South Africa Under Globalisation: Issues in Foreign Policies and Development
Economically, South Africa has chosen for close cooperation with developed countries, who are the leading players in the world economy, and a number of whom who had been allies of the former apartheid regime. In openly opting for a market led economy, South Africa has pursued a path contrary to the vision enshrined in the Freedom Charter, and which is strongly propagated within the trade unions.While its strong economy and fiscal discipline have enabled South Africa to deliver significant services and grants to those who had not had them under apartheid, the country is still haunted by the worst inequality ratios on the planet, and by serious skills shortages.
The attempt to steer a path and to find an appropriate location between more broadly international and more regional African and southern African concerns, is also at the heart of South African foreign policy.n the African context, with the development imperative driving both domestic as well as foreign policy, new potential foreign investors in Africa, such as China and India have become a significant focus of foreign policy. This makes for a more diverse and multicentric distribution of power within the global political-ideological economy, leading to possible new alliances, and to the need to scrutinise the changing role in the global (and African) context of groupings that involve such investor countries - such as the G20, the Non-Aligned Movement, IBSA, etc.
The proposed seminar seeks to address the issues related to foreign policy and development in South Africa under globalisation. The seminar will address the following sub-themes, but will allow for papers that do not fall strictly under these topics.
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South Africa: External Engagement under Globalization
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Post Apartheid South Africa: Issues of Development and Equity
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Democratic South Africa: Issues of Governance and Empowerment
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South Africa: Security Issues under Globalization
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South Africa: Issues of Identity, Culture and Diaspora
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