Understanding Quiet Diplomacy: A critical analysis of South Africa’s intervention in Zimbabwe, 2000-2009

Abstract

This report analyses South Africa’s quiet diplomacy intervention in Zimbabwe to address the political instability and violence in the 2000-2009 period. There is great uncertainty and insufficient information on the reason for South Africa’s quiet diplomacy objectives in Zimbabwe in this period. The report uses a qualitative methodology to collect and analyze data using Joseph Nye’s Co-optive power theory to interpret South Africa’s conduct in its intervention. The study has found that the choice of quiet diplomacy from South Africa is influenced mainly by its foreign policy regarding conflict resolution which centers greatly on negotiations and mediation instead of military intervention. Equally, it has found that the main objective of the intervention has not been to address the socio-economic issues but to mediate and resolve only the political conflict between the Zimbabwe African National Union -Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leadership; from which the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and Government of National Unity (GNU) emerged