In April 1994, black and white South Africans for the first time voted in a nonracial election for a democratic government. This watershed election is one of many recent profound changes in Southern Africa, including independence in Namibia, democratic elections in Zambia and Malawi, a peace agreement in Mozambique, and renewed civil war in Angola.

The New Is Not Yet Born explores the sources and dynamics of the political, economic, and diplomatic transformations taking place in Southern Africa. Thomas Ohlson, Stephen John Stedman, and Robert Davies recount how Southern Africa has long endured violent domestic and interstate conflicts, often complicated and intensified by external interventions and interests. The cost of these struggles by all measures has been staggering.

The authors show how conflict in Southern Africa has left, and continues to leave, tremendous socioeconomic destruction. They identify the past, present, and possible future sources of conflict in the region. They describe the security implications of conflict and evaluate the institutions, organizations, and policies that might help reduce or resolve conflict and provide security for the people and countries of Southern Africa.

Although the democratic transition in South Africa opens the possibility of creating a secure Southern Africa, the authors note that past conflict legacies and new unanticipated conflicts could stand in the way. They conclude that the challenge ahead will be to establish new national and regional institutions which enable actors to resolve conflict without resorting to violence. This book suggests ways that international action can help the birth of a new Southern Africa.