Namibia must guard its non-aligned foreign policy

PATRICK PAULUS WRITESThe recent incident in which the United States (US) Ambassador to Namibia, John Giordano, was reportedly denied entry to the Walvis Bay Town Hall after arriving shortly after President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah had entered the venue has generated considerable public discussion. Much of the debate has understandably focused on protocol: whether an ambassador should be permitted to enter a venue after the President has already arrived.Protocol matters. However, Namibia’s foreign policy and broader geopolitical interests matter just as much.The incident therefore provides an opportunity to remind Namibians that our foreign policy is rooted in the principle of non-alignment. Non-alignment means that Namibia does not have to choose between competing global powers or geopolitical camps. We should be able to maintain constructive relations with the US, China, Russia, the European Union and other countries while making decisions according to our own national interests. This principle is particularly important for a small country such as Namibia.Namibia does not have the geopolitical, economic or military weight of the world’s major powers. Consequently, our greatest diplomatic asset is the ability to maintain good relations with different countries and to avoid unnecessary confrontation. We should not voluntarily place ourselves in situations where a preventable protocol matter develops into a diplomatic dispute. There is nothing inherently wrong with insisting on presidential protocol. The question is whether protocol should become so rigid that it undermines the broader objective of maintaining cordial diplomatic relations.Diplomacy is, after all, the art of managing relationships.An ambassador is not simply an ordinary foreign visitor. An ambassador represents a sovereign state. When Namibia receives an ambassador, it is engaging not merely with an individual but with the government and people represented by that diplomat. This does not mean that ambassadors should receive preferential treatment or be permitted to disregard Namibian rules. It means that diplomatic engagements should be handled with sufficient sensitivity to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings.There is also a danger in allowing populist narratives to dominate our understanding of international relations.Some public commentary appears to portray the US Ambassador as someone who is constantly interfering in Namibian affairs or appearing everywhere. Such perceptions can easily become detached from the realities of international diplomacy. An ambassador’s visibility is, in fact, part of the job. Diplomats attend government functions, meet officials, engage civil society and interact with institutions in the country where they are accredited.Namibians should therefore be careful not to interpret every visible diplomatic engagement as interference.This does not mean that Namibia should blindly support American foreign policy. Far from it. A genuinely non-aligned foreign policy allows Namibia to disagree with the US when our national interests or principles require it. The same applies to China, Russia or any other country. Non-alignment gives Namibia the freedom to engage without becoming beholden.This is where historical memory is important. When discussing Namibia’s relationship with the US, we should remember the role played by George W. Bush administration’s Pepfar programme in responding to the HIV/Aids crisis in Africa. Namibia was among the countries that benefited significantly from the massive American-supported HIV/Aids response during the 2000s. For a country facing a devastating public-health crisis, this assistance had consequences measured not merely in dollars, but in lives. That history should not be forgotten simply because Namibia may disagree with particular American policies today.At the same time, Namibia’s relationship with China has also produced important economic and infrastructural benefits. China is a significant development and trading partner for Namibia. Namibia should therefore not be expected to choose between China and the US.That is precisely the point of non-alignment.Namibia should not be forced into the false choice of deciding which global power is the “better evil”. We should reject the mentality that says we must belong to one camp because another camp is supposedly worse. That mentality belongs to another era. The Cold War ended decades ago. Yet some of our public discourse remains trapped in a Cold War framework in which countries are expected to choose between “the West” and “the East”. This is particularly problematic for African countries. We should not replace one form of dependency with another. Indeed, there is an uncomfortable irony here. If African countries are told that they must choose one powerful external bloc against another, are we not reproducing precisely the kind of external pressure that Africans fought against during the colonial era? Namibia’s independence was built on the principle of self-determination. Our foreign policy should reflect that same independence. We can cooperate with America without becoming American allies. We can cooperate with China without becoming Chinese allies.We can cooperate with Russia without becoming Russian allies. We can work with Europe, India, the Gulf states and other countries without surrendering our sovereignty.Namibia does not have to choose. This is why our diplomats and political leaders must approach international relations with pragmatism rather than populism. A small country cannot afford unnecessary diplomatic quarrels with major economic and political partners. This is particularly relevant at a time when Namibia is seeking foreign investment, expanding its energy sector, developing the green hydrogen industry, growing its mining sector, strengthening fisheries, and trying to diversify its economy. We need relationships, markets, investment, technology and development partnerships from across the world.Our foreign policy should therefore be guided by one fundamental question: What serves Namibia’s national interest? Not: What will make us look tough? Not: What will generate applause on social media? And not: Which geopolitical camp should we join?The recent Walvis Bay incident should consequently not become another opportunity for Namibians to engage in ideological point-scoring. If the established presidential security protocols were followed, that is understandable. But protocols are instruments of diplomacy; they should not become obstacles to diplomacy. There is room for discretion, courtesy and diplomatic sensitivity without compromising the dignity or security of the Presidency.Namibia is a sovereign country. We should never apologise for that sovereignty. But sovereignty should not be confused with unnecessary hostility. Our independence gives us the right to choose our friends, partners and positions according to our own interests. Non-alignment is not a weakness. It is strategic freedom.Namibia should preserve that freedom carefully.We should be friendly with America without being American. We should be friendly with China without being Chinese. We should be friendly with Russia without being Russian. And above all, we should remain Namibian. That is the essence of a mature, confident and genuinely non-aligned foreign policy. – Patrick Panduleni Paulus is a Decolonial scholar from the University of Namibia. Views expressed here are his own.* Beste lesers, keuring vir die publikasie van WhatsApp, briewe en alle ander lesersbydraes berus by Republikein. Klagtes oor die diens van private besighede word eers aan die onderneming vir reaksie voorgelê. Die menings van ons lesers en rubriekskrywers verteenwoordig nie noodwendig die standpunt van Republikein nie. 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Namibia must guard its non-aligned foreign policy

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Republikein 2026-09-21

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