South Africa and the New Scramble: The Demise of Sub-imperialism and the Rise of the East

Abstract

This chapter argues that South Africa today cannot be considered a sub-imperialist state, despite its economic weight in Africa and Southern Africa, in particular. The question is how South Africa’s relationship with Northern states and its African neighbours is changing in its reorientation to the East. The chapter discusses the different theoretical conceptions applied to South Africa, before assessing South Africa’s historical and current power across the region and continent, empirically and historically. It is argued that South Africa has undergone transformations that are distinct from other semi-peripheral states. Furthermore, it is argued that the declining importance of the North and the creation of new networks of accumulation orienting the region and South Africa towards the East present new tendencies and conceptual anomalies.