James Hamill

Zimbabwe’s ongoing political and economic decline has severely tested South Africa’s ability to balance its often-contradictory foreign policy imperatives of commitment to democracy and human rights on the one hand and African liberation solidarity, tinged with anti-Western sentiment, on the other. With Zimbabwe on the cusp of fresh elections, this issue is set to return to the top of the South African agenda. more

The African Union was formed against an inauspicious backdrop of conflict, state collapse, failed peacekeeping missions and even genocide. Just over a decade later, the AU can claim some modest successes, as democratic government, however imperfect, has been accepted as the norm and military rule as an aberration. But how the AU addresses democratization in the future will shape the organization’s prospects. more

In three key areas, the national conference of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, held in December, pointed toward a more purposeful movement, one in theory better equipped to address the country’s challenges and end the era of drift and paralysis caused by the ANC’s apparently endless internecine strife. But conference resolutions are not the same as policy implementation. more

The African National Congress is trapped in a systemic crisis from which it cannot extricate itself. Consequently, the wellbeing of South African democracy requires a shift from the current one-party dominant system to a more competitive multiparty system. Progress to a more pluralist order may be accelerated by the ability of the Democratic Alliance to position itself as a credible alternative governing party. more

South Africa's ruling African National Congress party is beset by problems it is incapable of seriously addressing, far less resolving. The main question now is whether it will experience a dignified “democratic decline” or a descent into Zanufication, whereby, like Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF, the liberation movement asserts its right to rule on the basis of history rather than the will of the people. more

In a movement whose divisions have been laid bare in recent years, the African National Congress' positions on certain policy issues are interpreted as indicators of the strength of particular leaders and factions. In this light,  South African President Jacob Zuma left the ANC's recent policymaking conference having failed in three main areas, potentially damaging his re-election prospects in the process. more

The defining moment in South African politics this year will be the national conference of the ruling African National Congress in Mangaung in December. The conference will chart the ANC’s direction and elect the leadership to guide both the party and, given its dominance, the country over the next five years. As such, Mangaung will determine the future of current South African President Jacob Zuma. more

In Southern Africa the process of regional cooperation has been viewed skeptically, mainly because the obvious disparities of power between South Africa and its neighbors raise the question of whether a more balanced and equitable set of regional relationships can be achieved. Though this is certainly a valid concern, it ignores any appreciation of the potential costs to Pretoria from closer regional cooperation. more

Extended periods of one-party dominance can prove detrimental to the health of democratic government in various ways. Corruption, in particular, is a feature of dominant-party systems and one of the means by which those systems can pose a threat to transparent and efficient government. After 18 years in power, South Africa’s African National Congress is largely serving to confirm this familiar trend. more

In 1980, the controversial U.S. diplomat for Africa, Chester Crocker, memorably described South Africa as a "magnet for one-dimensional minds." The accuracy of that assertion has been confirmed over the course of the post-1994 democratic era, during which South Africa has been viewed from radically contrasting, but ultimately one-dimensional perspectives. more