South Africa’s Evolving Role in Peacekeeping: National Interest and International Responsibilities

Abstract

The South African Government holds the view that it has no choice but to accept participation in peacekeeping as a foreign policy priority, and that the country should continue to engage in challenges of a peacekeeping nature. South Africa consequently maintains that an approach of close political-military involvement in regional and continental matters should be pursued. The aim of this paper is to analyze and assess the extent to which self-declared concerns in relation to South Africa’s national interest and international profile underpin and inform the country’s recent and current involvement in international peacekeeping. Practically speaking, an attempt is made to understand and reflect on the preoccupations of South African decision-makers with the questions of national interest and international responsibilities as the South African Government has moved to involve the South African military in multinational peacekeeping endeavors on the African continent.