ABSTRACT
Lesotho's international relations are dominated by its history and its geography. Accordingly, relations with South Africa and with the United Kingdom are the most all-embracing and influential. In chronological terms, the initial changes in Lesotho's international relations are easy to explain. In the immediate aftermath of independence, there were strong political, emotional, and economic reasons to try to lessen dependence on South Africa, to strengthen ties with other African countries, and to diversify sources of foreign aid and possible foreign investment. Lesotho's whole society and economy, as well as its culture and politics, are dominated by the powerful influences of the country that surrounds it. It is difficult to find any aspect of life in Lesotho that is not in some way influenced by South Africa. In Lesotho's case, of course, relations with South Africa are made tremendously more complex by the two countries' ideological and systemic differences.
