South Africa in the Indo-Pacific: Physically Peripheral, Qualitatively Engaged

When examining the Indo-Pacific as the new centre for power politics, it would seem that South Africa is an ‘unconventional’ – and even inconsequential – country, located on the western outpost. Instead, this contribution explores the very factors that create South Africa’s unconventional actorness. Moreover, it considers the country’s qualitative engagement in the Indo-Pacific, which precedes the more recent spotlight on this mega-region. Elements include the country’s (i) trade ties in the Indo-Pacific, (ii) its political-normative engagement (and specifically the ‘Indo’ aspect, through the Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA), (iii) its security interests in the region, (iv) the pressures that perpetuate South Africa’s peripheral and thereby unconventional position and finally, (v) its posture and trends in its engagement with the Indo-Pacific. Through an exploration of these elements, it is clear that South Africa may be physically peripheral, but it is also qualitatively engaged in the two oceans, albeit with some constraints.