When foreign becomes domestic

The author has taken a historical approach to the study of South African foreign policy, drawing on his experience at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). In his considered opinion, the scholarly literature on South African foreign policy treats the country as a unitary actor in the international system, and relies on historical periodisation organised around leaders and or presidents resulting in a narrative that presents the era of Nelson Mandela as the "human rights" period in South Africa's foreign policy. Thabo Mbeki's years are branded the golden age, while Jacob Zuma's time is characterised as the period of decline. In writing this book, the author opts for a different approach and argues that South Africa's foreign policy rests on three inter-linked pillars - National Interests, Pan Africanism and Internationalism. He discusses each of the three pillars in detail and conditions under which foreign policy can become a domestic issue. This book creates a bridge between the theory and praxis of international relations and is therefore, a particularly useful resource for practitioners and students of foreign policy.