Statement by SAIIA National Council Chairperson Fred Phaswana

A statement by Fred Phaswana, Chairperson of the SAIIA National Council, discussing the role of think tanks in analyzing North African uprisings, the importance of democratic electoral processes in Africa, and South Africa's strategic international engagements in 2011, including its role in the UN Security Council, BRICS, and hosting the 17th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change.

• The 2011 uprisings in North Africa were driven by people lacking political voice and the ability to express preferences through free and fair elections. The neutrality of security forces in Tunisia and Egypt, alongside the role of internet and cellular technology, were critical factors in the ousting of Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak.
• Democratic stability in Africa depends on the acceptance of verifiably free and fair election results by all parties. The author argues that forced or artificial power-sharing agreements for election losers are undemocratic and unsustainable, citing the post-election impasse in Cote d’Ivoire as a significant test case for the African Union and ECOWAS.
• South Africa faced a complex challenge in 2011 as the host of the 17th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (CoP17), needing to balance its progressive rhetoric on climate mitigation and adaptation with its own requirements for energy security and economic growth.

APA

Phaswana, F. (2011). Statement by SAIIA National Council Chairperson Fred Phaswana. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-by-saiia-national-council-chairperson-fred-phaswana/

Chicago

Phaswana, Fred. Statement by SAIIA National Council Chairperson Fred Phaswana. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2011. https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-by-saiia-national-council-chairperson-fred-phaswana/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Phaswana |first1=Fred |title=Statement by SAIIA National Council Chairperson Fred Phaswana |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=23 March 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-by-saiia-national-council-chairperson-fred-phaswana/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{phaswana2011statement, author = {Phaswana, Fred}, title = {{Statement by SAIIA National Council Chairperson Fred Phaswana}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-by-saiia-national-council-chairperson-fred-phaswana/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }