Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Security (war or peace), economy, technological progress, cultural development and
issues of identity are some of the aspects that characterise the nature of relations between
countries. Traditionally, the objectives of a country’s foreign policy concern security and
welfare. But, the search for national prestige, for autonomy or for a change in the world’s
power relationships or ideological re-orientation can all inform the foreign policies of
many states.1 South Africa is no exception; during the stewardship of Prime Minister BJ
Vorster, his objective was the launching of a policy of détente.
As a consequence, South Africa was subjected to continuous external criticism. At the
insistence of the discrimination apartheid policy, South Africa was excluded from a
wide range of intergovernmental agencies and conferences, was isolated by the
international community and became the object of an economic boycott by the vast
majority of African states.
It therefore was clear that the increasing hostility towards South Africa’s domestic policy
would isolate the country further. The world’s reaction to South African’s domestic
policy demonstrated that foreign opinion had an influence on domestic policy, and that it
imposed constraints on the conduct of foreign policy. To extricate itself from this
situation, South Africa initiated the policy of rapprochement called détente policy during
Vorster’s time in office. Vorster had no illusions about the need for safety in South
Africa, thus his main ideal as Prime Minister was to establish normal and friendly
relations with African states. Vorster hoped to improve South African’s international
position by improving relations with Black Africa through the policy of détente.
It is with regard to this policy, undertaken during the period of the African continent’s
rejection of South Africa’s race discrimination policies and this country’s exclusion from
the community of African states, that the present study investigates and analyses South
Africa’s relations with the Ivory Coast and Gabon from 1969 to 1994, viewed from South
African and French source material. In other words, this study analyses the interaction that took place in the past with regard to the South African government’s relations with
the governments of Gabon and the Ivory Coast, which directed human activities in the
political, economic, military and cultural fields. This investigation and analysis were
undertaken in order to understand why the Ivory Coast and Gabon became involved with
South Africa when the African community and even the international community had
called for the isolation of this country due to its apartheid policy, and how these relations
would improve and be strengthened in the future.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1138 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Ndzeng Nyangone, Emmanuel |
| Contributors | Grundlingh, Albert M., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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