Nosmot Gbadamosi on South Africa’s ‘Putin Problem’
The Lawfare Podcast
The Lawfare Institute
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 30 June 2023
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On Thursday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations confirmed it would host the 15th BRICS Summit in August. Normally, this wouldn’t make the news. But because South Africa is a signatory to the International Criminal Court, the country is obligated under international law to arrest one of the summit’s invitees—Russian President Vladimir Putin—the moment he sets foot in Johannesburg.
This presents South Africa with what Nosmot Gbadamosi has dubbed a “Putin problem.”
Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien sat down with Nosmot, a multimedia journalist and the writer of Foreign Policy’s weekly Africa Brief, to discuss this diplomatic dilemma, why U.S.-South Africa relations have withered in recent months, and the incoherent Russia-Ukraine “peace mission” led by President Cyril Ramaphosa just weeks ago. They also discussed what the late Eusebius McKaiser has called South Africa’s “nonsensical nonalignment” since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year and what nonaligment even means in light of the war.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The following podcast contains advertising. |
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| 0:08.0 | become a material supporter of LawFair at patreon.com slash law fair. |
| 0:14.0 | That's patreon.com slash law fair. |
| 0:18.0 | Also, check out LawFair's other podcast offerings, |
| 0:22.0 | rational security, chatter, law fair no bull, and the aftermath. |
| 0:29.0 | Both opposition groups in South Africa and the South African public |
| 0:41.0 | do not support the ANC's position on the Ukraine-Russia war. |
| 0:49.0 | I think that in terms of the public, |
| 0:53.0 | I think they would like to see more of the position that other African nations have taken, |
| 1:01.0 | which is to be non-aligned but not to go out actively, attempting to look like you are very much |
| 1:09.0 | a close ally of Russia, which is what the ANC government has been doing. |
| 1:17.0 | I'm Tyler McBrion, managing editor of LawFair. |
| 1:21.0 | This is the LawFair podcast, June 30th, 2023. |
| 1:25.0 | On Thursday, South Africa's Department of International Relations confirmed it would host |
| 1:29.0 | the 15th Brick Summit in August. Normally, this wouldn't make news. |
| 1:33.0 | But because South Africa is a signatory to the International Criminal Court, |
| 1:37.0 | the country is obligated under international law to arrest one of the summit's invitees, |
| 1:41.0 | Russian President Vladimir Putin, the moment he sets foot in Johannesburg. |
| 1:45.0 | This presents South Africa with what NOSMAB but a Moshe has dubbed a Putin problem. |
| 1:49.0 | I sat down with NOSMAB, a multimedia journalist and the writer of foreign policies weekly Africa brief, |
| 1:55.0 | to discuss this diplomatic dilemma. |
... |
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