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Introduction:

This task is about the foreign policy of South Africa. 
 
During the time of the apartheid their foreign policy aimed at destabilizing the frontline 
states with the help of military power. When the ANC came to power, it changed into a 
policy that we only can understand if one knows all conditional circumstances that have 
influence on it. 
 
One of the internal conditions consists of the expectations of the ANC members. Usually 
they are at the left including the communistic and socialistic opinion. From them comes the 
requirement that the foreign policy has to benefit the poor in whole Africa. 
 
Another internal condition is the economic situation. Already soon after ANC came to 
power, it chose or had to choose a way in favor of the capitalist corporations. Which means 
formulating policies to attract foreign investments. 
 
An external condition is the foreign policy of the United States which wants to increase its 
influence in Africa because of the raw materials in abundance there. They use military 
power for that through their Africom project, and they succeeded to include South Africa, 
which thus is militarized with the help from the United States. 
 
Another external condition consists of the multinational companies who have their 
headquarters in South Africa, but also in other African countries. This explains that South 
Africa&rsquo;s does not act against these multinational companies&rsquo; interests. One of the files gives 
the example that because of this South Africa is not interested in solving the refugees&rsquo; 
problems in East Congo, because a multinational mining company is earning quite well 
with the present situation. 
 
Yet another external condition is the division of power inside the international institutes 
such as the Security Council, the World Trade Organization and so on. In connection to this 
South Africa met with Brazil and India in order to strengthen the contacts and trade South- 
South and to get more influence in the international bodies, even when the South African 
economic power is very small comparing with the other two. No doubt that the 
geographical strategic position of South Africa helped to become friends with Brazil and 
India. 
 
South Africa is evaluated as a medium power, and still is the most powerful country in 
Africa, since the other powers there are weakened by internal problems. This can also 
happen to South Africa where the distance between rich and poor never was as big as now. 
 
There is also a tendency that the capitalists move their capital from South Africa to safe 
havens. So the internal conditions may weaken the South African political power. 
The files of this task give a lot of information and material for thought. They will also help 
to understand the foreign policies from other countries in investigations later on. Enjoy your 
work!

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