Event

The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), in cooperation with the Nordic Africa Institute, has the pleasure of inviting you to a seminar with the South African Professor Anthoni van Nieuwkerk:

Africa's Big Brother?
Exploring South Africa's peacemaking and development role under the Mbeki and Zuma eras

There is little dispute over South Africa’s relative power in regional and continental terms.  The question is rather how to understand the choices of the South African government in exercising its power and influence.  Looking at the Mbeki era, did the South African government's policy towards the region and elsewhere in Africa display hegemonic behaviour, or middle power behaviour, did it act as an agent of the West, or was it merely displaying African ruling elite behaviour?  This presentation will explore what seems to be the exercise of soft power particularly relating to peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction and development.  The paper briefly examines emerging approaches under the current Zuma administration before concluding with some policy recommendations.

Professor Anthoni van Nieuwkerk
 is affiliated to Centre for Defence and Security Management at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. He is at present a visiting researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute. The title of his current research project is ‘‘The Evolution of Security Cooperation in Southern Africa”.
 
The Seminar takes place 13.00–14.30.