The New Legitimacy and International Legitimation: Civilization and South African Foreign Policy

Abstract

In the years since the end of apartheid, South Africa has emerged from its status as an international pariah to a full fledged member of the international community. Riding a wave of new found legitimacy bolstered by a heroic myth surrounding President Mandela, South Africa began to rethink its role in the world. Perhaps more than Mandela, however, former President Thabo Mbeki laid claim to the title of Africa’s spokesman to the world. Mbeki, through his African Renaissance, cast himself as the embodiment of the modern, postcolonial African blending African tradition and symbolism with the rhetoric of free markets and good governance. What this paper argues is that Mbeki’s Renaissance highlights both what constitutes legitimate policies and behavior and the role of legitimacy and legitimation itself in international relations.

Public political thought: bridging the sociological–philosophical divide in the study of legitimacy

“…Philosophical accounts that consider public attitudes are rarely value‐free and typically advocate liberal or reasonable legitimacy (Gaus ). Sociological accounts relating to morality focus on the public's practical attitudes toward politics, without probing to see if these attitudes are informed by justificatory principles, presuming that ‘people have their reasons’ (Becker ; Rothstein ). There is nothing inherently wrong with this division of labour.…”

South Africa’s Reform Diplomacy and the Legitimacy of the UN Security Council

“…Prior to this point, the apartheid regime had been delegitimised and rendered as a pariah state by extensive UN sanctions (Klotz, 1995). Post-apartheid South Africa was re-shaped by the notion of rightful membership since its newfound commitment to good governance, democracy and human rights allowed the new state to emerge as a legitimate and even exemplar regime (the so-called "rainbow nation") in the international community (Becker, 2010). After 1994, the ideals of rightful membership were integrated into South Africa's foreign policy and guided its international activism in reforming global governance.…”

A responsibility to protect Africa from the West? South Africa and the NATO intervention in Libya

“…Firstly, it is unclear whether Gaddafi"s position was indeed in South Africa"s interest and the ANC has historically been extremely conflicted over Gaddafi. While Mandela embraced him and wanted to bring him in from the cold, his successor Thabo Mbeki was openly hostile towards Gaddafi and, in particular, Gaddafi"s attempts to meddle in the internal affairs of other African nations to promote his own vision for Africa, which was in direct competition with Mbeki"s vision of an "African renaissance" rooted in the promotion of neoliberal good governance and a federalist African Union (Landsberg 2012;Becker 2010). As Mbeki"s Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad put it, "Gaddafi set us back on the African continent… I"ve been to many AU, OU meetings where he just held us back for 10 years or even longer" (Personal communication, Aziz Pahad, 2012).…”