Members of the World Affairs Council alighted upon the South African embassy on 7 November for an evening of conversation and debate with Ambassador Walile Nhlapo. Eager guests quickly filled the lecture room, sipping red wine and chatting with neighbors. The ambassador spoke authoritatively on issues pressing South Africa, with special emphasis on foreign relations between South Africa and the United States. Afterwards, the ambassador volleyed queries in an extensive question and answer session before adjourning the guests to the buffet. As always, members engaged themselves in heated debate about matters of South African foreign policy and the future of the state in an increasingly multilateral world. The following is a sampling of the many tangents discussed by World Affairs Council members and guests. We invite you to respond to these topics and continue the debate here on our website.1. Ambassador Nhlapo passionately declared that the next century should be an African century. This new chapter in African history should be led by the African Union. He also asserted, however, that the African Union must be careful not to bully member states into complying with its decisions. Has South Africa led by example? Have the results it has yielded in Africa been due to diplomacy and persuasion or due to power and political muscling?
2. The ambassador asserted that shared religion is a strong asset in solving conflict between groups in Africa. Has this been the case in Sudan?
3. The ambassador has asserted, when speaking of Zimbabwe, that Robert Mugabe is only one man and not indicative of Africa as a whole. The first step toward solving the political problems in Zimbabwe is by solving the current economic crisis. Ambassador Nhlapo emphasized that South Africa must throw off its “chains of isolation” in order to ensure that the country does not become an “island of prosperity”. This, he maintains, is the most effective way of aiding Zimbabwe. Is this assertion correct? Is this the most effective course of action?
4. At the end of his speech, Ambassdor Nhlapo outlined his three goals for South Africa:
1. That its people live in peace, safety and security
2. That its people enjoy free and equal rights
3. That South Africa builds and maintains good relations with its neighbors
How close is South Africa to realizing these goals? Is anything missing from the ambassador’s list?
Tags: Lee Ware