ABSTRACT
Southern Africa has come to be perceived as an international subsystem because of a tradition of regional co-operation and South Africa's regional dominance. The development of novel forms of co-existence in Southern Africa is one result of the increased complexity of regional politics. The major actors which affect the politics of Southern Africa are the States located in or around the region along with a few "intrusive" Powers with significant political, economic and/or strategic interests in the area. South Africa's recent advocacy of regional integration has historical antecedents but it was revived after the Second World War in response to new opportunities in Africa and to express the Afrikaners' interest in the continent rather than in Empire. The foreign policy of the Republic of South Africa has long recognised the interrelatedness of its regional, continental and global relations. The combination of African antagonism and western ambivalence adds up to a failure of South Africa's foreign policy.
