A Study of Intra-African Relations: an Analysis of the Factors Informing the Foreign Policy of Malawi Towards Zimbabwe
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by South East Academic Libraries System (SEALS) A STUDY OF INTRA-AFRICAN RELATIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS INFORMING THE FOREIGN POLICY OF MALAWI TOWARDS ZIMBABWE A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL SCIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES at DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES RHODES UNIVERSITY by EUGENIO NJOLOMA November 2010 SUPERVISOR Ms. Georgina Barrett Abstract There has been only limited scholarly analysis of Malawi’s foreign policy since its independence in 1964 with key texts focusing primarily on the early years of the new state. Perhaps due to its relatively small stature – economically, politically and militarily – in the region, very little attention has been paid to the factors informing Malawi’s apparently uncritical foreign policy response to the Zimbabwe crisis since it began in the late 1990s. This thesis addresses this deficit by locating its understanding of Malawi’s contemporary foreign policy towards Zimbabwe in the broader historical and contemporary context of bilateral relations between the two states and the multilateral forum of SADCC and SADC. It is argued that the Malawi’s long-standing quest for socio-economic development has forced it to manoeuvre a pragmatic but sometimes contentious foreign policy path. This was also evident until the end of the Cold War and the concomitant demise of apartheid in South Africa in the early 1990s. Malawi forged deliberate diplomatic and economic relations with the region’s white-ruled Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia) and South Africa in pursuit of its national economic interests while the majority of southern African states collectively sought the liberation of the region by facilitating the independence of Zimbabwe and countering South Africa’s apartheid and regional destabilization policies. In the contemporary era, there has been a convergence of foreign policy ambitions in the region and Malawi now coordinates its regional foreign policy within the framework of SADC, which itself prioritizes the attainment of socio-economic development. However, to understand Malawi’s response to the Zimbabwe crisis only in the context of SADC’s “quiet diplomacy” mediation efforts obscures important historically rooted socio- economic and political factors that have informed relations between Malawi and Zimbabwe and which cannot, it is argued, be ignored if a holistic understanding of Malawi’s position is to be sought. This study argues that the nature of historical ties between Malawi and Zimbabwe and the role of Malawi’s leaders in driving its long-standing quest for socio- economic development have not only informed its overall foreign policy behaviour in the region but underpin its contemporary relations with Zimbabwe. ii Declaration I, Eugenio Njoloma, declare that this thesis has never been submitted by me for a degree at Rhodes University or any other institution of higher learning. It is work of my own design and implementation. All materials contained herein have been fully acknowledged. iii Acknowledgements The debts incurred in the writing of this thesis are many. However, it would be impossible to list the names of all the people who have contributed to the completion of this thesis. I am especially indebted to my research supervisor, Ms. Georgina Barrett, whose concrete criticisms and extraordinary patience have made this research work a reality. I am likewise indebted to Padre Mario Pacifici, Don Cesare Castelli, Professor Aggrey Ambali, and Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust for the financial and moral support they have provided me with during my studies at Rhodes University. Furthermore, my parents, Peter and Aularia, and siblings Anna, Christina, Mark, and Emmanuel, have all been instrumental in my life in many respects. A number of individuals have also given generously of their time in assisting me morally, particularly Mr. McDonald Kanyangale and family and Mr and Mrs Likwanya. Lastly, it is my wish to acknowledge the love and patience shown by my fiancée and best friend Helen and daughter, Victoria Patience, particularly for enduring my long absence from home. This research work is dedicated to both of them. iv List of Abbreviations AATPO Association of African Trade Promotion Organisation APR African peer Review Mechanism ANC African National Congress ARV Anti-Retroviral (drugs) AU African Union BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CAF Central African Federation CHRR Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation CNN Cable News Network COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa CONSAS Constellation of Southern African States DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EEC European Economic Commission ESC Economic and Social Commission EU European Union FLS Frontline States FMSP Forced Migration Studies Program FRELIMO Front for Liberation of Mozambique GDP Gross Domestic Product GNU Government of National Unity HDR Human Development Report HIV/AIDS Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome IFI International Financial Institution ILO International Labour Organisation MCP Malawi Congress Party MDC Movement for Democratic Change NASO [Malawi] National Statistics Office NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development, The NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NLM National Liberation Movement OAU Organisation of African Unity OPDSC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation v PTA Preferential Trade Agreement RENAMO Mozambique National Resistance Movement SACU Southern African Customs Union SADC Southern African Development Community SADCC Southern African Development Coordination Conference TEBA The Employment Bureau of Africa UDF United Democratic Front UDI Unilateral Declaration of Independence UK United Kingdom UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UFP United Federal Party USA United States of America WHO World Health Organisation ZANU-PF Zimbabwe African National Unity-Patriotic Front ZAPU Zimbabwe African People’s Union vi Table of Contents General introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Study context ......................................................................................................................... 2 Objectives of the study........................................................................................................... 5 Research problem................................................................................................................... 6 Research methodology ........................................................................................................... 8 Thesis structure ...................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter One Foreign Policy in the African and Southern African Context 1.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 10 1.2. Foreign Policy .......................................................................................................... 11 1.2.1. Diplomacy ................................................................................................................ 12 1.2.2. Leadership as a domestic determinant of foreign policy ......................................... 13 1.3. African states’ foreign policies pre 1990 ................................................................. 14 1.3.1. The quest for economic development ...................................................................... 15 1.3.2. The impact of colonialism ....................................................................................... 18 1.3.3. Southern African unity in opposition to white rule: the FLS and SADCC…...…...19 1.3.3.1.Malawi’s pragmatism and foreign policy divergence .............................................. 22 1.3.3.2.The possibility of re-alignment: Malawi and SADDC ............................................ 23 1.4. Overview: Malawi, SADC and regional foreign policy post 1990………..……….24 1.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 26 Chapter Two The Historical Context of Malawi-Zimbabwe Relations 2.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 27 2.2. Labour migration in southern Africa ....................................................................... 28 2.3. The flow of Nyasaland labour migrants to Rhodesia............................................... 30 2.3.1. Economic and social implications of Nyasaland labour migration to Rhodesia ..... 31 2.4. Relations between Nyasaland and Rhodesia in the context of CAF ........................ 32 2.5. Malawi’s (Nyasaland) post-independence relations with Rhodesia ........................ 34 2.5.1. Bilateral socio-economic relations ........................................................................... 36 2.6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 37 Chapter Three Foreign Policy Relations within the Framework of SADC Multilateralism 3.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 39 3.2. Regional relations in the context of SADC.............................................................