No. 102: South Africa: A Hamstrung Regional Power

No. 102: South Africa: A Hamstrung Regional Power

Author(s): Daniel Trachsler
Editor(s): Daniel Trachsler
Series: CSS Analyses in Security Policy
Issue: 102
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich
Publication Year: 2011

On paper, South Africa meets all the criteria for taking on a regional hegemonial role in southern Africa: Economic power, political weight, military might, and moral authority. But because of an erratic foreign policy and a lack of regional acceptance, Pretoria is experiencing significant difficulties in playing the regional leadership role that the countries of the West expect of it and to which its own elites aspire. This contrasts with South Africa's selfconfident demeanour on the global stage.

Graphics:

Enlarged view:
Comparison of BRICS States (2010)
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