2023-08-23 01:38:03
By Andrew Harding, BBC correspondent Johannesburg
3 hours ago
Africa’s wealthiest “square mile” is hosting a major international summit this week, and it’s a meeting of pride and relief, with a hint of unease.
Sandton – the glamorous banking district on the outskirts of South Africa’s decaying city of Johannesburg – is the site of the latest gathering of the top leaders of the BRICS bloc (except Putin). The aspiring but loosely organized bloc of nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are united by a desire to challenge the West’s inherent dominance in global affairs, with dozens more lining up , would like to join.
There is some relief in South Africa that President Vladimir Putin recently decided to keep the summit at arm’s length.
Now the South African officials have escaped from this embarrassing challenge. Once again, they danced for the role of the host, and happily sent a large number of notifications about the BRICS breakfast meeting, trade fair, township dialogue, etc. to the mailboxes of many journalists. .
To some observers, this unusual level of official enthusiasm is a sign of how quickly the country is estranged from the West, not only toward a more polarized world, but also toward China, while at the same time To a lesser extent into the arms of Russia.
Shortly before the summit, at a meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers in Cape Town, a Russian journalist approached me at a press conference to make the following declaration: “Your (Western) human rights paradise You keep it, we will reshape the world.”
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Putin has decided not to attend the meeting in Johannesburg, but is expected to attend online.
The BRICS group may be in its infancy, but it is actually generating a disruptive energy and excitement — at least in some ways.
A colleague attended a foreign policy workshop organized by the South African government. He told me that everyone at the meeting almost unanimously agreed that China is the future and the West is a thing of the past.
This is where South Africa’s unease comes from.
South African president and wealthy businessman Cyril Ramaphosa is probably acutely aware that his local economy, battered by COVID-19 and struggling with the world’s highest unemployment and inequality, desperately needs more foreign investment Enter, otherwise I am afraid that there will be a catastrophe.
Russia is almost certainly not an option – the country has almost no trade with South Africa.
China’s role is growing, but even so it is constrained by established trade with the EU and the US, and investment from both.
How, then, is South Africa likely to jeopardize key — but strained — relations with the West in the face of profound economic uncertainty?
The answer seems to lie, at least in part, in the country’s aging and vacillating ruling party.
After 30 years in power, the African National Congress (ANC; ANC) is grappling with infighting, corruption and administrative chaos.
For example, when questioned about its stance on the Ukraine war, the South African government gave a mixed bag of responses: initially condemning the invasion, then categorically refusing to condemn, then blaming NATO, praising Putin, offering to Be a negotiator, let the Russian navy be a guest to participate in joint exercises, then rush to Washington to explain, and then casually repeat the Kremlin’s arguments from time to time.
However, whether South Africa sold arms to Russia last year is still a mystery, but the United States has made such an allegation.
There is no doubt that President Ramaphosa is deeply disturbed by Russian incursions and anxious to present himself as a competent and neutral advocate in a multipolar world.
But that stance has been challenged at times by those in his government and ruling party — who have always raised nostalgic references to Moscow’s support for South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, while raising general skepticism about U.S. foreign policy.
Such disorganized information will undoubtedly irritate all parties involved in the conflict, while successfully making South Africa appear weak and indecisive.
image copyrightBrics handout/Getty Images
image captiontext,
South Africa is reveling in the excitement of hosting this year’s BRICS summit.
But by contrast, this week’s BRICS summit will give the Kremlin a useful platform to showcase its far more strategic and effective foreign policy.
The recent headlines from the continent have presumably been dominated by the coup in Niger and the possibility that Russia’s thug-like, opportunistic Wagner Group mercenaries may take advantage of the situation to enrich themselves. This is already evident in what they have done in Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR).
But at least as noteworthy is the fact that Moscow, with its hard-working foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and through savvy media messaging, has managed to demonstrate a presence in Africa after decades of near-extinction on the continent. A more reliable look than Western “colonial” influence.
In countries struggling with poverty, the effects of climate change, younger populations and rising unemployment, frustration with the status quo has prompted many to embrace new options.
This begs the question: what are Western countries doing to challenge Russia?
While it is dangerous to generalize about the continent, it is equally wrong and offensive to think that all African governments are pawns in a Cold War revival.
But what about the Western version of the BRICS Group? The British government has a “Secretary of State for African Affairs”, but hardly anyone has been in office for more than a year.
It has long been claimed that France, Britain and other former colonial powers still view the continent as a nasty crisis to be resolved rather than a worthy partner. A focus on development projects, draconian terms and cherry-picking only among preferred African leaders fueled the claims.
That may not be fair to say, given that Western countries have dedicated decades of energy and money to supporting health services, businesses and governments in different parts of the continent.
But the role of Western troops in places like Niger and Somalia — notably French troops and U.S. drones — has sparked a backlash.
That may explain why the alternative vision of the BRICS is gaining traction across the continent, and why the group will speak loudly and confidently in the Thornton conference hall this week.
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