SECURITY CO-OPERATION IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY: INSIGHTS FROM THE NEW INSTITUTIONALISM

Abstract

This article focuses on the institutional dimensions of security cooperationas it manifests in the Southern African Development Community(SADC). As the quotations above suggest, security co-operation, as part of a biggerproject of regional integration, is not obvious. Indeed, should southern Africansbelieve their politicians when the latter claim that SADC is ‘forging ahead’ on theroad to formal integration? Slabbert is not convinced. Not only academics, but civilsociety increasingly question its raison d’ etre. For many, it is unclear whether orhow SADC provides human security to the people of the region. Instead, SADCmembers’ positions on the key regional challenges (trade, growth and development,security and stability) are driven by national interest rather than regional interest – asrealists argue, national interests (a must-have) are hard and measurable; regional cooperation(often a nice-to-have) is hard to measure. Or should we accept a regionalconsciousness shaped by a shared historical experience – a problematic assumption?