Regional inequality: The failure of the international law of development. A study of the formation and institutionalisation of dependence relations between the Republic of South Africa and Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland and the road to economic independence

[摘要] This essay is about a group of states and their relations with a regional power. It seeks to explore through a historical exposition the nature of these relations. It adopts as a basic tool of analysis contemporary political-economic theory. It seeks to destroy or explode the myth of the "sovereign equality" of states and show the effects of the ideological dimension (through historical progression) of the creation of states. It moves away from the legal conception of the sovereignty and equality of s.tates. The thesis adopted is that relations between states are essentially determined not by legal concepts but by the political-economic climate. There are three main reasons for undertaking such a study. The most paramount of these is to fulfill a theoretical deficiency in the core subject of the course - the international law of development. The second is to found an understanding of why rules and institutions created through the process of history are deemed legitimate and are acted upon as such. The third reason is that, coming from Swazilan~an exploration of the history of South Africa gives a better understanding of the reality of my country's problems vis:.a vie South Africa.

[发布机构] University:University of Glasgow

[关键词] International law, South African studies