South Africa’s Parliamentary Diplomacy and the 'African Agenda' (original) (raw)

Parliamentary Diplomacy in Europe and Global Governance. S. Stavridis and D. Jancic (eds). Brill/Nijhoff , 2017

Abstract

Following South Africa’s negotiated transition, the new democratic parliament found itself largely relegated to the periphery when it came to the country’s international relations. With a growing scope for non-state and sub-national actors to play a role in South Africa’s international relations, parliament too has sought to define its international agency. This has seen the development of a parliamentary international relations programme of action aimed at developing and strengthening partnerships in Africa, advancing multilateralism and bilateralism through friendship societies and strategic groups, and providing for public input into South Africa’s international relations. This chapter examines South Africa’s parliamentary diplomacy with a focus on its contribution to promoting the 'African Agenda' as defined by Pretoria. It argues that there remains a shortfall when it comes to the strategic value of parliamentary diplomacy, which in turn impacts on its efficacy in practice, particularly when it comes to promoting South Africa’s foreign policy priorities, interests and values.

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