What is South Africa’s foreign policy?

Max du Plessis and Christopher Gevers (the authors of a great new blog) are not impressed by South Africa’s recent foray on the issue of Kenya and the International Criminal Court: Critics of South Africa’s foreign policy were given further grist for their mill as news emerged from the recent AU Assembly (held in Addis ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Max du Plessis and Christopher Gevers (the authors of a great new blog) are not impressed by South Africa's recent foray on the issue of Kenya and the International Criminal Court:

Max du Plessis and Christopher Gevers (the authors of a great new blog) are not impressed by South Africa’s recent foray on the issue of Kenya and the International Criminal Court:

Critics of South Africa’s foreign policy were given further grist for their mill as news emerged from the recent AU Assembly (held in Addis Ababa from 30-31 January 2011) that the continent’s leaders, including those from South Africa, had agreed to transmit a request to the UN Security Council asking it to defer the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) proceedings in respect of Kenya. Not only does the decision undermine Pretoria’s claim to support the ICC, it also belies South Africa’s expressed commitment to a principled, rule-bound international order. The offer of support further weakens the integrity of South Africa`s ‘mission creep’ refrain with regard to its foreign policy and confirms the view that certain of South Africa’s questionable positions on the Security Council have been cloaked under a veil of ‘principle’. 

As has been noted here before, many of the emerging powers–including South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, and India–are on the Security Council this year and have an opportunity to amplify their voices on global issues. What they say, of course, may not always strengthen their case.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

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