Political realism influences South Africa's posture in the ongoing diplomatic fallout with the US

The much-publicised meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart, President Donald Trump, which was aimed at re-setting diplomatic ties between the two countries after a fallout based on allegations of land grabs and genocide against white farmers in South Africa (SA), has once more centralised the importance of diplomacy in International Relations (IR).

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For the purposes of understanding the actions of state actors and non-state actors in the US/SA relations, theories of idealism and realism are adopted. Renowned IR scholar, EH Carr, argues that idealism as a school thought is premised on the notion of international cooperation and mutual respect.

Carr further posits that idealists believe that the international system, which is anarchic in nature, can be managed through principles such as justice, human rights and multilateral institutions. In short, idealism can be equated to utopianism where everything is harmoniously perfect.

In his seminal book, the Twenty Years Crisis, 1919-1939, Carr defines realism, which is an antithesis of idealism, as a power centric doctrine in global affairs that eschew sentimentality and moralism. At the centre of realism is the nation state's pursuit of power and national interest. Realism is closely associated with the concept of pragmatism since it acknowledges the inevitability of competition and the possibility of war in global affairs.

South Africa's decision to attend the meeting with Donald Trump was based on the praxis of realism and national interest which tacitly notes the influence of the US as a superpower - albeit in a multipolar system. There are realities that could not be discounted by anti-US rhetoric prevalent in the socio-political landscape of SA.