1

MODULE 4: TOPIC 2
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Introduction
International relations: These are official contacts or interactions between countries.
International relations can also be between a country and an international organisation
(e.g. Botswana and European Union) or between two international organisations (e.g.
SADC and SACU.
Foreign policy: This is the picture through which a country wants to be known by
other countries.
Diplomacy: Skillful and tactful management of international relations.
Sanctions: Laws that officially stop countries from cooperating or assisting a country
violating international laws.
Bilateral relations: Official relationships between two countries or organisations.
Multi-lateral relations: Official relationships between more than two countries or
international organisations.

Importance of International Relations

Enhance mutual understanding and peace between countries: Countries
that have good international relations are unlikely to go to war. Disputes
between such countries are always solved through diplomacy.

Promotes assistance between countries: International relations can make
countries work together and help each other in times of troubles e.g. Botswana
helping Mozambique during the 2001 floods.

Protection of national interests: Countries deal with each other in order to
protect their national interests which are known to other countries through
diplomacy.

Promotes trade: Countries that are in good terms often have some trade
agreements e.g. free movement of goods for SACU member-states within any
member country.

Cultural enrichment: Countries also help each other in exchanging important
cultural aspects such as technology. Sharing technology and expertise helps to
promote development between developed and developing countries.

Exchange of skilled personnel: Countries having good relations often
exchange skilled personnel to promote development of various sectors. Rich
countries often offer scholarships to students in developing countries and this
helps to develop the manpower of developing and undeveloped countries.

Principles that guide Botswana’s foreign policy

Foreign policy is important as it determines how a country interacts with other
countries and international organisations. Botswana wants to be known as a
democratic and peaceful country. In her international relations Botswana is guided by
the following principles:

Protection of national interest (consideration of Botswana first): The main
aim of Botswana’s foreign policy is to protect and promote her national
interest before the outside world i.e. Botswana tries to satisfy the needs and
wants of Batswana before any other people.

Good neighbourliness: Botswana tries to be a good neighbour because she
believes in peace. Botswana maintains friendly relations with other countries,
 2

helping others in times of disasters such as floods and resolving conflicts

peacefully.

Respect for International Law: Botswana is a democratic country that
believes in the rule of law. Botswana respects international law that is mainly
concerned with the legal rights and duties of independent countries. Through
bilateral and multilateral agreements countries accept general principles that
guide relations with others.

Respect for human rights: Botswana has signed the UN’s Charter on
Human Rights and condemns any violations of these rights. When dealing
with citizens of other countries Botswana respects their human rights. She also
expects other countries to respect the rights of Batswana living or traveling
within the borders of other countries.

Non-Interference: Botswana respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity
other countries i.e. Botswana does not get involved in the affairs of other
countries and would not command another country on how to manage its
resources or what type of government it should have in place.

Respect for territorial integrity: Botswana has vowed to respect the
boundaries of other countries and would not invade another country or allow
any country to claim any land that belongs to her without any agreement.

Non-alignment: Botswana as an independent nation does not want to be
aligned or seen as supporting a certain country or group of countries which
will in turn divide the world into different factions. Whenever there is a
dispute between two countries, instead of supporting one of the groups
Botswana would rather be neutral and support neither of the countries.

The Role of Botswana in International Relations (at regional, continental and

international level).
Regional level

Through membership of regional organisations such as SADC and SACU
Botswana has contributed a lot to the development of the Southern African
region. Botswana’s sector responsibility in SADC is agricultural research,
livestock production and animal disease control. The headquarters of SADC
are in Gaborone, Botswana.

It facilitated peace keeping missions in the region, for example in
Mozambique (1992) and Lesotho (1998).

Botswana is one of those countries that criticised South Africa’s apartheid
policies that denied the majority of its citizens human rights and freedoms.
She is also vocal in condemning those leaders who abuse the rights of people.

Botswana government gave political asylum to citizens of South Africa,
Zimbabwe and Namibia during the struggle for liberation in those countries in
the 1980s.

Botswana also sends election observers to neighbouring countries whenever
elections are conducted, for example, Botswana sent election observers to
Zimbabwe in June 2008 and South Africa in April 2009.

Continental level

Botswana became a member of African Union (AU) in 1966. To show her
commitment to AU Botswana pays her membership and attends AU meetings.
Botswana supported AU’s disapproval of white minority rule, apartheid and
colonial rule.
 3

Botswana also took part in various peacekeeping missions carried out under
the auspices of the AU in Somalia and Sudan. Botswana’s former president
Dr. Q.K.J. Masire was tasked with facilitating peace in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.

Botswana has also allowed its military facilities and territory to be used for
training by the military personnel from other countries in Africa and abroad
e.g. during Operation Thokgamo in 2005 and Operation Matsubutsubu in
2007.

Botswana has criticised those countries or leaders who abuse rights of their
citizens.
International level

Botswana is a member of UN and fully supports and abides by the laws and
regulations of this organisation. To show her commitment to the UN,
Botswana allows many UN agencies such as UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and
WHO to work in Botswana

Botswana participated in UN peace-keeping missions such Mozambique and
Somalia in 1992 and 1993 respectively.

Through the UN Botswana also condemns acts of terrorism, abuse of human
rights and invasion of smaller states by powerful ones e.g. Iraq’s invasion of
Kuwait in 1990 and September 11 attacks on New York in 2001 by Al Qaeda
terrorists.

Botswana has also served in a number of United Nations bodies, including
among others, Commission on Population and Development and UN Human
Rights Commission.

Botswana has also contributed to global health in the form of services
provided by Batswana who were employed by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) and other UN agencies.
How Botswana benefits from international relations at regional, continental and
international level.
Regional level:

Trade: Through membership of SACU Botswana’s imports move free of
charge in other SACU member states i.e. Botswana does not pay any tariffs
when her goods pass through other countries which are members of SACU.

Acquisition of skilled personnel: Botswana also gets some technically skilled
people such as doctors, engineers, architects from other countries in region.
This helps to address the problem of shortage of skilled manpower especially
in science related jobs

Investment: Some foreign companies from the region especially South Africa
have opened up businesses in Botswana thereby creating jobs for Botswana
e.g. Pick and Pay, Group Five, Total, Multichoice etc.

Cultural exchange: People from neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe,
Zambia and South Africa often bring their cultural groups to come and
perform in Botswana. Likewise, Botswana’s cultural groups also perform in
other countries and this resulst in exchange of culture.

Political cooperation: Countries are involved in international relations in
order to work together or help each other politically. In this way they
exchange political ideas and experiences thus helping each other to achieve
good governance e.g. when a head of state of a certain country visits another
country both the leaders share their politically experiences and ideas.
Continental level:
 4

Investment by companies from other countries outside the SADC region:

These companies create employment and generate government revenue
through taxation.

Cultural exchange: Cultural visits by people from African states facilitate
exchange of culture. Batswana also go to other countries to learn their
cultures.

Acquisition of skilled manpower from beyond the SADC region: Botswana
acquires skilled labour especially from English speaking countries such as
Ghana and Nigeria.

Loans and grants: Botswana gets loans from other African countries and
continental organisations such as AU’s African Development Bank. These
loans and grants are used for development of the country.

Material aid during natural disasters: Some countries that have good
international relations with Botswana often offer aid when the country is
affected by disasters such as drought and floods. Aid can be in the form of
food, medicine and other commodities.

International level

Investment by Multi-National Companies (MNCs): Botswana has managed
to attract many companies from outside Africa such as Orange, Coca Cola,
Shell and Samsung. These companies create employment, pay tax, educate
locals and can also sponsor sporting activities.

Acquisition of skilled manpower and technology: Some medical personnel
from Europe and Asia are also employed in Botswana hospitals. This technical
staff helps Botswana to improve her economy because they bring technology,
skills and knowledge which benefit our country in a huge way.

Market: Through her relations with many countries and international
organisations Botswana has managed to find a reliable market for her exports
e.g. Botswana’s diamonds and beef are mostly sold to European countries
through the European Union.

Foreign Aid: Botswana is able to acquire financial and material help from
developed countries like USA, China, Sweden and Britain e.g. In 2005 China
and Botswana signed an agreement in which China would provide 41 medical
staff, an interest free loan of P21 million.

Cultural exchange: She usually cooperates culturally with far countries such
as India and China by having some cultural exchange programmes whereby
cultural groups from each of these countries engage in visits to showcase their
unique cultures.

Challenges faced by Botswana in International relations.

Relationship with oppressive and undemocratic governments: Some
countries that have international relations with Botswana are often
characterised by autocratic and undemocratic regimes. Botswana is against
such practices but she cannot physically interfere with activities of such
governments because she respects their sovereignty and her own principles of
non-interference and good neighbourliness.

Economic instability in the region: Botswana has official relations with
some economically disadvantaged countries especially in the SADC region.
Botswana is often obliged to assist such countries in times of economic and
 5

social difficulties. This puts a strain on government revenue which could be

used to develop other economic sectors locally.

Illegal immigrants: Political instability and the downfall of the economies of
countries such as Zimbabwe expose Botswana to a number of problems. Many
illegal Zimbabwean immigrants have f1ocked into Botswana to avoid the
hostile situation in their country. These illegal Zimbabweans are associated
with many criminal activities and anti-social behaviour such as prostitution.

Spread of diseases: Due to cross-border movements and interaction of
Batswana with people from other countries contagious diseases can be brought
into the country. Diseases such as AIDS, SARS and H1N1 have been brought
into the country due to international migration.

Brain-drain: Botswana often loses skilled personnel to developed countries
such as Britain and USA. This disrupts the country’s budget as more people
have to be educated to replace those who migrated for greener pastures e.g.
during the late 90s many nurses left the country to go and work in Britain.
Some Batswana students studying abroad never come back after completing
their studies.

“Big brother attitude”: Some economically strong countries like USA and
Britain often use poorer countries like Botswana to satisfy their political goals.
Such countries often want support from developing countries whenever they
want to pursue some controversial tasks.

Interference by rich countries or international organisations in
Botswana’s internal affairs: Botswana’s sovereignty is often disturbed by
international oganisations’ involvement in the running of the country
especially human rights organisations like Amnesty and Survival International
e.g. in 2006 Survival International successfully advocated for Basarwa not to
be removed from the CKGR.

Geographical location: Since Botswana is landlocked and far from countries
in the West, Europe, Asia and America, it is difficult to deal with or associate
with those countries. It is also expensive for Botswana to transport its imports
and exports to and from those countries.

Competition for markets: If Botswana is producing and selling similar
products with other countries there is likely to be a stiff competition resulting
from the prices and quality of products. This will lead to reduced market for
Botswana’s products as traders will go for the cheapest goods.

Fluctuation of prices in world markets: There are some important products
like food and fuel whose prices keep on going up and down and Botswana
does not have control over their prices. This usually makes it difficult for
Botswana to cope with increasing prices.

Unfair trade relations: Developed countries tend to swing trade relations in
their favour. They usually determine the prices of products in world markets
looking at their own economic status but not that of the producer. This
situation has adversely affected the economy of Botswana as the prices of
diamonds and other minerals are not determined by Botswana but by a Central
Selling Office in Britain.
Different efforts made in promoting international relations

Diplomatic relations: Countries that have good diplomatic relations are
unlikely to go to war as issues between them are always resolved by the use of
diplomacy rather than military action.
 6

Cultural exchange programmes: They enhance mutual understanding

between countries. As people of different cultures interact with each other they
share certain cultural experiences which promote better understanding of each
other and hence peaceful relations.

Peace keeping operations: Through the UN and other international
organisations military personnel are often sent to countries that are affected by
wars and other forms of instability. The UN has successfully carried out many
peace-keeping operations in many countries throughout the world.

Membership of international organisations: Through bilateral and
multilateral relations countries often discuss issues of concern and take
appropriate decisions based on consensus. This prevents unnecessary conflicts
between nations.

Acquisition of loans and grants from developed countries: This promotes
respect and friendly relations between the rich and poorer countries.

Non-interference with the internal affairs of other countries: Respecting
the sovereignty of other countries can prevent political confrontations between
countries that may result in unnecessary exchange of fire.

Economic and social sanctions: Countries are often prevented from trading
with others as a punishment for wrongdoings. Sanctions are meant to put
pressure on countries so that they operate in a manner that is acceptable.
Sanctions are commonly imposed on those countries that abuse human rights,
violate international agreements and the rights of other states.

Mediation and Arbitration: The International Court of Justice attends to
disputes between countries and passes judgement based on international law.
The ICJ also has the power to prosecute those individuals, leaders or groups
who abuse their powers by terrorising people, violating their rights and often
killing innocent people. It has taken to task many leaders who abused people’s
rights like Saddam Hussein (Iraq), Slobodan Milosevic (Yugoslavia) and
Charles Taylor (Liberia).

The Role of International Organisations in conflict resolution

a. The United Nations (UN)
This organisation was formed in 1945 and its headquarters are in New York, USA.
The UN aims to promote world peace and security. One of the major roles of the UN
is peacekeeping; the UN has carried out a number of military assignments to bring
peace in war torn countries such as Somalia and Mozambique. It has a number of
agencies that try to carryout its aims:

• Security Council
Through the Security Council the UN ensures that countries do not make weapons of
mass destruction as this threatens world peace. It attempts to solve dispute using three
dimensions;
-Diplomacy: This involves the use of dialogue or negotiations to solve disputes.
-Economic sanctions: When dialogue or diplomacy fails the Security Council uses
economic sanctions in which the UN members are encouraged not to have economic
dealings with a group or country which has been sanctioned.
-Military Interventions: When other means of resolving conflicts have failed UN
Security Council decides to send its troops to resolve the conflicts.
 7

• International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations comprising 15 judges
who are each elected to a nine-year term of office and may be re-elected. Its
headquarters are in Hague, Netherlands. This UN agency solves disputes or conflicts
through investigations, trials and giving the final verdict or judgement which
members have to adhere to.
The court has powers to settle disputes over territorial matters, airspace and territorial
sovereignty e.g. it mediated between Botswana and Namibia over the ownership of
Sedudu Island and ruled in favour of Botswana. Certain international organisations
and agencies are also entitled to call upon it for advisory opinions.

b. African Union (AU)

The AU ensures that countries in Africa coexist peacefully and that Africa as a whole
is independent. The organisation also gives African countries the opportunity to come
up with collective strategies or plans around economic and political issues. The AU
has undertaken several peacekeeping missions, helped political refugees and
condemned oppressions and violations of human rights. The AU has worked hard to
bring about tolerance, cooperation and unity among African states. The AU has made
some gains in a number of areas:

Successfully supported the liberation of countries such as Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, Angola and Guinea Bissau.

Settled boundary disputes between Ethiopia and Somalia, Guinea and Senegal,
Kenya and Somalia.

Resolved political crises caused by disputed presidential elections in Kenya in
2007.

c. Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

The purpose of NAM is to stand for peace in the world. It opposes any interference in
the affairs of Third World countries by the big powers. Member states of NAM will
always remain neutral in any political factions. NAM encourages member states to
protect their sovereignty by opposing interference into the affairs of member states
especially by big powers. It has fought against apartheid and for the liberation of
countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Angola.