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of South Africa’s foreign policy, while the DFA served a more instrumentalfunction.At the regional level, each state faced complex challenges in which responses had tobe carefully calibrated not to offend, and not alienate regional partners. It shouldnot be overlooked, of course, that each of these countries’ activist foreign policieshas to some extent facilitated the other’s. Because the multilateralism of coalitionbuildinghas been such an inherent feature of the foreign policies of South Africaand Brazil, each has been able to turn to the other on occasion as a ‘force multiplier’of its foreign policy resources. This is exemplified in the establishment first of IBSAin 2006 upon the initiative of Mbeki and Lula; and, latterly, with South Africa’sacceptance into the BRIC group of emerging economies at the end of 2010.What has made the pursuit of ‘internationalist’ foreign policies possible at all is thepersonalisation of foreign policy. This is not a reference to populism, but to thecentralisation of foreign policymaking within the executive, and the association ofinternational goals with the personal and political struggles of the policymakers.This is related to the histories of the governing political parties, as well as thepersonal ideological commitments of the leaders of government. This means thatforeign policy is subject to institutional changes, in addition to social, political andeconomic imperatives. A key contribution is rendered by governing parties, who,because they operate in new democracies, and were for so long excluded frompolitical power, retain autonomous interests and ideas, separate from ‘established’sites of political power. 704 This is highly significant to their behaviour ingovernment, and as has been shown, in formulating foreign policy. In the cases ofboth ANC and PT, these autonomous interests and ideas have seen the partiescontinuing with parallel diplomacy even while holding the reins of state power.8.1.3. South AfricaIn attempting to answer the question to what extent does internationalism influence theforeign policy of South Africa, what emerges is a picture far more complex than any thathas been yielded thus far by analysts of South African foreign policy.Internationalism, while very much a vestige of the ANC’s heritage and history as a704 I am grateful to Dr Chris Alden for pointing this out.283