Diplomacy

Queen Ana Nzinga was as accomplished in the art of Diplomacy as she was in the art of War: maintaining difficult alliances to ensure the freedom of her people. Featured here are elements of research devoted to better understanding diplomacy in Africa.

International Relations in Africa have tended to be dismissed as an ‘old boys club’ where international organisations are seen as substantively limited institutions propping up strongmen across the continent.

This inaccurate and harmful view reduces complex and nuanced actors and interactions to unhelpful stereotypes.

Ana Nzinga Research aims to challenges such views by presenting deeper analysis on diplomacy on the continent, through examining both historical and current events.

Diplomacy Publications

  • The most forceful action Pretoria can take is to call for an emergency meeting of the anti-imperialist grouping

 

Brics, naval exercises and the chance to pierce autocrats’ bubbles

With the Brics summit soon to start, and the naval exercises with Russia and China in the background, it is fair to say South Africa does not have the best image as a liberal democracy right now. However, South Africa being one of the few open democracies on speaking terms with Russia is not entirely a bad thing and presents both the government and us as citizens with unique opportunities. As citizens, we could also do with a reminder of why our freedoms are so important.  

  • With President Vladimir Putin’s latest speech announcing a partial mobilisation and redefining Russia’s strategy for nuclear weapons, his war against Ukraine has taken an ugly turn of escalation. By threatening the use of such weapons, after abandoning the slightest attempt at using the international institutions Russia helped to build, is far too damaging for South Africa or the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) bloc to accept without sanction.