by Joan Swart | Aug 23, 2026 | Defence Policy and Strategy, National Security - Nasionale Veiligheid, South Africa, STRATEGIC STUDIES
Abstract: Foreign policy is often presented as a calculation of national interest, separate from emotion and morality. Yet national interest itself is shaped by history, values and strategic culture, raising a difficult question: when principle, international law and...
by Joan Swart | Aug 17, 2026 | Defence Policy and Strategy, National Security - Nasionale Veiligheid, South Africa, STRATEGIC STUDIES
Abstract: South Africa inherited distinct military and political traditions that were never fully synthesised into a coherent post-1994 strategic culture. Rebuilding effective military strategy and doctrine therefore requires neither restoration nor rejection, but a...
by Joan Swart | Aug 8, 2026 | Defence Policy and Strategy, National Security - Nasionale Veiligheid, South Africa, STRATEGIC STUDIES
Abstract: Recurring disruptions in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz have restored the strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route. Yet South Africa continues to treat its maritime position primarily as a transport issue rather than a strategic national asset. This...
by Joan Swart | Jul 24, 2026 | Defence Policy and Strategy, Energy Security, National Security - Nasionale Veiligheid, South Africa, STRATEGIC STUDIES
Abstract: South Africa’s draft Strategic Petroleum Stocks Policy is about far more than fuel security. It signals a renewed appreciation that national resilience cannot be left entirely to market forces, and that strategic endurance requires deliberate...
by Joan Swart | Jul 17, 2026 | Defence Policy and Strategy, National Security - Nasionale Veiligheid, South Africa, STARLINK, Strategic communication, Strategic Interconnectivity, STRATEGIC STUDIES
Abstract: Amazon’s planned entry into South Africa’s satellite internet market fundamentally shifts the Starlink debate from individual companies to the governance of strategic digital infrastructure. As communications infrastructure becomes increasingly...
by Joan Swart | Jul 10, 2026 | Defence Policy and Strategy, Diplomacy, Military strategy, Strategic communication, STRATEGIC STUDIES
Abstract: The funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demonstrates how states can employ ritual, symbolism and mass mobilisation as instruments of strategic communication before military force is ever employed. Recognising and correctly interpreting such signals is an...
