South Africa is the leader of the non-aligned movement while heads of state and royalty from throughout the world beat a path to its door. To understand why South Africa's leaders are destined to play a disproportionate role in world affairs, it is necessary to look beyond the size of its population and its Gross Domestic Product. Joseph Nye in a recent article in Foreign Affairs magazine made an important distinction between hard and soft power. Hard power refers to a country's ability to use its military and economic might to influence and even coerce. Soft power refers to the ability to attract and influence through the flow of information and the appeal of social, cultural and moral messages.
Military power is unipolar with the United States far outstripping all other states.
Economic power is multipolar with the United States, Japan and Europe accounting for two thirds of the world's production. Soft power is more widely dispersed with South Africa a leading practitioner. As Nelson Mandela has demonstrated, soft power can be a very important source of influence and standing in an information age. It is this misunderstanding of the source of South Africa's influence that has led some leaders in the region to seek equal standing and stature. Even with Mandela retired, the envy and jealousy seem to continue in some quarters.