Between legacy and rationalization. SADC and perception of regional security

Regional integration is Africa is an unique example of global trends, but clear European legacy in terms of law, bureaucratic model, and economic ties with Europe rises the question of appropriateness of European model. Nevertheless, studies on regional integration rather focus on “comparison” between the EU and other regional groupings, and many authors find out that the European experience and European studies are so unique that any comparison resulted in difficulties in finding comparable cases Most research focusing on regional integration in Africa is primary focused on its economic element, when other elements like ideology, security and institutional structures are omitted. Proposed paper aims to address this gap, by placing the emphasis on the international interactions between the EU and African states, when it comes to regional integration and security, and to grasp learning and promoting processes of integration. Thus, the proposed paper will document and analyze the motivations, methods, and spheres of the SADC member states’ activity in promoting regional integration in Africa. Katzenstein’s approach was chosen to study of regional integration and the role of “core states”, also emphasized by Katzenstein, is important to understand influence of European ideas on the security discourse in South Africa. Thus, it will seek to answer the question of whether these African states cooperate or compete within the regional agreements, what is the role of the European model for security cooperation in that region.