Operationalising the SADC Mutual Defence Pact: prospects and constraints

Abstract

This article focuses on analysis and recommendations that could assist the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) with the further development of policy frameworks for collaborative security and mutual defence. The Mutual Defence Pact (MDP) provides a legal framework designed to enhance collaborative defence cooperation to deal with issues ranging from aggression of a member state to cooperation in the field of joint training and information sharing. However, we argue in this article that factors such as the relative hesitancy in terms of political will, state sovereignty, bilateral relations existing between individual member states and those outside the subregion as well as the lack of full ratification of the pact and the description of the policy framework and its salient features are challenges to the operationalisation of the MDP. The article also reviews its implementation status, critically assesses outstanding issues (challenges and opportunities), and makes recommendations regarding the management of the issues. The research focuses mainly on the conceptual and comparative analysis level with the aim of developing policy options. Issues related to collective security, mutual defence and global collective security are also examined through an analysis of key policy documents and statements from SADC and other (sub)regional organisations, as well as the United Nations.