Da estratégia total à New South Africa: uma análise construtivista sobre a política externa sul-africana (1984-1999)

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the South African foreign policy between the 1980s and the 1990s through the Constructivist Theory of International Relations. Due to the implementation of a racial segregation system, which was formalized in 1948, South Africa was characterized as a pariah state during most of the 20th century, which reflected directly on its foreign policy actions. However, towards the end of the 1980s, influenced by internal alterations and external constraints, the country’s external posture started to change, which had its apex after Nelson Mandela’s election in 1994. This study establishes a general overview about Constructivism in International Relations and presents concepts such as identity, interests, anarchy and institutions. Furthermore, it discusses the main South Africa’s foreign policy guidelines and actions between 1984 and 1999, under the presidencies of P. W. Botha, Frederik De Klerk and Nelson Mandela. Finally, this work applies the Constructivist Theory of International Relations in order to verify if the changes in the South African foreign policy during the period under analysis represented changes in the identity of the South African state.