South African Institute of International Affairs
Practical Steps SA Can Take to Reset its Relationship in the Trump Era
26th March 2025 Managing US perceptions of South Africa is increasingly vital. Rational explanations alone may not be sufficient to shift entrenched views,... →
DRC Debacle Batters South Africa’s Standing as an Actor in African Peacekeeping
20th March 2025 The withdrawal of the SAMIDRC force from the eastern DRC has significant negative ramifications for South Africa and SADC’s standing as a player in... →
More Than Elections: What’s Really Driving Protests in Mozambique?
28th February 2025 Lack of capacity and corruption have significantly eroded support for Frelimo in Mozambique, particularly among young voters, who regard its... →
Four Skills the African Union Commission’s New Leadership Needs
17th February 2025 Africa needs leaders at the helm of the African Union Commission that can position the continent to move its agenda forward. This weekend, African... →
Roadmap to Reform: Building Sustainable Transit for Africa’s Cities
10th February 2025 Africa’s urban transportation crisis reflects broader challenges of rapid urbanisation, historical inequities and governance inefficiencies.... →
Johannesburg Water Crisis Reveals Shortfalls in Delivering on Socio-Economic Rights
24th January 2025 Municipalities have been continuously constrained by inadequate human resources, lack of skills, scarce finances, years of neglect and corruption.... →
African Climate Politics and Multilateralism: Domestic Factors and Cross-Country Variation in Climate Ambitions
7th January 2025 This article explores what domestic factors contribute to the variation in climate policy ambition levels among sub–Saharan Africa countries. Abstract →
A Closer Look at South Africa’s Approach to Climate Change and the G20
29th November 2024 Both COP28 and the G20 committed to triple renewables but where is the money going to come from? Climate change is particularly important for South... →
South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025: A Pivotal Moment for the Country and Africa
18th November 2024 Poverty, unemployment and inequality will top South Africa's G20 presidency agenda. The Group of Twenty (G20) is an intergovernmental economic... →
Reflections After the Brics Summit: Membership, Payment Systems, and What Lies Ahead
14th November 2024 The 2024 Brics Summit revealed Brics’ pragmatic moves toward a diversified global economy. How will shifting alignments influence the international... →
The Pact for the Future: Gains to Celebrate and Challenges to Surmount
5th November 2024 To realise the Pact of the Future, historical injustices must be redressed, new threats addressed and innovative reform institutionalised. The... →
From Koeberg to Chernobyl: The Challenge of Nuclear Safety in SA and Ukraine
5th November 2024 As interest in nuclear energy grows and military conflicts around the globe rise, the safety of nuclear power plants in armed conflicts should be a... →
The COP29 South African Youth Statement
31st October 2024 The COP29 South African Youth Statement highlights the voices of the youth from across the country who see the future of a cleaner, greener South... →
High Expectations: Civil Society Participation in Conflict Early Warning and Response Systems of the AU, ECOWAS and IGAD
28th October 2024 ‘Early warning’ describes a process that alerts decision-makers and promotes their understanding of the nature and impact of a potential escalation... →
Governance Challenges in Cabo Delgado: Spinning Wheels in the Mud
24th October 2024 Amid unrest surrounding Mozambique's election, the task of dealing with extremism in the country remains. Mozambicans went to the polls on 9... →
What to Expect from the 2024 Brics Summit
21st October 2024 As the 2024 Brics Summit approaches, SAIIA highlights the key issues and debates that will shape the agenda. As the 2024 Brics Summit in Kazan,... →
Brics Economic Integration: Prospects and Challenges
10th October 2024 Amid the evolving global economic landscape, the Brics nations have emerged as proponents of economic multilateralism, challenging traditional... →
Can Old Alliances Survive New Realities in Russia-South Africa Relations?
19th September 2024 This piece explores the complexities of the relationship between Russia and South Africa, and how they must respond to international pressures,... →
Invisible No More: Securing Legal Identity as a Human Right
16th September 2024 The need for identification in an increasingly digital world is becoming more apparent, with over 60% of the nearly 850 million people without a... →
The G7, South Africa and the Sustainable Climate Agenda for Africa
28th August 2024 The G7 needs to emphasise its value addition within the more inclusive G20 with an acute sensitivity to the fact that Africans are articulating... →
Enhancing African Agency Amid Global Geopolitical Competition
16th August 2024 This piece explores how engagements with global powers unfold, the complexities they introduce, and what can be done to enhance African agency... →
What are the South Africans doing in Eastern DRC?
28th May 2024 Four years into a protracted war between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Rwandan supported M23 rebel group, the eastern DRC is... →
Marking a Milestone: 90 Years of SAIIA
16th May 2024 Reflections from our chief executive as SAIIA celebrates its 90th anniversary. The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)... →
Empowering Youth Voices: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
23rd April 2024 The South African Youth Gender Action Plan is a youth-driven policy framework that provides a roadmap for addressing gender-based violence and... →
Strengthening Africa’s Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems Through Enhanced Policy Coherence and Coordinated Action
5th April 2024 In response to these vulnerabilities and impacts, it is essential that African countries develop adaptation and resilience building strategies to... →
AU Lays Foundations for Progressive Customs, Monetary and Fiscal Union
8th March 2024 Since the implementation of the heavily indebted poor country programme, most African countries have re-accumulated even higher external and... →
Africa’s Potential Role in Mediating the Ukraine Conflict
4th March 2024 The conflict in Ukraine, characterised by its complexity and seemingly intractable nature, underscores the importance of potential mediators in... →
The Future of SA Nuclear Energy Post-123 Agreement
12th January 2024 The plant at Koeberg is the only current nuclear power station in Africa and is responsible for roughly 6% of South Africa’s total electricity... →
East Africa Floods Highlight Urgency of COP28 Negotiations, Especially on Loss and Damage Fund
12th December 2023 In the first days of COP28, several developed countries committed funding to the newly established Loss and Damage Fund, which has been set up to... →
Can Mandela’s Principles Still Guide Us Today? Reflections 10 Years After His Death
8th December 2023 Nelson Mandela was a complex man defined by his principled commitment to justice, equality, fairness and freedom, but also by his pragmatism and a... →
Seeing the Forest – and the Trees: The Global Challenge of Regulating Social Media for Democracy
6th December 2023 The rise of social media is a phenomenon with both positive and negative implications for democracy. For regulators confronted with this... →
Safeguarding election management bodies in the age of democratic recession
1st December 2023 The history of democracy has been one of progress as the spread of civil liberties and political rights have increased across the globe. There is... →
SAIIA’s View on COP28: African Priorities
30th November 2023 While Africa has long called for increased scale and accessibility of climate finance, these calls are now positioned within a broader effort for... →
How to Achieve African Digital Sovereignty
6th November 2023 The digital revolution presents Africa with an opportunity to emerge as a sovereign and innovative digital player on the global stage. India’s G20... →
Africa is a Key Source of Critical Minerals for the Global Energy Transition — But There are Hidden Dangers
30th October 2023 The security of critical mineral supply chains is strategic for many countries due to the expected growth in demand driven by the uptake of clean... →
The Expanded Brics Can Be a Force to Be Reckoned With in Shaping a New World Energy Order
27th September 2023 The Brics+6, consisting of six of the world's top oil producers and four of the world's top natural gas producers, will play a key role in... →
G20 Connect: Africa, India, South Africa and Global South
20th September 2023 The AU’s full participation in the G20 would increase the legitimacy of the grouping, while also providing a platform for a continent that is... →
Preparing for the G20 Presidency in a Fraught World: Insights on South Africa’s Priorities
14th September 2023 South Africa believes, like India and other emerging economies, that the G20’s focus should be global economic governance, not politics or peace... →
G20 Should Do More on Financial Reforms to Support Africa’s Resilience
12th September 2023 In Africa, rising debt coupled with the growing risks of climate shocks require bold policy interventions domestically and globally to enhance its... →
The Quest for Global Influence
5th September 2023 The new Brics members will add their voices to advocating for a more equitable global governance system, reforming the UN Security Council, and... →
Beyond Bread: Ukraine-Africa Diplomacy
25th August 2023 Much has been made of Ukraine’s importance to food security. Prior to the invasion, the country was Africa’s second-largest external supplier of... →
