The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) collective and the socio-political construction of security
| dc.contributor.advisor | Hudson, Heidi | |
| dc.contributor.author | Van Rooyen, Frank Charles | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-07-03T10:08:48Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-07-03T10:08:48Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-02 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: The focus of this thesis is on the formation and functioning of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) collective. The study aims towards an understanding of whether and to what extent the IBSA collective is socio-politically constructed with respect to its security collaboration. At the outset it should be noted that the concept of ‘security’ as used in this study reflects post-Cold War trends in security thinking and regionalism. As such, IBSA’s security collaboration is placed in the context of evolving debates and practices related to regional security community-building and the fostering of human security. The IBSA collective’s constituted form of security shows the oppositional forces of national needs and the challenges of working towards global equity, all the while providing (contested) leadership positions from within the global South. On one hand this may help to ensure greater equity in world affairs, while on the other hand vested and parochial national interests detract from this effort. These paradoxes highlight the hybrid nature of the IBSA collective’s composition, an enduring theme in the study. This forms the context from which the study embarks. In the debate that surrounds the degree and manner in which IBSA can attempt to shape and enhance the elements of human-centric security, the study conceptually derives an integrated approach that is founded upon critical social constructivism and postcolonialism, compacted in the shape of ‘pillars’ that lay out a conceptual framework diagram. The synthesised theories are empirically applied to three functional areas of cooperation – maritime trade, energy and defence cooperation – through the consistent application of the ‘pillars’ noted above. The qualitative case study design highlights the inclusion of issues that enhance trustworthiness, so that the study can ascertain if associated aspects of human security with sectoral IBSA cooperation have been enhanced. With respect to maritime trade cooperation the study finds minimal yields, although the causal link between increased intra-IBSA trade and IBSA trade cooperation efforts could not be established for certain. In terms of energy cooperation, the study determines that adequate projects have come on stream, and that the complexity of the issues requires time for knowledge transfers. The study finds that the defence cooperation presently effects a minimal enhancement of physical and/or military security, but that its very nature makes long-term dividends probable. All three (of sixteen) IBSA working groups place emphases on constitutive discourse, dialogue, socialisation and identity-formation. They not only symbolise the tenets of social constructivism at work – from the bottom up – but also define trilateral relations and provide continuity and strength to the IBSA socio-political structure. The study thus provides greater understanding of the IBSA collective’s security collaboration. It confirms that – to varying gradations – sectoral cooperation enhances aspects of regional human security, and shows that the IBSA collective has had embryonic successes at international level, where great potential lies. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Die fokus van hierdie proefskrif is die vorming en die funksionering van die Indië- Brasilië-Suid Afrika (IBSA) gemeenskap. Die navorsing poog om begrip te skep oor die graad en wyse waarop IBSA as ‘n sekerheidsgroepering sosio-polities saamgestel is ten opsigte van sekerheidssamewerking binne die gemeenskap. Die konsep van ‘sekerheid’ moet vanuit die staanspoor herken word as tekenend van post-Koue Oorlog tendense in sekerheidsdenke en regionalisme. As sulks word IBSA se sekerheidssamewerking geplaas binne die konteks van ontwikkelende debatte en praktyke met betrekking tot streekssekerheid en die skepping van menslike sekerheid binne gemeenskapsbou. Die IBSA gemeenskap se gekonstitueerde vorm van sekerheid dui die opponerende magte van nasionale behoeftes en die uitdagings van reiking na globale eenheid aan, terwyl (betwiste) leierskapsposisies van binne die globale Suide verskaf word. Dit mag moontlik help om groter gelykheid te verskaf in wêreldsake, maar terselftertyd doen gevestigde en enge nasionale belang afbreuk daaraan. Hierdie paradoks beklemtoon die hibriede aard van die IBSA gemeenskap se samestelling, die vertrekpunt en ‘n deurlopende tema in hierdie studie. In die debat rondom die graad en wyse waarop IBSA kan poog om die elemente van menssentriese sekerheid te vorm en verbeter, lei die studie konseptueel ’n geïntegreerde benadering, gebaseer op krities sosiale konstruktivisme en postkolonialisme en geïllustreer deur ‘pilare’ binne ‘n konseptuele raamwerk diagram, af. Die gesintetiseerde teorieë word empiries toegepas op drie funksionele areas van samewerking – maritieme handel, energie en militêre samewerking – deur konsekwente toepassing van die ’pilare’ soos bo genoem. Die kwalitatiewe gevallestudie ontwerp beklemtoon die insluiting van aspekte wat betroubaarheid beklemtoon, sodat die studie kan vasstel of die geassosieerde aspekte van menslike sekerheid wel verbeter word deur samewerking binne die spesifieke sektore. Wat betref maritieme handelssamewerking, vind die studie minimale opbrengste/suksesse, hoewel kousaliteit tussen verbeterde IBSA handel en IBSA samewerkingspogings onseker is. Ten opsigte van energie samewerking bevind die studie dat genoegsame projekte aangepak word en dat die kompleksiteit van die saak tyd benodig vir kennisoordrag. Wat verdedigingssamewerking betref, dui die studie op ‘n minimale verbetering in fisiese en/of militêre sekerheid, maar dat langtermyn dividende waarskynlik is. Al drie (van die sestien) IBSA werkgroepe benadruk konstruktiewe diskoers, dialoog, sosialisering en identiteits-vorming. Dit simboliseer nie alleen die beginsels van sosiale konstruktivisme in aksie nie – van onder af op – maar definieer ook tri-laterale verhoudings en verskaf kontinuiteit en krag aan die IBSA sosiopolitiese struktuur. Die studie verskaf dus beter insig in die IBSA gemeenskap se sekerheidssamewerking. Dit bevestig dat – in variërende grade – sektorale samewerking wel aspekte van streeks menslike sekerheid bevorder en bevestig dat die IBSA kollektief wel embrioniese suksesse behaal het op internasionale vlak, waar groot potensiaal bestaan. | af |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/6446 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Regionalism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | (Critical) Social Constructivism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Postcolonialism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Regional Security Communities | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Socio-political Construction | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Human Security | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Global South | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | IBSA | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Colonialism | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Colonial History | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | India | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Brazil | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Maritime Trade Cooperation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Energy Cooperation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Defence Cooperation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Thesis (Ph.D. (Centre for Africa Studies))--University of the Free State, 2017 | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) collective and the socio-political construction of security | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |