Inside Track

The South African experience with negotiations for a political settlement to its conflict has wider resonance for political activists in other contexts. Of especial interest is the strategic thinking that informed both the successes and failures of the South African experience. The South African experience provides opportunities for other activists to consider the relevance of the strategic options that advanced the cause of democratic nation-building in South Africa and those that set it back. It is hoped that through exposure to new perspectives, readers will be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses in their own situations. The differences in context and circumstances between South Africa and other countries going through political transition are clearly recognized, and there is no attempt to glibly prescribe South African solutions to other situations.

Rather, this publication is presented as a tool to encourage people going through political transitions to fully appreciate the complexities and uncertainties of the process, and to focus on the strategic options that may emerge as the defining milestones in their own peace processes.

Since its establishment in 1995 by states from different parts of the world, International IDEA (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) has been working towards promoting and advancing sustainable democracy world-wide. The Institute’s main objective is to promote and facilitate national and international dialogues, enhancing and strengthening democratic development.

International IDEA is dedicated to supporting all aspects of the democratic process — before, after and between elections. Democracy is a long-term process and requires the building of trust among multiple partners, and it needs to be nurtured and strengthened over time.

IDEA’s contribution to the promotion of sustainable democracy has included initiatives in conflict management, and building national capacity to foster political transitions from authoritarianism and civil war situations towards governance based on democratic principles. This is a complex and long-term endeavour and practitioners learn from and are stimulated by past experiences. In the course of its work in different parts of the world, IDEA has facilitated workshops and dialogue fora in which the experiences of South Africa have been discussed and lessons learned from that unique experience. There has never been an attempt or desire to apply South Africa’s experiences as a blueprint. Rather there have been initiatives to foster dialogue, drawing on this experience and culling from the successes and set-backs of that process while identifying some generic principles and lessons-learned that may assist in developing creative solutions to other political transitions.

The Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) was founded by the University of Cape Town in 1968 as an independent non-profit organisation. Its mission is to contribute towards a just and sustainable peace in South Africa and other African countries by promoting constructive, creative and co-operative approaches to the resolution of conflict and the reduction of violence. CCR’s main activities are mediation, conflict resolution skills training and research. Specialised training is conducted for police, military and prisons personnel; teachers and youth; local authorities; human rights actors; and senior government officials. Research areas include defence policy, regional security and demilitarisation; international mediation; civil wars; and human rights and conflict management.

CCR contributes to peacemaking and peacebuilding in South Africa, Burundi, Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Somalia. It seeks to empower local actors through long-term programmes designed to meet their expressed needs. It has partnerships with a number of international bodies, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN Department of Social and Economic Affairs, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Staff College, the UN Institute for Training and Research and the World Bank.

International IDEA and the Centre for Conflict Resolution present this publication as a resource to be used by the community of practitioners and activists who are engaged in that long struggle to navigate peaceful political transitions and anchor peace by building sustainable democratic institutions and processes.

Bengt Säve Söderbergh,Secretary General, International IDEA
Laurie Nathan, Director, Centre for Conflict Resolution

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