South African Journal of International Affairs 

About: South African Journal of International Affairs is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): International relations & Foreign policy. It has an ISSN identifier of 1022-0461. Over the lifetime, 734 publications have been published receiving 5485 citations. The journal is also known as: SAJIA & Journal of the South African Institue of International Affairs.

A profile of the operations of Chinese multinationals in Africa

Abstract: The marked presence of Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) on the global stage is changing the landscape of international business and politics. Western firms, which once had virtually undisputed command over international financial resources and the requisite political ties to dominate global business, are now being challenged by a host of emerging country corporations, with China being at the forefront. Highly competitive and strongly supported by the state, Chinese corporations are embarking on an acquisition drive that is capturing key resources and market share across the developing world. In many respects it is Africa, an area rich in natural resources and under-exploited markets and with only limited historical ties to China, which is serving as a proving ground for the new Chinese MNC. This article will investigate this rise of Chinese MNCs in Africa by, first, examining the content and conduct of Chinese firms, second, their linkages to government strategy and, finally, assessing their impact on Africa.

China's ‘win-win’ cooperation: Unpacking the impact of infrastructure-for-resources deals in Africa

Abstract: This paper discusses China's use of infrastructure-for-resources loans in Africa as a win–win economic cooperation tool. This formula, offering generous loans for infrastructure in exchange for resource access, came into being largely as a default cooperation tool, inspired by China's own domestic experience, its competitive advantages and Africa's receptivity to this kind of barter deal. Embodying the principle of mutual benefit, China has consistently combined the extension of financial assistance for infrastructure construction in Africa with the expansion of Chinese business interests and the pursuit of resource security goals. The analysis focuses on whether this instrument is actually promoting African development or fuelling instead China's economic growth at the expense of African economies. The author argues that the impact has been mixed. Although there are some meaningful positive signs, many challenges persist, and as such the long-term developmental impact of this particular tool remains unce...

South Africa's foreign policy: hegemonic aspirations, neoliberal orientations and global transformation

Abstract: South Africa's contemporary foreign policy cannot be understood outside an explanation of its post-apartheid political transition. Its actors, the ideas they express, the interests they represent and the institutions they craft are all crucially influenced and impacted upon by the democratic transition and how it has evolved. This democratic transition is defined by two foundational characteristics. First, as one of the last of the ‘anti-colonial’ transitions led by an African nationalist leadership, it is driven with a focus on achieving racial equality in both the domestic and global context. Second, the transition has occurred when a particular configuration of power prevailed in the global order that not only established the parameters which governed its evolution, but also determined which interests prevailed within it. The former's imprint on the foreign policy agenda is manifested in South Africa's prioritisation of Africa, its almost messianic zeal to modernise the continent through a focus on pol...

Overlap and interplay between international organisations: theories and approaches

Abstract: This article aims to make a contribution to existing building blocks for a theory on the organisational interplay of international organisations. Thereby, the article first provides for a review of existing approaches on regime interaction which have contributed much to our understanding of organisational interplay by promoting concepts such as overlap and nestedness. Second, the article advances the idea of rational interplay based on resource dependencies. It is argued that interplay presupposes mutual resource dependencies to emerge and that resource exchange is governed by the principle of equitable exchange. Third, the consequences of organisational interplay are examined and an explanation is sought for the tendency of IOs to either develop niche capabilities or imitate other institutions. In this context the importance of institutional variance is highlighted.

Understanding Brazil's new drive for Africa

Abstract: Following a period of some distancing through the 1980s and 1990s, Brazil has made a concerted effort to engage with Africa. Today, under the leadership of President Lula, Africa is clearly a priority, especially as Brazil emerges as a global economic power and leader of the developing South. Yet, relatively little is written of Brazil's engagement with Africa and the rationale behind the political and economic drive toward the continent. What is clear is that Brazil's engagement with Africa, viewed in the historical context, maintains its underlying foreign policy principles of economic development on the one hand and the preservation of autonomy in an asymmetric world on the other. Brazil's engagement with Africa has taken on a three-pronged approach of political diplomacy, commercial engagement and development co-operation. This is indicative of a new era of Brazilian foreign policy and Brazil's process of internationalisation in general. This is a complex and inter-related process that Brazil seems to...