Here we go again! Instead of getting real in a realist world, the department of international relations & co-operation, full of moral outrage, grandstands and pushes itself front and centre stage in the world of great power politics by calling on the UN Security Council “to urgently convene to address the situation in Venezuela” (“SA slams Trump intervention in Venezuela, calls for UN Security Council meeting”, January 4). In calling into question America’s invasion of Venezuela and detention of its president, Nicolás Maduro, the department persists in pursuing a foreign policy that’s at odds with South Africa’s national interests.
In Resolution 2633, passed by the House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee, the US Congress has determined that the South African government “has a history of siding with malign actors”, and that South Africa’s foreign policies “undermine US national security and foreign policy interests”. Unlike China, Russia and Iran, democratic countries condemned Maduro for looting and destroying his country. Their response has been muted and many Latin American countries welcomed the American incursion.
South Africa’s hypocrisy is palpable. The country did not run to the Security Council when Russia twice invaded Ukraine. It fails to criticise China’s violation of human rights in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, and de facto sides with China’s repeated violations of the sovereignty of countries around the China Seas.
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With this track record it would have been better for SA to maintain a low profile and focus on fixing the economy. And the potholes. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments toletters@businessday.co.za.
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