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2023 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

9. South Africa and Its Foreign Alignment and Practice: From Hope to Dashed Expectations

Author : Anthony James Leon

Published in: The Palgrave Handbook of Diplomatic Reform and Innovation

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

This chapter discusses from the personal perspective of a political appointee the changes in South African diplomacy during the past couple of decades as the country moved from a rather idealistic post-Apartheid ideological position to perhaps that of a more cynical middle power. In particular, it demonstrates the blurred lines between domestic politics, state ideology, and diplomacy, as well as the difficulties non-professional diplomats sometimes have in navigating all three at once.

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Title: South Africa and Its Foreign Alignment and Practice: From Hope to Dashed Expectations
Author: Anthony James Leon
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: The Palgrave Handbook of Diplomatic Reform and Innovation
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-10970-6

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-031-10971-3

Copyright Year: 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10971-3_9