With Great Power Comes . . .

It isn’t easy being a continental superpower. This is a lesson that South Africa learns on a regular basis. By most measures, South Africa is the most powerful country in Africa, which begs the question of what it means to be the most powerful country in Africa. Culturally and economically the country’s influence is pretty clear. Throughout southern Africa in particular people drink products from South African Breweries, watch or listen to programs produced by the SABC, and purchase goods that are imported to Africa through Cape Town and Durban and Joberg and Pretoria. Most would acknowledge that the South African military is the most formidable in the region. And politically, South Africa casts a huge shadow. The confluence of these markers of powers culminates in the 2010 World Cup.

But South Africa’s status breeds mixed feelings, ranging from pride to  jealousy to hostility. If the country throws its weight around, or benefits disproportionately from, say, bilateral agreements, it is resented. If South Africa does not act firmly enough, as, say, in Zimbabwe, it is accused of being feckless. The reality is that South Africa’s diplomatic power comes primarily in its power to persuade, which resides more in the known capacity of its economy and military and culture than in the actual leveraging of those things.