Between history, amnesia and selective memory: The South African armed forces, a century’s perspective

dc.creator	Ian Van der Waag
dc.creator	Deon Visser
dc.date	2013-02-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T20:09:49Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T20:09:49Z
dc.identifier	10.5787/40-3-1029
dc.identifier	2224-0020
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/156ffd79ddbc4d79947938628fec3387
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/9318
dc.identifier.uri	https://doaj.org/article/156ffd79ddbc4d79947938628fec3387
dc.description	<p>2012 has a double significance for this year sees the centenary of the founding of the African National Congress (8 January) and of the creation of the Union Defence Forces (1 July), two organisations that have for much of the twentieth century shared a contested history. Yet, in a remarkable bouleversement, South Africa has come through this difficult past and, over the past two decades, a new South African society has been recreated following an interesting period of adjustment following the end of the Cold War and the growth of democracy in the developing world. These changes have necessarily affected her armed forces and the roles defined for them. Some commentators, particularly in the years immediately following 1994, asserted that military power had lost all of its vaunted, Cold-War importance in a new postmodern environment. Others still, recognising future challenges, argued that South Africa, beset with far-reaching socio-economic crises, could no longer afford the burden of military forces. Most scholars agree now that these perspectives were short-sighted and that, while the risk of major conflict has receded, the events of 9/11, and its consequences, demonstrate that the continental and international landscapes are less certain, less stable and less predictable, than that for which many had hoped. Clearly, South African interests are intertwined inextricably in regional and global affairs and if she is to protect these interests and ensure her security, she must maintain credible military force capable of meeting an array of contingencies. It was with this in mind that the strategic arms deal, since the subject of much debate, was passed by parliament:<a href="#_edn1">[i]</a> the promise of a full technological transformation, to accompany the human transformation, offered.</p> <div><br /> <hr size="1" /><div><p><a href="#_ednref1">[i]</a> J Sylvester & A Seegers. “South Africa’s Strategic Arms Package: A Critical Analysis”. <em>Scientia Militaria </em>36/1. 2008. 52-77.</p></div></div>
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy)
dc.relation	http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1029
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2224-0020
dc.source	Scientia Militaria : South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 40, Iss 3 (2013)
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.title	Between history, amnesia and selective memory: The South African armed forces, a century’s perspective
dc.type	Article