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Mbeki. In a condition of flux, with state institutions still being formed, Mandela wasin no position to allocate resources to foreign policy projects of whatever type.Moral stands were by then not as costly as they would later become, with theexception of the Nigeria debacle which indeed proved politically costly, and foreignpolicy itself was still characterised by uncertainty and the personal magnetism andimpact of Mandela. 3925.4. Influence as a function of institutional freedom and legitimating powerMeasuring the ANC’s influence on foreign policy outcomes is facilitated by ananalytical division between various points of contact between the Party and thepolicy process. These include,a. party diplomacy;b. the personal or presidential diplomacy of Mbeki, and other key individuals;c. the party policy-making process; and,d. State Institutions: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Parliament.Influence over foreign policy implies that foreign policy would change from anexpected starting point, after interventions by the party structure or leadership. Theproposed starting point is the classical realist prediction of international expansionfollowing growth in national power evident during Mbeki’s terms of office (1999-2008). Each of the aforementioned analytical categories will be discussed in turn.a. Party diplomacyWhile diplomacy is considered to be “negotiations between political entities whichacknowledge each other’s independence”, 393 this level of the ANC’s internationalrelations merits attention. The primary reason for this is that the by now wellknown‘symbiotic’ relations between political and business figures in South Africaleave the democratic system open to exploitation by less-than-savoury transnationalinterests, and pose the potential for undue influence of the country’s foreign policyin ways that benefit the party, to the detriment of state interests. This reality also392 See Chris Landsberg, The Quiet Diplomacy of Liberation: International Politics andSouth Africa’s Transition (Cape Town: Jacana Press, 2004): 159-160.393 Adam Watson, cited in Christer Jönsson, “Chapter 11: Diplomacy, Bargaining andNegotiation”, in Handbook of International Relations, eds., Walter Carlsnaes, ThomasRisse and Beth A Simmons (London: Sage, 2002): 217.167