The Re-examination of South Africa’s National Interests in a Post-International and Heterarchy Era

Abstract

This study assesses South Africa’s national interests and argues that they ought to be revised in light of the current international order, in which myriad non-state actors, ideologies, wars, the emergence of innovative technologies, and environmental threats challenge centralized state power. The study recognizes that postinternational theory departs from state-centric theory. Mathebula (2024) explains postinternationalism as a new world order encompassing a conglomerate of nonstate actors, including multinational corporations, civil society entities, technology behemoths, international normative systems, and global trends and influences. Mathebula (2024)’s definition is derived from the writings of James N. Rosenau, regarded as an architect of postinternationalism. James N Rosenau explains that the global system has become turbulent due to extensive change, making it difficult to understand global life solely from an “international politics” perspective, as much of politics extends beyond national boundaries and state-to-state relations. A central definition of heterarchy is central to the construction of this body of literature, its central tenets and thesis. Belmonte and Cerny (2019) define heterarchy as an organizational system in which elements are not fixed in a single chain of command but can be positioned in multiple ways depending on context.