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ABSTRACT
In recent times, the concept of soft power has emerged as one of the most important terms in international relations. It has been applied to various aspects of statecraft from democracy promotion to peace-making, cultural diplomacy, economic diplomacy, counter-terrorism and disaster management, to name but a few. However, there is a dearth of literature on the political economy of soft power. Given that economic interests substantially drive states’ foreign policies, it is surprising that this aspect of states’ power of attraction has been neglected. It is against this backdrop that this article examines the political economy of soft power focusing on South Africa. In doing so, it engages South Africa’s neo-liberal order and the influx of its multinational companies in Africa and submits that despite the criticism it encounters in this regard, Pretoria has exercised soft power within the purview of political economy.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Tella, Africa’s Soft Power, 1.
2 Games, South Africa’s Economic Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
3 Ogunnubi, ‘South Africa’s Soft Power and the Diplomacy of Nuclear Geopolitics.’
4 Van der Westhuizen, ‘South Africa’s soft power conundrum.’
5 April, ‘Assessing South Africa’s Strategic Options of Soft Power Application through Civic Interest Groups.’
6 Sidiropoulos, ‘South Africa’s Emerging Soft Power.’
7 Ding, ‘Analyzing Rising Power from the Perspective of Soft Power: a new look at China’s rise to the status quo power’; Kurlantzick, Charm Offensive; Tella, Africa’s Soft Power.
8 Cybermetrics, ‘Ranking Web of Universities.’
9 Smith, ‘Soft Power: The Essence of South Africa’s Foreign Policy.’; Ogunnubi and Okeke-Uzodike, ‘South Africa’s Foreign Policy and the Strategy of Soft Power.’; Tella, ‘South Africa in BRICS.’
10 Van Wyk, ‘South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Nuclear Diplomacy.’
11 Le Pere, ‘Critical Themes in South Africa’s Foreign Policy.’
12 Dowse, Power Play: International Politics, Germany, South Africa and the FIFA World Cup.
13 Tella, ‘Currencies, Constraints and Contradictions of South Africa’s Soft Power.’
14 Brand Finance, Global Soft Power Index 2020.
15 Brand Finance, Global Soft Power Index 2021.
16 Narsiah, ‘Neoliberalism and privatisation in South Africa.’
17 Ibid.
18 Evans, ‘The neoliberal turn in the SADC Regional integration and disintegration.’, 115.
19 Ngwane and Bond, ‘South Africa’s Shrinking Sovereignty.’
20 Cardo, ‘The Liberal Tradition in South African History: Past and Present.’
21 Thompson and Wissink. ‘Recalibrating South Africa’s Political Economy’; Breakfast, ‘The Complexities of Neo-Liberalism in Post-Apartheid South Africa.’
22 National Planning Commission, National Development Plan 2030.
23 Thompson and Wissink. ‘Recalibrating South Africa’s Political Economy.’
24 National Planning Commission, National Development Plan 2030.
25 Ibid.
26 Isike and Ogunnubi, ‘South Africa’s foreign policy aspirations and the National Development Plan (NDP 2030).’
27 Vale and Maseko, ‘South Africa and the African Renaissance.’
28 Evans, ‘The neoliberal turn in the SADC Regional integration and disintegration.’
29 Taylor, ‘Globalization and Regionalization in Africa.’
30 Habib, ‘South Africa's foreign policy.’
31 Ibid.
32 Tsheola, ‘South Africa’s form of globalisation.’
33 Ibid.
34 Habib, ‘South Africa's foreign policy.’
35 Onwuka and Udegbunam, ‘The African Continental Free Trade Area.’
36 Tsakok, The Republic of South Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
37 Onwuka and Udegbunam, ‘The African Continental Free Trade Area.’
38 Ibid.
39 Ibid.
40 Mulaudzi, ‘New Regionalism in Southern Africa?
41 Ibid.
42 Ogunnubi and Tella, ‘Framing South Africa’s Soft Power through Non-State Sources’.
43 Alden and Soko, ‘South Africa's Economic Relations with Africa.’
44 Habib, ‘South Africa's foreign policy.’
45 Miller et al., ‘South African Corporations and post-Apartheid Expansion in Africa.’
46 Ibid.
47 Grosse, ‘Standard Bank: An African Tiger.’
48 Games, South Africa’s Economic Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
49 Holmey, ‘Sasol, Woolworths, Old Mutual: Why South African firms fail when they leave Africa.’
50 Ibid.
51 Ibid.
52 Alden and Le Pere, ‘South Africa in Africa: Bound to Lead?’
53 Alden and Soko, ‘South Africa's Economic Relations with Africa.’
54 Ngalawa, ‘Anatomy of the Southern African Customs Union.’
55 Ibid.
56 Games, The Experience of South African Firms Doing Business in Africa.
57 Alden and le Pere, ‘South Africa in Africa: Bound to Lead?’
58 Ibid.
59 Miller et al., ‘South African Corporations and post-Apartheid Expansion in Africa.’
60 Alden and le Pere, ‘South Africa in Africa: Bound to Lead?’
61 Ibid.
62 Ibid.
63 Mulaudzi, ‘New Regionalism in Southern Africa?
64 Games, The Experience of South African Firms Doing Business in Africa.
65 Games, South Africa’s Economic Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
66 Verhoef, ‘The Globalisation of South African Conglomerates.’.
67 Tella, Africa’s Soft Power.
68 Premium Times, ‘MTN Nigeria’s full-year revenue hits record N1.7 trillion’.
69 Channels Television, ‘FIRS Seeks to Freeze Multichoice Accounts Over ₦1.8tn Tax’.
70 Games, South Africa’s Economic Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
71 Ogunnubi and Tella, ‘Framing South Africa’s Soft Power through Non-State Sources’.
72 Games, South Africa’s Economic Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
73 Vickers and Ajulu, South Africa’s Economic Diplomacy: Trade and Investment Promotion, 5.
74 Sidiropoulos, ‘South Africa’s Emerging Soft Power.’, 201.
75 Brand Africa, Top 100 Most Admired Brands in Africa.
76 Games, South Africa’s Economic Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
77 Barber, Mandela’s World, 179.
78 Games, South Africa’s Economic Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
79 Chimurenga, Soft Power South African Style.
80 African Business, Africa’s Top 250 Companies in 2021.
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Notes on contributors
Oluwaseun Tella
Oluwaseun Tella is Director, The Future of Diplomacy at the University of Johannesburg's Institute for the Future of Knowledge in South Africa. He holds a doctorate in Political Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is the author of the first book on African soft power entitled Africa's Soft Power: Philosophies, Political Values, Foreign Policies and Cultural Exports (Routledge, 2021). His research interests include soft power, international relations, peace and conflict studies, African politics and knowledge production in Africa.