South Africa as a Middle Power at the WTO Brokering African Interests?

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dc.contributor.advisorLeysens, A. J.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorLotze, Walteren_ZA
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.
dc.date.accessioned2008-06-24T09:57:52Zen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2010-06-01T08:58:29Z
dc.date.available2008-06-24T09:57:52Zen_ZA
dc.date.available2010-06-01T08:58:29Z
dc.date.issued2007-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MA (Political Science. International Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.
dc.description.abstractPost-apartheid foreign policy has witnessed a fundamental shift in South African foreign policy objectives and strategies as the country has aimed to move from a pariah to a participant in the international community. Since 1994, South Africa has become an active player in the international system and has assumed an increasingly active role in international organisations. One distinct strand of South African foreign policy which has emerged is a commitment to the use and support of multilateralism. Yet, as the country has become increasingly active in multilateral fora, so too, it is argued, has it been torn between the promotion of its own interests and those of its African peers. At times South Africa is seen to vociferously champion African interests, and at others to sideline the interests of its African partners and the notion of the African Renaissance, in favour of its own interests. Yet, whilst inconsistencies in South African multilateral foreign policy exist, this study argues that overall, South Africa has actively and consciously attempted to establish itself as an African middle power within the international system, and to create a distinct niche for itself as “the voice of Africa” in multilateral fora. Employing a Middle Power approach and utilising the concept of niche-building diplomacy this study investigates first, South Africa’s middle power niche in the international system at large, before, secondly, investigating South Africa’s role at the World Trade Organisation. The study concludes that, while South Africa has continually attempted to establish itself as “the voice of Africa” in a range of multilateral fora and has acted in a manner consistent with this stated objective, it has acted contrary to its established niche at the World Trade Organisation since joining this organisation in 1994. Indeed, this study finds that whereas in other multilateral fora South Africa has acted as the standard-bearer of African interests, in the World Trade Organisation it has acted contrary to African interests time and again. The findings indicate that the Middle Power concept in international relations itself needs to be revisited, that South Africa’s role as a middle power in the international system requires greater investigation, and that further research is required on the roles played by other middle powers at the World Trade Organisation.en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2795
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
dc.rights.holderUniversity of Stellenbosch
dc.subjectSouth Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectMiddle poweren_ZA
dc.subjectWorld trade organisationen_ZA
dc.subjectNiche-buildingen_ZA
dc.subjectTheses -- Political scienceen_ZA
dc.subjectDissertations -- Political scienceen_ZA
dc.subject.corpWorld Trade Organizationen_ZA
dc.subject.geogSouth Africa -- Foreign relations -- 1994-en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshInternational tradeen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshMiddle powersen_ZA
dc.subject.otherPolitical scienceen_ZA
dc.titleSouth Africa as a Middle Power at the WTO Brokering African Interests?en_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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