In an article written for Foreign Affairs in 1993, then ANC leader and soon to be President Nelson Mandela articulated the foreign policy position of the ANC in a post-apartheid South Africa. His forward looking description stated: “that issues of human rights are central to international relations and an understanding that they extend beyond the political, embracing the economic, social and environmental; that just and lasting solutions to the problems of humankind can only come through the promotion of democracy worldwide; that considerations of justice and respect for international law should guide the relations between nations; that peace is the goal for which all nations should strive, and where this breaks down, internationally agreed and nonviolent mechanisms…. That the concerns and interests of the continent of Africa should be reflected in our foreign policy choices…’
21 June 2013