Chris Opperman started his career as a diplomat in Washington DC and Dar es Salaam. He then joined the private sector and mainly focused on business opportunities in east Africa. He has also raised funds for a number of conservation projects and recently facilitated discussions between Afrikaner groupings and former president Thabo Mbeki.
NOT IRREVERSIBLE YET
Without a moral compass, SA loses its foreign standing
South Africa's foreign standing and influence is increasingly in jeopardy because we have lost the moral compass. The country is increasingly taking sides and abandoning a traditional approach of neutrality and non-alignment because we are increasingly disregarding internationally accepted values and rules, writes CHRIS OPPERMAN.
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IN ex-ambassador Gert Grobler's excellent recent article in Vrye Weekblad (https://www.vryeweekblad.com/menings-en-debat/2023-04-14-hel-sa-se-buitelandse-beleid-te-veel-oor-na-rusland-china-brics/) he argues that our government under President Cyril Ramaphosa continues to pursue a balanced and strategically oriented foreign policy, closely linked to national interest especially in the economic field.
Such a foreign policy can’t be faulted. In fact, this approach has resulted in South Africa punching well above its weight in the diplomatic game over the past 30 years, and being invited to the biggest and most important clubs in international power groupings.
I would argue, however, that the greater influence we wield, relative to the size of our economy, population and military capability, can mainly be attributed to another consideration: our fearless embrace of democratic values and a supreme constitution which has resulted in South Africa becoming an example for the world to follow. It gave us a moral compass that bought us international influence in an intangible way...
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Volgende artikelChris Opperman
BusinessmanChris Opperman started his career as a diplomat in Washington DC and Dar es Salaam. He then joined the private sector and mainly focused on business opportunities in east Africa. He has also raised funds for a number of conservation projects and recently facilitated discussions between Afrikaner groupings and former president Thabo Mbeki.