Towards a Structured Parliamentary Diplomacy Model

1
Towards a Structured Parliamentary Diplomacy Model

• Potential Models for Co-operation between
  Parliament of South Africa and Third Parties
• K Ahmed
• Acting ManagerInternational Relations Section

2
1. Central Question

• Since Parliament of South Africa has already
  established relations with various multilateral
  organizations, would it be beneficial for
  Parliament to (1) expand its scope of
  international diplomacy through a structured
  process and if so, (2) develop a parliamentary
  diplomacy model to facilitate the expansion?

3
2. Parliaments Current International Relations

• Structured relations currently exist between
  Parliament and the following multilateral
  organizations
• CPA
• IPU
• SADC-PF
• ACP-EU
• PAP
• APU

4
3. Transnational Parliamentary Bodies

• Approximately 35 parliamentary bodies, such as
• European Parliament
• Latin American Parliament
• Asian and Pacific Parliamentarians Union
• Benelux Interparliamentary Consultative Assembly

5
4. Bilateral Parliamentary Bodies

• Hundreds of bilateral (parliament-to-parliament)
  friendship groups, such as
• US-Australian Parliamentary Friendship Group
• European Parliament Delegation for Relations with
  South Africa

6
5. Issue-Centered Parliamentary Groups

• Association of Western European Parliamentarians
  Against Apartheid
• Parliamentarian Conference on WTO

7
6. History of Bilateral Relations

• 1994 SA seen as the flavour of the month
• Post 1994 Agreement entered into between former
  Speaker and European Parliament
• 2004 Greater push for North-South Relations,
  particularly by the EU
• Past three months 14 bilateral requests

8
7. What are the Current Issues?

• Who do we establish relations with?
• North-South or South-South
• What form do these relations take?
• Structured or unstructured
• What guides our approach?
• SA foreign policy
• Mission Vision oversight, public participation
  
• What about resources and capacity?

9
8. Theories of International Relations

• Realism maximising self interest
• Idealism transnational cooperation
• Gender theory constructed gender roles impact on
  relations

10
9. Parliaments Conventional IR Model

• Advocates Parliament-to-Parliament relations as
  opposed to friendship groups.
• Relationships at an international level are
  (theoretically) managed by the sub-committee on
  International Relations.
• Allows for membership of regional and
  international multilateral bodies such as PAP,
  SADC-PF and IPU.
• No formal structured relationship exists with any
  regional body of which Parliament is not entitled
  to be a member.

11
10. Alternative IR Models

• Formal model formalization of relations through
  Joint Rules Committee.
• Political model formalization of relations
  through PC on Foreign Affairs.
• Ad hoc model semi-formal relations through ad
  hoc committee.

12
11. Third Party-SA Relations Options

• Informal relations administered through the
  Sub-Committee on International Relations/ IR
  Section.
• Semi-formal relations managed by an ad hoc
  committee.
• Formal relations through PC on Foreign Affairs.
• Formal relations through the Joint Rules
  Committee.

13
12. Observations

• Continuous pressure on Parliament to establish
  structured relations
• Careful analysis and debate required
• Lack of capacity in the IR Section to deal with
  structured relations
• IR Section has proposed a discussion on
  parliamentary diplomacy in July/August

14
13. Conclusion

• Parliamentarians role in IR has changed
• As a result, services provided by IR Section has
  to be transformed
• Before Parliament embarks on forming structured
  relations with third parties, greater debate is
  required