The International Relations of Sub-Saharan Africa by Ian Taylor

Author:Ian Taylor [Taylor, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Globalization, Comparative Politics, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9780826434012
Google: sy7gXFGRjvgC
Goodreads: 9961019
Publisher: A&C Black
Published: 2010-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

The India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum

The Forum was set up in Brazil in June 2003 and formally launched by Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the UN General Assembly in September 2003. The leaders of the three states intentionally promoted themselves as advocates for an emerging developing world—Lula da Silva spoke of an influential free trade area to rival the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the EU. Indeed, he commented that “A trilateral agreement between India, Brazil and South Africa [would] give us the political will at the WTO (World Trade Organization) to get the flexibility we need for our goods that are often taxed by the developed nations” (Star [Johannesburg], January 29, 2004). Until his electoral defeat in May 2004, Prime Minister Vajpayee, at his core an Indian nationalist, oversaw a resurgent economy and sought to project New Delhi’s reach in an attempt to resurrect India as a global player as it was back in the days of Nehru. As mentioned earlier, the current government in New Delhi continues this theme amid much hyperbole (among mainly Indian academics) about the alleged imminent future status of India as a Superpower (e.g. Mathew, Ganesh and Dayasindhu, 2008; Nanda, 2008; Sanyal, 2008).

The IBSA Forum is based on what is known as the Brasilia Declaration, released in June 2003. The Declaration is a comprehensive document intended to bring about change within the global political economy. It has both political and economic ingredients. Politically, reform of the UN, in particular the Security Council, is of special note, with the Declaration stressing the necessity of expanding the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent member categories, with the involvement of developing countries in both categories. India and Brazil support each other’s membership bids and the IBSA Forum has committed itself to combining energies in order to obtain reform, as well as enhancing the effectiveness of the UN system.

While the IBSA acknowledges the expansion of economic growth, employment, and social development, and the accompanying rise in standards of living in several developing countries, with freer movements of trade, capital, and technology being seen as the source of such growth

[t]he Foreign Ministers of Brazil, India and South Africa expressed their concern that large parts of the world have not benefited from globalization [and they] agreed that globalization must become a positive force for change for all peoples, and must benefit the largest number of countries. In this context, they affirmed their commitment to pursuing policies, programs and initiatives in different international forums, to make the diverse processes of globalization inclusive, integrative, humane, and equitable. (IBSA, 2003)

The IBSA promotes a now recognizable position, condemning protectionist policies in the G-8 and emphasizing the essential requirement to move ahead with the Doha Development Program, as well as reversing Northern protectionist policies and trade-distorting practices. The Brasilia Declaration reiterated the three countries’ expectation that trade negotiations within the WTO would achieve increased political momentum so that deadlocks on issues of fundamental interest to

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