Perspectives on Security, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation: Views from the United States and South Africa

Abstract

This project convened a dialogue between civil societies in the United States and the Republic of South Africa (RSA) to deepen understanding of the ways in which each nation views its most critical strategic security concerns and the domestic debates that shape those views. This project engaged in dialogue through the lens of nuclear disarmament, energy, and proliferation/nonproliferation issues. Despite cooperation on a number of matters in this area, U.S.-South African relations have not always been cordial and the two have come into open disagreements on a number of occasions. South Africa is a key force for regional stability in Africa. It maintains an active and expanding nuclear energy industry, is an influential country within the African Union (AU), has the largest economy on the continent of Africa, and maintains the most well-equipped and trained military in sub-Saharan Africa. In the framework of the narrative “United States-South Africa Relationship: Going Global”1 the question is how the two countries can improve their cooperation and decrease tension in this area for greater global security.