Balancing Act: South Africa’s Foreign Policy, Peacebuilding and SDG 16 in an Era of Renewed Unilateralism
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8133-4659
Abstract
South Africa has established a post-apartheid foreign policy based on the principles of peace, justice, and inclusive governance, positioning itself as a supporter of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). However, renewed unilateralism in global politics, intensified by the return of a second Trump administration, is weakening multilateral institutions and placing greater pressure on middle powers to choose between normative commitments and strategic interests. This article examines how South Africa manages this dilemma by drawing on constructivism, middle power theory, and the English School to explain how identity, international norms, and strategic interests shape foreign policy behaviour. These insights inform a 2×2 scenario planning framework in which normative commitment and strategic interest alignment operate as independent variables and
the resulting scenario functions as the dependent variable. The framework is applied to three case studies: the 2014 Lesotho mediation, the 2013 Force Intervention Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa’s voting behaviour in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. The analysis finds that South Africa most often occupies the values-interests dilemma quadrant, where normative commitments are maintained rhetorically but weakened in practice by geopolitical and economic pressures. The article concludes that South Africa must recalibrate its diplomacy to remain strategically adaptive while preserving its credibility on SDG 16 in an increasingly divided international order.
References
Bain, W. (2013). Chapter 10: The Pluralist–Solidarist Debate in the English School. In Navari, C. and Green, D. eds., 2013. Guide to the English School in international studies. John
Wiley & Sons.
Bradfield, R., Wright, G., Burt, G., Cairns, G., & Van Der Heijden, K. (2005). The origins and evolution of scenario techniques in long range business planning. Futures, 37(8), 795-812.
Bull, H. (1977). Does order exist in world politics? In The Anarchical Society: A Study of Order in World Politics (pp. 22-50).
London: Macmillan Education UK.
Deleglise, D. (2023). “Conflict Mediation in Southern Africa and the Evolution of Institutionalised Mediation Support.” Mediating Peace in Africa: A study on the role of Mediation Support Units, 39.
Dent, K. (2022). ‘SA’s UN voting record set the stage for its position on Ukraine,’ University of Cape Town (UCT) News, March 7, Available at: https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-
-03-07-sas-un-voting-record-set-the-stage-for-its- position-on-ukraine.
Department of Foreign Affairs. (1996). Foreign Policy for South Africa: Discussion document. Available from: https://www.gov.za/ documents/foreign-policy-south-africa- discussion-document.
Department of International Relations & Cooperation (DIRCO), ‘Framework Document on SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONAL INTEREST and its advancement in a Global Environment’, (2023), https://dirco.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/
sa_national_interest.pdf, pp. 8.
Dlakavu, A. (2025). The Great Powers and the Survival of the Liberal International Order: Four scenarios. Cape Town: ITUTA Books.
Eduard, J. (2003). The Concept of a Middle Power in International Relations: Distinguishing between Emerging and Traditional Middle Powers. Politikon: South African Journal of
Political Studies, 30(1), 165-181.
Eduard, J. (2016). ‘South Africa’s Human Rights Voting Record in the United Nations,’ Shifting Power and Human Rights Diplomacy: South Africa, 25-32.
Efstathopoulos, C. (2015). Middle Power Diplomacy in International Relations. In Middle Powers in World Trade Diplomacy: India, South Africa and the Doha Development Agenda (pp. 15-42). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Gbaya, D.M. (2015). South Africa’s Foreign Policy Toward the DRC: From Non-intervention to Intervention 1998-2013 (Doctoral dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, International Relations).
Graham, S. (2016). “Yea or Nay? Democratic South Africa’s Voting Behaviour in an Intergovernmental Organisation.” The Journal of the Helen Suzman Foundation, 79:35-41.
Habib, A. (2025). ‘Where are We? South Africa and Africa’s Role in the Contemporary World,’ Witwatersrand University School of Governance, June 2. Available at:
https://www.wsg.ac.za/news/where-are-we-south-africa-and- africas-role-contemporary-world.
Inglis, J.L. (2009). Post Apartheid South Africa at the United Nations: Patterns and implications (Doctoral dissertation, Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch).
Jung, H. (2019). The evolution of social constructivism in political science: past to present. SAGE Open, 9: 1-10.
Karlsrud, J. (2018). Peace Operations in a New Era. Oslo: Palgrave Macmillan.
Landsberg, C. (2016). African solutions for African problems: quiet diplomacy and South Africa’s diplomatic strategy towards Zimbabwe.’ Journal for Contemporary History, 41 (1):126-148.
Mahmud, S.S. (2025). ‘Donald Trump’s 100 Days Foreign Policy: An Isolationist or Aggressive Unilateralist?’ Modern Diplomacy, May 6, 2025. Available at: https://moderndiplomacy. eu/2025/05/06/donald-trumps-100-days-foreign-policy-an- isolationist-or-aggressive-unilateralist/.
Mandela, N. (1993). South Africa’s future foreign policy. Foreign Affairs: 86-97.
Mathews, W. (2024). ‘Trump’s ‘America First’ foreign policy will accelerate China’s push for global leadership,’ Chatham House, November 14. Available at: https://www.chathamhouse. org/2024/11/trumps-america-first-foreign-policy-will- accelerate-chinas-push-global-leadership.
Mlambo, N.D. and Adetiba, T. (2017). Post-1994 South Africa’s peacekeeping and military intervention in Southern Africa. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(1), 1–8.
Mutisi, M. (2016). SADC Interventions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Conflict trends, 2016(3), 27-35.
Nantulya P. (2015). ‘Burundi: Why the Arusha accords are central,’ Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, 5. https://africacenter.org/ spotlight/burundi-why-the-arusha-accords-are-central/.
Nyuykonge, C. and Zondi, S. (2017). South African peacebuilding approaches: Evolution and lessons. Rising Powers and Peacebuilding: Breaking the Mold? (2017): 107-125.
Otavio, A. (2021). THE RAMAPHOSA ADMINISTRATION AND THE RETURN TO SOUTH AFRICA’S PROTAGONISM: TRENDS AND CHALLENGES TO FOREIGN POLICY. Brazilian
Journal of African Studies/Revista Brasileira de Estudos Africanos, 6(11): 87-107.
Sanderson, S. (2025). ‘DRC crisis: What does it mean for South Africa?’ DW, April 2, Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/ what-does-the-drc-crisis-mean-for-south-africas-regional- influence/a-71494418.
Schoemaker, P. J. (1995). Scenario planning: a tool for strategic thinking. MIT Sloan Management Review.
South African Government. (2014a). ‘Communique of the Double Troika Summit of Heads of State and Government plus the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Republic
of Tanzania, Pretoria, South Africa’, September 15, 2014,
https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/communique- double-troika-summit-heads-state-and-government-plus- democratic.
South African Government. (2014b). ‘SADC Facilitator Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives in Lesotho’, October 20, 2014, https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/sadc- facilitator-deputy-president-cyril-ramaphosa-arrives-lesotho- 20-oct-2014.
South African Government News Agency. (2022). ‘SA abstains on resolution to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council; April 8, 2022, https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-abstains- resolution-suspend-russia-human-rights-council.
South African Government News Agency. (2024). ‘President calls for a two-state solution to end Israel’s war on Gaza,’ February 8, 2024, https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/president- calls-two-state-solution-end-israels-war-gaza.
South African Government News Agency. (2025). ‘New chapter as SANDF withdraws from DRC’. May 4, Available at: https://www. sanews.gov.za/south-africa/new-chapter-sandf-withdraws-drc.
Stremlau, J. (2022). ‘African countries showed disunity in UN votes on Russia: South Africa’s role was pivotal,’ The Conversation, April 8, Available at: https://theconversation.com/african- countries-showed-disunity-in-un-votes-on-russia-south-africas- role-was-pivotal-180799.
Thabo Mbeki Foundation. (1998). The African Renaissance Statement of Deputy President, Thabo Mbeki. Available at: https://mbeki.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/
Speech_Department-Of-The-President-Of-South-Africa_SABC_ Gallagher-Estate_13-08-1998.pdf
Ubaydullaeva, D. (2025). ‘Trump’s worldview is causing a global shift of alliances – what does this mean for nations in
the middle?’ The Conversation, June 30, Available at: https:// theconversation.com/trumps-worldview-is-causing-a-global- shift-of-alliances-what-does-this-mean-for-nations-in-the- middle-257113.
United Nations (UN). (2015). Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Sustainable Development: The 17 Goals. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
United Nations Watch. (2018). ‘U.N. Voting Record of South Africa 2015-2018,’ February 27, https://unwatch.org/u-n-voting- record-south-africa-2015-2018/.
Wendt A. (1992). Anarchy is what states make of it: The social construction of power politics. International Organisation, 46, 391-425.
Wright, G., & Cairns, G. (2011). Scenario thinking. Practical approaches to the future. New York: Palmgrave.
Zondi, S. (2018). The African Union and the quest for peace. African Journal on Conflict Resolution, 18(1), 1–19.
Downloads
Article Metrics Graph
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.