According to Pandor, the past 10 years have been extremely negative compared to the prior decades, which she says has been relatively positive.

Pandor says in the past there were attempts at globalisation. She further states that the world has become increasingly fractured and complex, with strained global relations.

The issue of Palestine and the conflict with Israel remain topical in SA. SA’s former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation delivers one of the lectures yesterday.

In a teach-in lecture series at Rhodes University in Makhanda, Pandor says, “I believe that the difficulties arise from a number of related factors. Firstly, geo-political environment of the past decade has been extremely negative and directed more toward negative intentions.”

She adds, “Prior to this last decade, we’ve been living in this very toxic political environment in the geopolitical space. The geopolitical environment has seen us more divided than ever before. So it’s a very worrying period.”

Following her departure from government, Pandor has been lauded for her contribution to international relations with United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken thanking her for collaborating with him during her tenure, which included them working on global peace and security, expanding bilateral trade and advancing shared health goals, among other things.

--SABC--