South African Institute of International Affairs
Leveraging China-Africa relations starts with communication
1st December 2015 In the context of a ‘normalising’ Chinese economy, that seeks to move from a manufacturing-centred economy to one driven by consumption and... →
South Africa and AGOA – What is at Stake?
30th November 2015 US President Barack Obama’s announcement earlier this month to Congress to partly suspend South Africa’s benefits under the Africa Growth and... →
Combating gender-based violence in Africa – Was the APRM a responsive framework?
25th November 2015 It’s that time of the year again: the month that marks 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Familiar terms again dominate the... →
Value Chains in Southern Africa: Entry Points for Donor Impact
9th November 2015 Recent interviews of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMME) that SAIIA conducted in Botswana can provide pointers on the focus that donor support... →
Moving beyond Africa’s crisis of institutions
6th November 2015 Since independence, most African states have struggled to develop effective institutions that are responsive to the governance and development... →
Will competitive elections lead to change in Tanzania?
2nd November 2015 'Change’ was the word de jour as citizens headed to the polls for the fifth multi-party elections in Tanzania on 25 October 2015. At first glance,... →
Will the APRM make for better Ugandan elections?
30th October 2015 In February 2016, Uganda will go to the polls. It is only the country’s third election held since the constitutional restoration of multi-party... →
What South Africa should get out of its engagements in the DRC
27th October 2015 President Jacob Zuma’s visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo on 16 October 2015 came at a critical time in the bilateral relations of the two... →
Economic realities and the #FeesMustFall movement – Colliding worlds or space for engagement?
26th October 2015 21 October 2015 started out as the day that business and economic analysts were expected to reflect closely on the state of the South African... →
Universal health care is a tall order given southern Africa’s poor finances
22nd October 2015 Creating universal health care – one of the targets under the newly ratified Sustainable Development Goals – will have different challenges for... →
African unity will remain illusionary without values
21st October 2015 ‘African unity’ has been one of the most consistent themes in African political thought. Since independence, the vision of a continental order... →
The need for specialised investment courts
6th October 2015 Sorting out a trade dispute can be a tricky thing. Nations may want to advance their economic interests but are reluctant to upset relations with... →
South Africa's foreign policy walks a fine line
5th October 2015 Today, 5 October 2015, South African authorities are expected to submit their reasons for failing to arrest Sudanese President Al-Bashir when he... →
Untangling the regulatory yoke for businesses in South Africa
25th September 2015 South Africa is a country of contradictions. Depending on one's circles and political or moral convictions one always gets something fascinating.... →
Should Heritage Day be renamed Heritages Day?
23rd September 2015 South Africa has seldom approached Heritage Day with a more fractured sense of what constitutes our heritage and what should be celebrated. Angry... →
China–Africa Co-operation: Capacity Building and Social Responsibility of Investments (September 2015)
21st September 2015 The increasingly visible Chinese economic presence in Africa has led to analyses that run the gamut from highly laudatory, ie, considering Chinese... →
WTO 2.0: Will the WTO be able to reinstate its centrality in the global trading landscape in the 21st century?
17th September 2015 That the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been in the grip of a systemic crisis since 2008 is well known. Notwithstanding relatively minor... →
The United Nations at 70: South Africa’s role in global peace and security
16th September 2015 Today, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) will convene for the 70th time since its inception in 1945, at the UN headquarters in New York. UNGA takes... →
Cancelled APRM Summit Sends Distressing Signals
14th September 2015 The sudden cancellation of an Extraordinary Summit on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) raises serious concerns about the future of this... →
Next time better? Conducting the APRM’s ‘second-generation’ reviews (September 2015)
9th September 2015 Reviews conducted under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) are intended to occur at regular intervals, helping countries conduct an ongoing... →
Mining licence controversies continue to jeopardise industry
8th September 2015 In the midst of a global commodity price bust and a rapid Chinese economic slowdown, South African mining companies are struggling to keep shafts... →
Glimpses of the ‘magnificent land’: Exploring parts of China with delegates from Africa
2nd September 2015 For the outside visitor, whether first-timer or a more regular one, urban China repeatedly produces the same effect: surprise, then fascination,... →
Fossil fuels are dead, long live fossil fuels: Botswana’s options for economic diversification (August 2015)
1st September 2015 Botswana is at a critical historical juncture. It has enjoyed a stable democracy since 1965 and strong, quality economic growth for the last few... →
Calais migrants: A microcosm of a misunderstood crisis
25th August 2015 If tabloid headlines are anything to go by, the United Kingdom is fighting off the greatest invasion force threatening the island since the Blitz.... →
What does the TFTA really mean for regional integration in Africa?
18th August 2015 The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) between the member states of three African regional economic communities – SADC, EAC, and COMESA – has been... →
SADC Summit 17-18 August 2015
17th August 2015 Heads of State and Governments of the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will be meeting this week in Gaborone,... →
Co-operation in the South Atlantic Zone: Amplifying the African Agenda (August 2015)
14th August 2015 South Africa’s foreign policy prioritises peaceful and sustainable growth in Africa by maximising its external engagements in increasingly... →
Power ships as a 'short-term solution' to mitigating South Africa’s energy crisis?
11th August 2015 Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have been called to produce strategic plans to transition their electricity supply... →
Preserving the African elephant for future generations (August 2015)
7th August 2015 African elephants face an escalating poaching crisis due to an explosion in demand for ivory, mostly in China. Over 100 000 elephants were killed... →
BRICS Outcomes 2015: Strengthening political dimensions
3rd August 2015 While the BRICS’ initial focus when it was established in 2009 was on improving global economic governance in response to the 2008 financial... →
Fracking in South Africa: an alternative to coal?
31st July 2015 In June 2015, the Department of Mineral Resources gazetted regulations related to hydraulic fracturing or fracking in South Africa offering a... →
A good governance driver: Is the African Peer Review Mechanism up to it? (July 2015)
31st July 2015 The introduction of the AU’s Agenda 2063 means that yet another governance initiative has entered the African political landscape. This policy... →
What impact could the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road have on South Africa?
29th July 2015 During state visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia in later 2013, President Xi Jinping outlined China’s vision of a ‘One Belt One Road’ – running... →
OECD South Africa Economic Survey 2015 (July 2015)
21st July 2015 The Economic Survey is the flagship publication of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD Economic Survey South... →
Involving the private sector in financing infrastructure for development
21st July 2015 The International Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 13-15 July 2015 brought together world leaders to assess... →
Why a regional approach could help end drug stockouts in southern Africa
15th July 2015 South Africa has been facing an ongoing crisis of running out of essential drugs, such as anti-retrovirals for HIV patients. This highlights the... →
Dividend or Disaster: Africa’s Growing Population
14th July 2015 Since its institution in 1989, World Population Day on 11 July has drawn attention to the Earth’s rising population, and the demographic and social... →
Marikana Commission’s findings cast light on urgency of labour law reform
9th July 2015 Following the tragic killing of striking miners at the Lonmin Mine in Marikana on 16 August 2012, South Africa’s government established a... →
South African Foreign Policy and the UN Security Council: Assessing its Impact on the African Peace and Security Architecture
8th July 2015 South Africa’s two terms – 2007–2008 and 2011–2012 – as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) has received limited scholarly... →
BRICS and Climate Change
8th July 2015 Reflecting the broadening of the BRICS agenda since the grouping was formed in 2009, the first ever meeting of BRICS environment ministers was held... →
25th AU Summit: Political Risk and FDI in Africa
7th July 2015 The signing of the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement (TFTA) two weeks ago in Egypt between three of Africa’s major economic blocs COMESA, the EAC and... →
