“Since wars are born in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men we must build the ramparts of peace.”
-Archibald McLeish
Unearthing peace amidst the landscape of conflict in Southern Africa is a complex task. The region boasts two of the strongest economies in sub-Sahara Africa (South Africa and Botswana), five countries rebuilding after long liberation/civil wars (Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique), and two of the most destructive violent conflict sites presently active in Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe).
In working for peace in Southern Africa, international political actors should be aware of the realities of weakened nation-states, global economic interference, environmental degradation and the consequences of pandemics like HIV/AIDS.
In order to discover sustainable peace in Southern Africa, we advocate for the U.S. government to articulate a clear vision, and to shape a foreign policy that heeds the following “sign-posts”:
Demilitarization
Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe continue to maintain sizable militaries in a region that presents no political or military threat from their neighboring states. While the “military-industrial complex” is touted to create jobs and encourage robust economies, the costs of militarization are astronomical. The current military spending could be better used to bolster much needed development programs across the region. Comprehensive legislation is also needed to curb the flow of illegal small arms that continue to feed crime conglomerates in the region.
Development
The UN Millennium Development Goals of 2015 should be promoted and supported in the region. Critical policy issues include: 1) fair trade agreements between the region and developed nations, 2) regulations on mineral wealth extraction to limit international exploitation and maximize national ownership, control, and decision-making, 3) debt cancellation and 4) increased funding for alleviation of HIV/AIDS.
Diplomacy
It is also vitally important to engage in capacity-building strategies with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and its various agencies. Diplomatic pressure could be leveraged:
- to fully implement African Union/SADC “peer-review” panels
- to improve SADC conflict early warning mechanisms
- to include civil society representation at SADC deliberations
- to establish an official portfolio for peace-building (on par with the Security Council) within the SADC system and
- to expand funding for innovative efforts that nurture and promote “citizen-to-citizen” peace initiatives across boundaries.
“Daring diplomacy” counts the costs of investing time, energy and resources into creating peace at all levels of society. Daring diplomacy reaps the benefits of involving a wide spectrum of players to construct durable peace.
Carl Stauffer is Coordinator of the Regional Peace Network in Southern Africa for MCC.
