rozvojová pomoc a spolupráca - Fakulta medzinárodných vzťahov

Basically, there is no one and single correct perception about nationalinterest. For some African states foreign policy was and is realized to securetheir state sovereignty and national identity, which they think is their topsecurity agenda, in the face of threat from their neighbors on the issues ofborder. This perception usually runs to conflict (for example: Ethiopia versusEritrea on the question of Badme; Ethiopia versus Somalia on Ogaden; Togoversus Ghana; Kena versus Somalia; Tanzania versus Uganda; Angola versusformer Zair; Angola versus Congo, etc.)For some, national interest is associated with political differencesbetween heads of states. For example, President Felix Bojgny versus SekouToure both being colonized but the prior is conservative in manner while thelatter is radical. Bojgny relies on the relation with previous colonizer, France asa path to prosperity where as Sekou Toure had totally different visions aboutthe path to state prosperity and degree of cooperation with France.Yoweri Museveni for instance has a different vision about multipartysystem; he is rather reserved in practice referring to its harmfulness toUganda’s national interest, similar to Meles Zenawi of Ethiopoia.Frederick Chiluba of Zambia prohibited Kenneth Kaunda to notparticipate in the run of presidential election on behalf of the country’s nationalinterest.Decision making usually remains personal business of one or fewpersons; it usually does not include complex communication within decisivepolitical élites. This affects the existence of functioning principle of nationalinterest.Ideology is basically, a reaction to reality. Some aspects of ideology thatare connected with foreign policy making and international relations of SSAinclude:1) It was used to interpret internal events - as of the 1960s, for instance, theBiafra situation in Congo envisioned pro radical political struggle ofAfrican nationalism against the domination of colonial powers towardsself-determination.Tanzania, for example, supported the separatists of Biafra and alsorefused to recognize the government of Idi Amin in Uganda against thenorms of the contemporary Organization of African Unity (OAU), whichspoke of respecting boundaries that colonizers delineated, and insisted onnoninterference into other member state’s internal affairs.190