DRAFT REPORT 3rd GIBSA PARTNERS’ MEETING

The 3rd GIBSA Partners' Meeting, held in April 2009 in Tshwane, South Africa, brought together representatives from Germany, India, Brazil, and South Africa to discuss the emerging global political and economic order. Key discussions focused on the transition of power from West to East, the role of 'smart power' in international relations, and the challenges facing African states in exerting influence globally. The meeting also analyzed the rise of 'club governance' (such as the G20 and Heiligendamm Process) as a flexible alternative to traditional multilateral institutions like the IMF and World Bank, while emphasizing that Africa remains more of a 'field of action' than a proactive actor in international relations.

• Participants reached a consensus that shifts in the global balance of power are inevitable, specifically noting a transition of power from the West to the East. While some argued the US remains the pre-eminent power, others suggested its hegemony is being challenged by India and China.
• The meeting analyzed different forms of power, defining 'hard power' through GDP and military resources, 'soft power' through persuasion and culture, and 'smart power' as the strategic combination of both to translate power into influence.
• Africa is characterized as being more of an object or 'field of action' than a meaningful actor in international relations due to internal divisions, mistrust among African countries, and a lack of legitimacy for states to represent the continent.
• There is a noted proliferation of 'club governance'—informal, flexible groupings like the G5, G8, and G20—which are seen as interim or complementary arrangements to traditional, often bloated, multilateral institutions.
• The Heiligendamm Process (HDP) was assessed as a successful platform for global governance, with recommendations to extend it for two years and broaden its agenda to include political issues such as climate, energy, and food security.
• Regarding the global financial order, the IMF is expected to move from 'growing irrelevance to critical importance' following the G20 London meeting, although the US is unlikely to relinquish its voting power within such institutions.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). DRAFT REPORT 3rd GIBSA PARTNERS’ MEETING. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2APR09GIBSALONGREP.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. DRAFT REPORT 3rd GIBSA PARTNERS’ MEETING. 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2APR09GIBSALONGREP.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=DRAFT REPORT 3rd GIBSA PARTNERS’ MEETING |date=April 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2APR09GIBSALONGREP.PDF |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2009draft, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{DRAFT REPORT 3rd GIBSA PARTNERS’ MEETING}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2APR09GIBSALONGREP.PDF}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }