South Africa

Abstract

The case of South Africa’s reaction to Iran’s nuclear program is a curious one. It has been subscribing to a global norm of nuclear non-proliferation but challenged its interpretation and application.

South Africa’s post-apartheid government saw Iran with sympathy, and frequently raised the Islamic Republic’s amicable attitude towards the ANC in exile. Ever since the Iran’s nuclear program came to the forefront of the international community in 2002, South Africa’s officials defended Iran, downplayed concerns about its nuclear program and opposed coercive measures at the UN Security Council.

This position is, at the first glance, hard to square with the country’s non-proliferation credentials. At closer scrutiny, however, it becomes clear that the South Africa’s policy towards the Iranian nuclear program has been clearly marked by the distrust of the global North, preference of wide multilateral institutions and belief in the intrinsic value of negotiations.