Failed foreign policy threatens prosperity

The government seems to be obsessed with an archaic Cold War ideology of East vs West. And while most South Africans ignore foreign policy in favour of more pressing, local issues – of which there are many – we cannot ignore the fact that we do live in an interconnected world.

Over the past two decades, South Africa has racked up a dismal foreign policy record: from propping up a genocidal dictatorship in Zimbabwe, to refusing to hold accountable a war criminal in Omar Al-Bashir.

Self-interest

Again and again, SA’s government seems to put its own self-interest and loyalty to warlords above its international obligations and human rights.

This track record has continued in South Africa’s cosying up to Russia and China, even as global tensions rise over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China becomes increasingly guilty of genocide against the Uyghur Muslims.

This year, despite professing “neutrality”, South Africa planned military exercises with Russia, the aggressor in an expansionist and bloody war against Ukraine since last year, and an imperialist threat against Ukraine since it escaped the Soviet Union in 1991.

No similar military, economic or diplomatic support has been offered to Ukraine to make such a move equal.

South Africa also has a dreadful voting record at the United Nations, always voting in favour of Russia or China – even if at the expense of human rights.

South Africa’s behaviour is so torrid that it has been identified by the US’ UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, as in the top 10 most anti-US nations in the world.

This declaration came before news of South Africa’s reluctance to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes.

This is in contravention to international agreements that SA signed as part of its membership of the f (ICC).

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Criticism

Some have criticised the ICC for hypocritically targeting non-Western leaders, as well as that the US is not a member.

But this is irrelevant. What should be relevant is that SA voluntarily joined the ICC. SA agreed to its rules. And now SA wants to contravene these rules to aid a war criminal.

The US may not be a member of the ICC, but it is watching SA. And it is judging SA’s behaviour and assessing if SA is truly worth maintaining as a trade partner.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) is up for renewal in 2025. The agreement has benefitted South Africa to the tune of billions of rands.

The trade balance is firmly in favour of South Africa, allowing it to sell its goods in a lucrative First World market.

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Job creation

The agreement has created countless jobs in automobiles and agriculture alone. This is not to mention the products that the US sells to SA – most notably, machinery and industrial equipment that SA needs to keep industry running.

On top of that, SA has tax agreements, financial transfers and mountains of treaties that are essential for doing business in this globalised world.

South Africa needs the US much more than it needs SA. Yet, the SA government continues to threaten and cajole the US.

It is caught in a Cold War mindset where the evil, imperialist US and the colonialist Europeans are threatening to colonise Africa. In actual fact, it is Russia dictating SA’s foreign policy and turning the government into a puppet-state.

And it is China that has dictated SA’s policies again and again in the past, such as when it forced South Africa to deny entry to the Dalai Lama in 2011 and 2014.

How was that not a violation of SA’s sovereignty? Idealogues will jump to accuse the ICC, that SA voluntarily joined, of violating SA’s rights, but ignore China’s dictates.

SA must not threaten its ties with the US and its allies. SA must not risk becoming a pariah state. South Africans deserve better than old-school Marxists dictating modern foreign policy.

And SA definitely deserves far more than becoming puppets of China and Russia when it could rather be prosperous and respected trade partners with the US and the West.

If the US cuts ties with South Africa, and even sanctions SA for its increasing aggression against it, jobs will be lost, supply chains will be cut, and SA will fall back further than it ever has before.

It is in South Africa’s interest, and all of our interests, to be friendly to the US. SA must choose its friends wisely.

Lest we ally with a bully and find ourselves expelled alongside them.

-Woode-Smith is a contributing author for the Free Market Foundation. The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily shared by the foundation