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Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613827956211712 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | De Lamare, Nelson |
| author2 | Cornelissen, Scarlett |
| author_browse | Cornelissen, Scarlett De Lamare, Nelson |
| author_facet | Cornelissen, Scarlett De Lamare, Nelson |
| author_sort | De Lamare, Nelson |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/125987 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:42:19.474Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/125987 Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council De Lamare, Nelson Cornelissen, Scarlett Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. United Nations Security Council --Voting UNSC South Africa -- Foreign relations -- Africa Post-apartheid era -- South Africa Conflict management -- Africa Peace-building -- Africa Pretoria (South Africa) AU (African Union) Africa -- Social conditions Africa -- Economic conditions International security -- Africa African Capacity Building Foundation International cooperation -- Africa UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The present study investigates South Africa’s three terms as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2007 – 2008, 2011 – 2012, and 2019-2020 through the lens of the strategy of the African agenda, and its implementation in the UN body. The UNSC is the primary UN body in charge of the maintenance of peace and security at the international level, and as such most African conflicts are addressed in its meetings. Similarly, one of the major goals of South Africa’s African agenda is to ensure peace and security within the continent. Through this strategy, South Africa expresses its will to play an influential role on the continent, to speak on behalf of Africa on the global stage, and to champion its interests in international forums and organisations but also to promote ‘African solutions to African problems’. Examining South Africa’s performance in the UNSC represents, therefore, a useful and valuable way to assess the pursuit of the African agenda. The study aims to assess whether South Africa stayed true to its African agenda in the UNSC through its actions and decisions, illustrated by it voting behaviour, by using a mixed approach combining a quantitative and a qualitative analysis. It examines the voting cohesion between Pretoria and other African members of the Council and critically evaluates its impact on the UNSC by looking at its records in the UN body. The study reveals that South Africa indeed pursued the African agenda in the UNSC as shown by the voting cohesion with the members of the African group and the fact that Pretoria advanced AU’s interests in the UNSC. Based on the analysis of three case studies, the conflicts in Zimbabwe, Côte d’Ivoire and Western Sahara, and South Africa’s voting behaviour on these situations, the study also discusses the influence of Pretoria in shaping the outcomes and decisions of the UN body towards conflicts in the continent, and its alignment with the goals and principles underpinning its strategy of the African agenda. The examination of these three case studies shows that South Africa’s decisions and actions in the UNSC were not always aligned with its stated African agenda. Depending on the cases, the thesis uses the realist and constructivist approaches to understand why Pretoria did not always stay true to its African agenda. It also shows that South Africa remains an influential actor on peace and security at the regional level, particularly in Southern Africa, however, cannot be considered as a major influential continental actor in terms of peace and security. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek Suid-Afrika se drie termyne as ‘n nie-permanente lid van die Verenigde Nasies se Veiligheidsraad (VNVR): van 2007 tot 2008, 2011 tot 2012, en 2019 tot 2020; deur die lens van die strategie van Suid-Afrika se Afrika-agenda en die implementering daarvan in die VN-liggaam. Die VNVR is die primere VN-liggaam in beheer van die handhawing van vrede en veiligheid op internasionale vlak. In daardie hoedanigheid word die meeste Afrika-konflikte in die liggaam se vergaderings aangespreek. Eweneens is een van die hoofdoelwitte van Suid-Afrika se Afrika-agenda om vrede en veiligheid binne die vasteland te verseker. Deur hierdie strategie streef Suid-Afrika daarna om 'n invloedryke rol op die vasteland te speel; om namens Afrika op die wereldverhoog te praat; om sy belange in internasionale forums en organisasies te verdedig; maar ook om “Afrika-oplossings vir Afrika-probleme” te bevorder. Die ondersoek van Suid-Afrika se optrede in die VNVR is dus ‘n nuttige en waardevolle manier die nastrewing van die Afrika-agenda te assesseer. Die studie het ten doel om te bepaal of Suid-Afrika getrou gebly het aan sy Afrika-agenda in die VNVR deur sy optrede en besluite, geillustreer deur sy stemgedrag, deur 'n gemengde benadering te gebruik wat 'n kwantitatiewe en 'n kwalitatiewe analise kombineer. Dit ondersoek die stempatroon en samehang tussen Pretoria en ander Afrika-lede van die Raad, en evalueer die impak daarvan op die VNVR deur middel van ‘n kritiese blik op Suid-Afrika se rekord in die VN-liggaam. Die studie toon dat Suid-Afrika wel die Afrika-agenda in die VNVR nagestreef het, soos blyk uit die stemsamehang met die lede van die Afrika-groep, en die feit dat Pretoria die Afrika-Unie (AU) se belange in die VNVR bevorder het. Gebaseer op die ontleding van drie gevallestudies, die konflikte in Zimbabwe, Ivoorkus en Wes-Sahara, en Suid-Afrika se stemgedrag oor hierdie situasies, bespreek die studie ook die invloed van Pretoria in die vorming van die uitkomste en besluite van die VN-liggaam t.o.v. konflikte in die vasteland, en die belyning daarvan met die doelwitte en beginsels wat sy strategie van die Afrika-agenda onderle. Die ondersoek van hierdie drie gevallestudies toon dat Suid-Afrika se besluite en optrede in die VNVR nie altyd in lyn was met sy verklaarde Afrika-agenda nie. Afhangende van die gevalle, gebruik die tesis die realistiese en konstruktivistiese benaderings om te verstaan waarom Pretoria nie altyd getrou gebly het aan sy Afrika-agenda nie. Dit toon ook dat Suid-Afrika 'n invloedryke rolspeler oor vrede en veiligheid op streeksvlak bly, veral in Suider-Afrika, kan egter nie as 'n groot invloedryke kontinentale akteur in terme van vrede en veiligheid beskou word nie. Masters 2022-11-25T07:03:17Z 2023-01-16T12:44:26Z 2022-11-25T07:03:17Z 2023-01-16T12:44:26Z 2022-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125987 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 89 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | United Nations Security Council --Voting UNSC South Africa -- Foreign relations -- Africa Post-apartheid era -- South Africa Conflict management -- Africa Peace-building -- Africa Pretoria (South Africa) AU (African Union) Africa -- Social conditions Africa -- Economic conditions International security -- Africa African Capacity Building Foundation International cooperation -- Africa UCTD De Lamare, Nelson Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council |
| title | Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council |
| title_full | Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council |
| title_fullStr | Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council |
| title_short | Seating among the giants: A study of South Africa’s pursuit of the African agenda and voting behaviour in the United Nations Security Council |
| title_sort | seating among the giants a study of south africa s pursuit of the african agenda and voting behaviour in the united nations security council |
| topic | United Nations Security Council --Voting UNSC South Africa -- Foreign relations -- Africa Post-apartheid era -- South Africa Conflict management -- Africa Peace-building -- Africa Pretoria (South Africa) AU (African Union) Africa -- Social conditions Africa -- Economic conditions International security -- Africa African Capacity Building Foundation International cooperation -- Africa UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125987 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT delamarenelson seatingamongthegiantsastudyofsouthafricaspursuitoftheafricanagendaandvotingbehaviourintheunitednationssecuritycouncil |