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Some of South Africa’s accomplishments in the international arena under the Mbekiadministration included the formalisation of a continental agenda resulting in thelaunch of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and thecreation of the African Union (AU) to replace the Organisation of African Unity(OAU). Alas, the potential contradictions inherent in the principles underlying theseprojects appear not to have been examined closely by the engineers of the projects.Numerous commentators have described the ‘ambiguity’, 261 ‘inconsistency’, 262 andparadoxical nature 263 of South Africa’s foreign policy. Foreign policy appeared tofavour a number of different and often conflicting trajectories. Human rights anddemocracy promotion competed with African solidarity; and a tacit – though attimes open - acceptance of globalisation was at times supplanted by virulent antiglobalisationrhetoric. A few analysts sought to view these contradictions throughthe prism of competitive domestic politics, while others preferred to examine thesetensions more broadly in terms of the long-overlooked facet of identity. 264 A closerlook at institutional dynamics brings a sense of constraint to the expectationscreated by South Africa’s expansive foreign policy pronouncements. With limitedresources, contradictory political cultures and identities, and competing – and in thecase of DFA, marginalised - bureaucratic agencies, South Africa’s haphazardinternationalism since the end of apartheid becomes more intelligible.4.2. Brazil: The concession of foreign policymaking to Partido dosTrabalhadores?In Brazil, the election of Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, leader of the Workers’ Party, inOctober 2002, upon his fourth attempt, signalled “paradigmatic change in thesocial, economic and political spheres” of Brazil. 265 The popular euphoria thatgreeted this event – especially that of PT observers on the Left – buoyed far-261 Black and Wilson, “Rights, region and identity”.262 Nathan, “Consistency and inconsistencies”.263 James Hamill and Donna Lee, “A Middle Power Paradox? South African Diplomacyin the Post-apartheid Era”, International Relations,15, No. 4 (2001).264 Black and Wilson, “Rights, region and identity”.265 Paulo Roberto de Almeida, “A Política Internacional do Partido dos Trabalhadores:Da Fundação À Diplomacia do Governo Lula”, Revista Brasileira de PolíticaInternacional, 20 (June 2003): 87.122