ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how underdevelopment and external economic dependence have constrained Malawi’s capacity to determine autonomous foreign policies. Malawi’s economic underdevelopment has had a significant influence on its international relations; the country has always depended on foreign assistance. The October 1965 convention of the Malawi Congress Party accepted a set of proposals that became the basis for the 1966 Republic of Malawi Constitution. Colonialism was the foundation of Malawi’s involvement in the international political and economic system. Malawi advocated development policies that emphasised a mixed economy, commercial agriculture, development of the infrastructure, and reliance on foreign aid. In 1978, Malawi embarked on the National Rural Development Pro-gramme (NRDP) that was to span twenty years and was at the time the country’s largest single investment. The fact that Western governments and agencies financed the NRDP implied their general agreement with Malawi’s development strategy.
