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Mbeki’s last full year in office, 2007, represented a bleak point in an alreadychecquered tenure. While real GDP was growing at a steady pace, and the SACPhad decided in favour of the tripartite alliance in the first half of the year, Mbeki wasousted as ANC president in a shocking, but not entirely unexpected, defeat at theANC’s 52 nd National Conference at Polokwane in December. Thus commenced aperiod of ‘lame duck’ presidency that was to end with his unceremonious dismissalby the ANC, presented as a ‘resignation’, on 20 September, 2008.In summary, Mbeki’s second term witnessed a consolidation of South Africa’sinternational profile, with an increase in South Africa’s engagements in Africa, and aconcern by top officials to engage in manageable operations in which South Africacould make a difference. Mobilising and extracting resources for these purposes wasnot hindered by any meaningful opposition. South African policymakers committedto giving meaning to the phrase ‘African solutions for African problems’ byengaging in peacekeeping and police reform in a number of African states. The needfor international validation appeared to be dispensed with as the country adoptedstronger stances against ‘Western unilateralism’, especially during its term of nonpermanentmembership of the UN Security Council.ConclusionBringing back the state to analyses of South Africa’s post-apartheid foreign policyentails an engagement with issues of state capacity, and the ability of the governingclass to mobilise and extract resources for foreign policy, based on its perceptionsof relative power shifts in international relations. South Africa’s internationalismhas, to a significant extent, been influenced by its position in the global politicaleconomy, as a small industrialising state, highly dependent on capital from thedeveloped world, and on the markets of its neighbours for manufactured goods andcommodities. This positioning and level of development predisposes the state to anoutward posture, and one that seeks to limit conflict, especially destabilising violentconflict.188