commerce. It also planned to continue strengthening South Africa’s
bilateral relations, with a stronger emphasis on economic partnerships in line with economic
growth imperatives.

Developing and managing infrastructure projects and properties

Waltz 1994 outlines that the department has a property portfolio consisting of 163 state-
owned properties and about 1 000 rented properties. Over the medium term, the department
planned to focus on increasing maintenance of its current ageing state-owned properties as
well as renovations in Namibia, Eswatini, Brasilia and the Hague. In addition, feasibility
studies would be undertaken to prioritise new developments in areas where land is owned
such as in India, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and South Sudan.

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Disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control

A primary goal of South Africa’s policy on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control
includes reinforcing and promoting the country as a responsible producer, possessor and
trader of defence-related products and advanced technologies.

In this regard, the DIRCO continues to promote the benefits that disarmament, non-
proliferation and arms control hold for international peace and security. As a member of the
supplier’s regimes and of the Africa Group and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the
importance of non-proliferation is promoted, taking into account that export controls should
not become the means whereby developing countries are denied access to advanced
technologies required for their development.

On 25 February 2019, South Africa joined a growing number of states in submitting its
Instrument of Ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to
the UN in New York. The TPNW seeks to establish an international norm, delegitimising and
stigmatising the possession of nuclear weapons. It aims to contribute towards achieving the
objective set out in the very first resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in
1946 to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction.

It complements other international instruments by contributing towards fulfilling the nuclear

disarmament obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the objectives of
the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and the various nuclear-weapon-free-zone
treaties, such as the Pelindaba Treaty that already banned nuclear weapons in Africa.

December 1988, killing 270 people. As early as 1992, Mandela informally approached US
President Bush with a proposal to have the two indicted Libyans tried in a third country. Bush
reacted Favourably but the then British Prime Minister of Britain rejected it saying his
government did not full trust and confidence in the Foreign courts.
South Africa’s Foreign Policy
Characteristics of Foreign Policy Analysis
1. Bureaucratic Politics Model

Unlike the rational actor model, which looks at the state as a unitary actor, the bureaucratic
politics model analyzes decisions on the premise that actions are taken by a number of
independent, competing entities within a particular state. Each of these separate entities
brings values to the decision-making process, as well as its own view of what’s best for
personal, organizational and national interests. Each party attempts to satisfy its goals,
meaning any collective action is contingent upon successful negotiations and the arrival at an
ultimate consensus between all entities.

A number of factors can influence each party’s decision making and how it achieves its goals,
such as the relative power and degree of influence of each other actor in the group. Each

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party has opposing viewpoints and desired outcomes related to an array of issues, and success
in achieving certain goals may require other parties to make certain concessions, resulting in
decisions that are often seen as more beneficial to one side than the others. Additional factors
that impact decision making include the degrees of importance of certain goals and the
political values each party represents. The increasingly partisan nature of U.S. politics
provides an excellent example of this model in action.

The bureaucratic politics approach is often touted as an explanation as to why states

sometimes act irrationally. However, some argue the model doesn’t account enough for
highly concentrated power held by certain entities, such as the executive branch in U.S.
governance. It is also seen as very U.S.-centric and difficult to apply in the context of other
styles of government.

2. Organizational Process Model

In contrast to the two aforementioned approaches, the organizational process model views
government as a mix of powerful organizations working in concert rather than an individual
or a group of partisan entities. This model examines foreign policy decisions as made within
the rigid strictures of bureaucracy, where actions may only be taken with proper authorization
and adherence to the chain of command, respecting established processes and standard
operating procedures, or SOP. Here, government leaders don’t tackle the broader scope of a
crisis but instead delegate smaller facets of the issue to committees, departments and other
bureaucratic entities supporting the government.

Critics often bemoan the fact that this model limits individuals’ ability to act, which results in
reduced insight and a lack of alternative perspectives. The organizational process model can
also decrease the overall flexibility of an organization. However, applying this model has the
potential to streamline decision making with the establishment of standard protocol for
certain circumstances with predictable, measurable outcomes. In other words, the
organizational process model anticipates the measured pace of bureaucratic practices and
seeks to create protocol that can be readily applied in the event of a crisis.

3. Inter Branch Politics Model

The inter-branch politics model is similar to the organizational and bureaucratic process
models in that it involves separately defined groups or entities. However, rather than focusing
on singular goals and outcomes, the inter-branch politics model evaluates actions and their
outcomes based on the combined efforts and cohesiveness of different groups and their
progress toward achieving collective goals. According to Tan Qingshan, a political science
professor and Director of Asian Studies at Cleveland State University who first introduced
the model, the bureaucratic and organizational entities within and outside states do not
operate in complete independence, but rather interact and influence each other.

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Complex Interdependence

According to Geldenhuys 1994, complex interdependence and its relevance. The intention in
this section is to provide analysis of the key theoretical propositions of complex
interdependence, with a view to adapt them to local situations vis-a-vis issues of concern in
this article. Thus, underlying its basic assumption is the argument that climate change-
induced agro-water stresses in Lesotho and their possible interactions with situations in
South Africa
can be modelled as complex interdependence important enough to engender a form of
institutionalized bilateral cooperation involving the two states. As an important variant of
liberal perspectives, complex interdependence developed from a deliberate attempt to
challenge the theoretical inadequacy of classical realism. The realists’ view of international
system as ‘anarchical’ and therefore ‘self-help’, brought about the notion of complex
interdependence between and among states with its main focus on conditions of political
processes including issue-linkage, agenda and the role of international organizations as facilitators of
inter-state cooperation . It is important to note that inter-state relations take place at different levels –
bilateral and multilateral (including sub-regional, regional and global). “Complex interdependence
refers to a situation among a number of countries in which multiple channels of contact
connect societies (that is, states do not monopolize these contacts); there is no hierarchy of
issues; and military force is not used by governments towards one another”. Keohale and
Nye’s analysis reveals that complex interdependence is underpinned by three basic
assumptions:
(1) actors other than states constitute a critical element in shaping a state’s policy
instruments;
(2) state policy goals are not arranged in stable hierarchies, but are subject to trade-offs;
(3) military force is largely irrelevant.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to understand that Foreign Policy and International Diplomacy
play a key role in the success of every nation’s relationships with outside borders. In this
instance, South Africa has taken key stages to meet the demands of an ever changing
international system. This essay outlined in detail the steps South Africa has taken to meet its
goals and the experiences it has had along the way.

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References

Morgenthau H & Thompson K (1948). Politics Among Nations. Macmallian Publishers

Kissinger H (1994). Diplomacy. The Howard Publishers

Waltz (1995). Man, the State and War.

Bull H, Herbert B and Waltz (1999). The Theory of Internal Politics. OP Publications

Butterfield (1996). Diplomatic Investigations. Cambridge press

Butterfield (1993). The International thought of Herbert Butterfied. Macmillan Piblishers

Landsberg (2012). South African Foreign Policy Review. Macmillan.

Thakur V and Peter (2019). South Africa, Race and the Making of International Relations.
Pagasas Publications

Geldenhuys (1984). The Diplomacy of Isolation. Macmillan

Virk Kudrat (2017). Foreign Policy Post Apartheid South Africa; Security, Diplomacy and
Trade. Pagasus Publishers

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