Are ordinary citizens capable of shaping foreign policy? To answer this question, 15 scholars use South Africa as a case study to assess the extent to which democratic consolidation can be translated into the realm of foreign policy. They investigate conceptual issues such as the role of women.

In Democratizing Foreign Policy? Lessons from South Africa fifteen established and emerging scholars use South Africa as a case study to assess the extent to which democratic consolidation can be translated into the realm of foreign policy. Contributors discuss the South African Community as an arena of transnational democracy, the impact of European Union trade policy, and the significance of South Africa's controversial 'arms deals' as they explore the opportunities and constraints facing recently democratized societies in the Southern Hemisphere. This book provides a broad ranging assessment of the opportunities and challenges involved in opening the process of foreign policy making to civil society and the need to do so if the developing world is to better manage the complexities of globalization.