A conference in Harare, Zimbabwe in September 1988, arranged on the initiative of the Southern African Research Association (SADRA) and the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies (SIAS), aimed to initiate research and co-operation between Nordic and Southern African researchers.

Paper presented at the ISAS workshop on 'Development and Destabilization in Southern Africa', 17-20 Oct 1983, Roma, Lesotho.

South Africa's Apartheid regime saw Zimbabwean independence and black majority rule in 1980 as a major threat to its interests, security and regional hegemony. John Dzimba explains how and why Pretoria sought to destabilise Zimbabwe and other front line states, examining the successes and failures of destabilisation against Zimbabwe's economic and political vulnerabilities and attempted responses. He shows why P.W. Botha's crisis ridden regime had to drop the policy in 1989.

The emergence of a 'new' democratic South Africa under Nelson Mandela was regarded as a high watermark for international ideals of human rights and democracy. Much was expected of the ANC in power, particularly that it would be able to translate its ideals into a coherent foreign policy for the African continent. Yet its foreign policy since 1994 has been mired in accusations of incoherence, contradiction and failure. Here, based on extensive archival research and interviews, Matthew Graham offers new ways of interpreting South Africa's foreign policy by investigating the continuities and discontinuities of the ANC's international relations - from exile to political power. Charting the political intrigues during the country's transition from apartheid, and the subsequent influences on Presidents Mandela and Mbeki, The Crisis of South African Foreign Policy makes a vital contribution to our understanding of why post-apartheid South Africa has failed to lead Africa on the world stage.