Luke Blomsma - A Legacy of Pragmatism: Non-Alignment and Military Cooperation in South Africa from the Liberation Struggle to the Present

Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has presented itself as a non-aligned actor committed to multilateralism and independent decision-making in international affairs. This approach is particularly visible in the field of military cooperation, where South Africa has maintained, and in some cases expanded, defence relations with competing powers such as the United States, China and Russia.

A Legacy of Pragmatism examines the historical origins and development of South Africa’s non-alignment through the lens of military cooperation. The project argues that contemporary South African defence and foreign policy cannot be understood solely through post-apartheid developments or Cold War ideological alignments, but must be situated within a longer history of liberation-era pragmatism. It moves beyond explanations centred on great-power competition and ideological loyalty, instead focusing on the agency of South African and other African actors and how they navigated international partnerships in pursuit of their own objectives.