The foreign relations of South Africa have spanned from the country's time as Dominion and later Realm of the British Empire to its isolationist policies under Apartheid to its position as a responsible international actor taking a key role in Africa.
South Africa is active in the United Nations, the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations. Considered a possible permanent addition to the United Nations Security Council, South Africa was elected in 2006 by the UN General Assembly to serve on the Security Council for the first time ever, and again in 2010, where it is currently serving a mandate that ends 31 December 2012.
Read more about Foreign Relations Of South Africa: Post-apartheid, United Nations Security Council, Africa, Europe, Americas, Rest of World
Famous quotes containing the words foreign, relations, south and/or africa:
“Our poets have sung of wine, the product of a foreign plant which commonly they never saw, as if our own plants had no juice in them more than the singers.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“What a man sows, that shall he and his relations reap.”
—Clarissa Graves (1892–1985?)
“A friend and I flew south with our children. During the week we spent together I took off my shoes, let down my hair, took apart my psyche, cleaned the pieces, and put them together again in much improved condition. I feel like a car that’s just had a tune-up. Only another woman could have acted as the mechanic.”
—Anna Quindlen (20th century)
“I have a fair amount of faith that women won’t sit back and allow South Africa to become a totally male-dominated new society. The women in South Africa have shown that they are strong, and I think they will make their voices heard.”
—Paula Hathorn (b. c. 1962)