The Contemporary foreign policy of South Africa towards the Arab Gulf countries, United Arab Emirates as a case study

Abstract

Making foreign policy is considered one of the most important concernsof any country around the world becausethis policy will determine the relations of that State with the other members of the international community either positively or negatively.Consequently this policy will be reflected on the political and economic stability of the country even if this state is still developing. This is true when we come to talk about the foreign policy of South Africa. In spite of the geographical distance that separates South Africa and Arab Gulf countries, but theeconomic interests they share together make them closer. As a result, decision-makers of South Africa, since the early nineties of the last century,sought to formulate foreign policy to serve the interests of their country. While South Africa has announced its new rebirth led by Thabo Mbeki, after livinga stageof transitionsince the exit of Mandela from prison in February 1990, Mbeki sought to deepen hiscountry’s relationswith most African countries and even with west Asian countriesespecially countries of Arab Gulf. Even after the departure of Mbeki, the current Prime Minister Jacob Zuma has continued the same foreign policy according to the same strategy that is put by his predecessors. Zuma has tried to strengthen the relations of his country on all levels such as the diplomatic, economic and military. What helped him to continue this policy is the acceptance and welcoming of Arab Gulf countries because both sides share the same characteristics especially the economic one with simple difference that South Africa doesn’t havehigh income as Arab Gulf countries have. Moreover, Arab Gulf countries have built their economy at the beginning of the sixties of last century, unlike South Africa which started at the beginning of the nineties of the last century, after being subservient to British economy during the British colonization, until the transformation of the political system to be in the hands of the native people of the blacks of South Africa.