Democracy | Jakkie Cilliers

Flawed elections and poor governance underlie Africa’s backsliding

by admins | 18 Jan 2024 | African Union, Democracy, Development, Elections

How do we explain the developmental and governance reversals now haunting Africa? Reasons for the apparent collapse of security are complex, but the thread running through insurgencies, coups and instability is slow development, bad governance and the nature of...

SA foreign policy must balance constitutional values and national interest

by admins | 25 May 2023 | Democracy, Development, Foreign Policy, Governance, South Africa

South Africa’s foreign policy seems rife with confusion and lack of principle. Capacity in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has deteriorated in recent years as the country stumbles from one crisis response to the next. This is publicly...

How the Ukraine war ends, and implications for Africa

by admins | 19 Apr 2023 | Democracy, Foreign Policy, Futures

The war in Ukraine and the related intensified competition between the United States (US) and China loom over every international relations discussion. How might the war end, and how will these scenarios affect Africa? Projections for the next 20 years by...

What does a wounded ANC mean for South Africa’s prospects?

by admins | 6 Dec 2022 | Democracy, Futures, South Africa

Much ink will be spilt and tweets posted about the future of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, his governing African National Congress (ANC) party, and South Africa in the coming weeks and months. On 2 December, the president was apparently dissuaded from...

China vs the West: a contest that will hurt Africa’s future

by admins | 7 Nov 2022 | Democracy, Development, Foreign Policy, Futures

A new long-term scenario analysis confirms that China will overtake the United States (US) as the most powerful country in the world by mid-century. The West, comprising the US and the European Union (EU), cannot constrain China’s momentum towards great power status....

South Africa’s future is tied to ANC leadership and election battles

by admins | 27 Jan 2022 | Democracy, Development, Economics, Elections, South Africa

What does South Africa’s future hold? Can it move away from corruption and political infighting and on to a path of economic growth and stability? At a 26 January roundtable with top political analysts and economists, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) tested...