Operating in a Rough Neighbourhood : Zimbabwe’s Foreign Policy in Southern Africa 1980-1990 - Research

Following the country's independence in 1980, misgivings of the Cold War and a competing regional neighbourhood, Zimbabwe's foreign policy was formulated in a manner that reflected Marxist principles and neo liberal subscriptions. This pragmatism saw President Mugabe pursue reconciliatory politics with apartheid South Africa and at the same time a Marxist outfit through joining the Front Line States and the Southern African Coordinating Conference (SADCC).On the surface, this appeared to suggest the country had no clear foreign policy objectives but the undercurrents suggested the politics of a late decoloniser in the context of the Cold War. Harare's ability to fit well into Southern Africa's international relations earned her the status 'African Jewel'. The paper argues that Zimbabwe's foreign policy making in the first decade of the country's independence was the brain child of the Chimurenga legacy and President Mugabe at the centre of decision making.