Foreign-policy fogginess

The letter from Department of International Relations and Co-operation media liaison director Nelson Kgwete in response to my article on SA’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe refers (SA’s bullying days are over, November 6).

First, I regret his dishonest use of blatant inaccuracies and innuendos to cast doubt on my legitimacy and professionalism as a former South African diplomat. If he had taken the trouble to check the records, he would have seen I also served as ambassador in Russia and Kazakhstan during Nelson Mandela’s presidency. He would also note that as a writer of many scholarly articles on foreign policy, I never proposed or supported the use of military force to “bully our neighbours”. This is also not what I suggested in my Business Day article, which it seems Kgwete either did not read or did not understand.

Second, Kgwete ignores the fact that my article specifically propagates the promotion of human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe by peaceful, prudent means and effective diplomacy, aimed at empowering deprived Zimbabweans to liberate themselves from President Robert Mugabe’s brutal dictatorship.

Third, methinks Kgwete should sharpen his pencil to better understand the art of effective diplomacy: in essence, the promotion of national interests. Mugabe is not (as he suggests) our permanent friend. He and his regime are harmful to SA. Only our national interests are permanent. Something seems horribly wrong with our foreign policy to ignore our vital interests for so long.