Edited by Canada, Scandinavia and Southern Africa
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Edited by Canada, Scandinavia and Southern Africa Canada Scandinavia and Southern Africa Edited by Douglas A nglin Timothy Shaw and Car1 Widstrand Scandinavian Institute of African Studies Uppsala 1 9 7 8 The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies has served at Uppsala since 1962 as a Scandinavian documentation and research centre on African affairs. The views expressed in its publications are entirely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute or the institutions where they are engaged at present. O 1978 Nordiska afrikainstitutet ISBW 91-7106-143-6 Printed in Sweden by Uppsala Offsetcenter AB, Uppsala 197 8 Contents Preface Introduction I. Economic and Military Linkages and Leverage The Canadian Economy and Southern Africa Steuen Langdon Canadian Bank Loans to South Africa John S. Saul Scandinavia, Canada and the Arms Embargo Abdul S. Minty 11. Development Assistance Scandinavian Development Assistance to Borswana, Lesotho and Swaziland R ogpr 1,PYA Appendix: Scandinavian Aid to the "Victims of Apartheid" Canada and the Frontline States Linda Freeman Canadian Humanitarian Aid for Southern Africa Paul Ladouceur 111. Scandinavian Policy Options Nordic Opportunities and Responsibilities in Southern Africa Thoruald Stoltenberg Nordic Policy Trends towards Southern Africa Anders Thunborg Prrsent Imperialist Policies in Southern Africa: The Case for Scandinavian Disassociation Maz Palmberg IV. Canadian Policies and Policymaking Canada's Attitude toward Southern Africa Donald C. .Jamzeson Canadian Policy toward Southern Africa: The Decision-Making Process Georges Blouin Canadian Policy toward Southern Africa Robert Matthews and Cranford Pratt V. Issues and Options Scandinavian and Canadian Policy Issues Timothy M. Shaw About the authors Preface Since 1963, the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies has organized a variety of international seminars. As a part of its function as a Scandinavian documentation and research centre on African problems, the Institute has sought to choose topics for these international seminars that would be of interest to academics as well as to planners, administrators and politicians. These topics have included refugee problems, boundary problems, problems of adult education, the role ofmass media, co-operative development in East Africa and problems of land-locked countries in Africa. Scholars from abroad- primarily, of course, from Africa - have been invited to discuss their particular topics with Scandinavian specialists and other interested persons. Another of our principle tasks over the years has been to promote and sustain the interest in African affairs among Scandinavians. Seminars comprise one way of doing so at an academic level. During these seminars, however, we have also attempted to offer "another point of view" on a variety of topics. The profile, strength and vigour of our institute depends, therefore, to a great extent on our being able to call upon in our discussions with experts from Africa and abroad a large number of Scandinavian scholars with backgrounds and views widely differing from those held in other African studies establishments. We have also been interested in the studies on Africa and the policies on development of countries like the Netherlands and Canada. We felt that considerably more progress could be achieved towards sustaining the general interest in African affairs and in South Africa in particular, if we could pool our resources with a Canadian research institution to explore jointly the policies on Southern Africa of a group of countries not directly involved in great power politics in Africa. So, after years of planning and discussion, the first joint Scandinavian-Canadian Conference on an African topic was held in Ottawa from 19 to 22 February 197 8. The Conference was intended to examine and discuss Canadian and Scandinavian perspectives on and policies towards the states of Southern Africa, and to analyse and compare the different development strategies and political economies that have emerged in the region in recent years. A rather diverse group of Scandinavian, Canadian and African scholars, officials and activists was deliberately invited to attend as indicated in the list ofparticipants at the end ofthis volume. However, they all shared a concern for the promotion of justice in Southern Africa and a firm conviction that fundamental change in Southern Africa is urgently necessary and ultimately inevitable, though they differed both on the nature of the changes needed and over strategies for achieving them. The Conference was sponsored by the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies (Uppsala), The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University (Ottawa),and the Centre for African Studies at Dalhousie University (Halifax). Neither the Conference itselfnor this collection of papers were intended to offer a definitive or comprehensive analysis of Southern African affairs. Rather, they were designed to reflect the range of current analyses of regional problems and prospects and to describe and debate Scandinavian and Canadian responses. I hope that this focus constitutes the distinctive contribution of both the Conference and its proceedings. Inevitably, however, given the range of issues and interests, neither the discussions nor the publications could be exhaustive. Some comments in this collection may be overtaken by events occurring either after the Conference or after its publication. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that these papers offer new and important insights into some of the prospects for conflict and change in Southern Africa. The present volume concentrates on the relations between Canada-Scandinavia and Southern Africa. A companion volume Conflict and Change in Southern Africa: papers from a Scandinavian-Canadian Conference edited by Douglas Anglin, Timothy Shaw and Carl Widstrand(UniversityPress of America, 197 8)incorporates a variety of analyses, perceptions and ideologies and discusses the position of the front-line states, the liberation movements and prospects of change within South Africa. The Conference and hence this publication could not have happened without the ready agreement of participants and my CO-editors,the invaluable work of assistants and secretaries and the timely generosity of several funding egencies. In the latter regard it is a pleasure to record the financial assistance of the Canada Council and the Department of External Affairs in Ottawa, Carleton University and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at Dalhousie and the invaluable assistance of the staff of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. Finally, gratitude is due to our contributors for agreeing to the inclusion of their revised papers in this volume. I should take this opportunity to point out that all of the conferees and contributors came to and participated in the Conference in their personal capacities. The papers presented here are their own and should not be taken to represent the official policy of any of the institutions with which they are presently connected. Carl G. Widstrand Uppsala,June 1 9 7 8 Car1 Widstrand Introduction 197 8 is the international anti-apartheid year. It is therefore very appropriate that this seminar was organized in 197 8. This was, however, pure coincidence as the seminar has a rather long history. This history is important, not because it is especially outstanding in the history of seminars of the world, but rather because the changes the seminar has undergone reflect the rapidly changing situation in Southern Africa. Professor Douglas Anglin and Dr Tim Shaw, my Canadian coorganisers of this meeting have been discussing the content, focus and direction of the seminar for more than five years. The original ideas were these: - Here were two areas of the world, Scandinavia and Canada, somewhat - if one may use the simile - on the outer track: not directly involved in making great power policy on Southern African questions. We also like to think they were not dependent on any other grouping for shaping their own policies. This is a debatable point and realpolitik is of course something else, as we shall no doubt hear during the days to come. -There were also some common problems between these areas when it came to deal directly with South Africa and the countries of Southern Africa. One such trivial problem is that whatever policies these countries chose to pursue, Canadians and Scandinavians had to have some official policy vis-l-visthem. We have to have some policy towards private enterprise in our own countries. We thought we could not control their relations with South Africa or the countries in Southern Africa. -We are or were also unimportant, in a positive sense, it probably would not matter economically ifwe withdrew from South Africa. But the importance of such a step by unimportant countries could be very great indeed. I only have to mention the reaction to the recent Canadian move to withdraw the commercial consuls and exj~or' support for transactions with South Africa. Even though it may be characterised as a cosmetic move it has caused dramatic and irritated reactions in South Africa. Discussions on these topics over the years lead to two conclusions,one concerning the structure, the other concerning the form of the seminar. Structure of seminars and seminar architecture may seem more important to organisers than to participants. Our original idea on the structure of the seminar was to use South Africa as a back drop,