South African Foreign Policy Review: Ramaphosa and a New Dawn for South African Foreign Policy, Eds. by Leslie Masters, Philani Mthembu and Jo-Ansie van Wyk

President Ramaphosa's campaign for the presidency of South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) was intelligently characterised as a 'New Dawn'. The campaign sought to rescue the country from the throes and catastrophe of state capture, whose extent and details were laid bare by the famous Zondo Commission. A 'New Dawn' symbolised the emergence of the dark night--in political terms, a rebirth from the evils of the past administration or regime. Ramaphosa's victory over Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at NASREC 2018 was coupled with national euphoria and optimism. As a promise to clean out corruption, Ramaphosa swiftly persuaded President Zuma to announce the establishment of the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture as recommended by the Public Protector and give up his intention to challenge the Public Protector's report legally. In the domain of foreign policy, the ANC's resolution was instructive: First, downgrade South Africa's embassy in Israel to a liaison office, which was introduced to parliament. Second, withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and ratify the Malabo Protocol. These actions established a solid foundation for a venture into this domain in a book format to tease out how Ramaphosa's presidency would posture itself globally. The starting point is to zero in on the ANC's resolutions and determine whether the supposed 'New Dawn' would usher in new foreign policy thinking or continuity. Such a glance exposes the radicality of the ANC's resolutions on the matters of Israel-Palestine and the ICC.