Pragmatic internationalism: public opinion on South Africa's role in the world

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Periodical article

Title:	Pragmatic internationalism: public opinion on South Africa's role in the world
Authors:	van der Westhuizen, Janis Smith, Karen
Year:	2015
Periodical:	Journal of Contemporary African Studies (ISSN 1469-9397)
Volume:	33
Issue:	3
Pages:	318-347
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	foreign policy public opinion
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2015.1108001
Abstract:	This report of a public opinion survey on South Africa's foreign policy did not attempt to gauge South Africans' knowledge about specific issues in international politics, but rather their underlying attitudes, specifically their foreign policy postures. After providing a brief overview of the scholarly debates about the role of public opinion in foreign policy analysis, the authors contextualise the nature and methodological approach of the survey. Thereafter they organise the article according to three key themes that illuminate 'ordinary' South Africans' foreign policy postures and how South Africans view their country's international identity. These themes include, first, debates about what the purpose of our foreign policy should be; second, the country's international role; and third, who South Africans consider to be their allies and role models. Finally, they distil possible patterns emerging from the survey into a posture that they relate to two concepts: 'pragmatic internationalism', and a 'middle power role'. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]