Flexible Integration in the ‘New’ Southern Africa

Regional integration amongst the countries of southern Africa is experiencing a fundamental realignment in the post-apartheid era. This paper examines the principal factors, both international and regional, influencing the future of southern African regionalism in the twenty-first century. The factors identified are examined in relation to southern Africa's most important trading arrangements; the Southern African Customs Union, the Southern African Development Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Given the multiplicity of regional institutions, particular attention is given to an evaluation of the relevance of the variable geometry ‘and multi-speed’ approaches to integration. It is argued that the existing political infrastructure supporting regional integration has the potential to promote rivalry between the various regional arrangements and, ultimately, their member states.