'Quiet Diplomacy' or Appeasement? South African Policy towards Zimbabwe

摘要

This article offers a critical examination of South Africa's policy of 'quiet diplomacy' towards Zimbabwe since 2000, with the reasons behind it, especially the role of Thabo Mbeki, and considers possible alternatives. It argues that liberal values in Africa are usually prioritised at the abstract level in charters and declarations such as those of the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The translation of such values into political practice has, however, become highly problematic, and they have frequently been eclipsed by other, more pressing, imperatives impinging upon the policy-making process. South African policy towards Zimbabwe since 2000, contend the authors, captures this paradox in stark relief.