Description
International nuclear-related developments at inter-state level tend to dominate IR scholarship. However, nuclear developments at domestic level cannot be ignored as nuclear energy expansion at national level are affected by the international political economy of the nuclear industry, as well as by the continued prevalence of nuclear weapons arsenals. South Africa's nuclear weapons programme has received significant scholarly attention but its aftermath and post-apartheid nuclear energy plans remain relatively undocumented. Historical nuclear-related relations with the UK, the US and France are increasingly complemented by that of China and Russia. Against this background, the paper intends to follow and apply Achille Mmembe's notion of necropolitics and apply it to the South African domestic context and the international level. The purpose is to explore nuclear necropolitics in South Africa, the prevalence of nuclear necropolitics in international politics and IR.
