O legado de Nelson Mandela para política externa Sul-Africana (1994-1999)

Abstract

The present work aims to study the legacies left by Nelson Mandela for South African foreign policy during his term as President of the Republic between the periods of 1994- 1999. Nelson Mandela's era was marked by several important events. It was the first democratic government in South Africa's history and headed by a black man. Madiba's management has re-approached and created strong contacts between the Republic of South Africa (RAS) and the international community, mainly with the African continent, in the Southern Africa region. His figure helped a lot to improve the image of the country, due to his prestige (pacifism, charisma). When Mandela assumes power, South African foreign policy takes on another meaning, it ceases to be isolationist, as it was during the period of the apartheid regime and becomes more pragmatic and active. South African foreign policy in the Mandela era was based on universalism, multilateralism, environmental issues and, above all, human rights issues, which he considered very important for democracy. During his tenure, Mandela established contacts with several states, including the United States of America (USA), Russia, Europe, Angola, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Iran etc. Its foreign policy has been criticized for maintaining relations with countries considered to be human rights violators (Iran, Libya, Zimbabwe etc.), also for some unsuccessful military interventions on the African continent, to resolve conflicts. To fulfill the objective, the present work was divided into three chapters, in the first one, it was presented, the historical evolution of the country, the arrival and domination of the Europeans, in the second part, aspects related to the creation of the apartheid regime, until its removal. In the third moment, the first multiracial democratic election, and mainly the South African foreign policy during the mandates of Nelson Mandela, which is the main focus of this study, was approached.