South Africa: Conditions, Issues & U.S. Relations

South Africa is a multi-racial, majority black southern African country of nearly 52 million. It held its first universal suffrage elections in 1994, after a transition from white minority rule under apartheid, a system of state-enforced racial segregation and socio-economic discrimination. South Africa is influential regionally, due to its political engagement and trade and investment across Africa and its active role within the African Union. It is viewed as a U.S. strategic partner in Africa, despite periodic differences over some foreign policy issues. In late June 2013, President Obama travelled to South Africa after visiting Senegal, prior to a visit to Tanzania. The trip centred on U.S.-African partnership in the areas of trade and investment, development, democracy and youth leadership development, and peace and security. Key issues addressed in South Africa included bilateral political and economic ties, development co-operation, and shared U.S.-South African aims regarding conflict mitigation, increased trade and investment, and development across Africa. This book provides an overview of current conditions, issues and U.S. relations corresponding to South Africa, with a focus on the most recent human rights and international religious freedom reports; trafficking-in statistics and economic investment climate.