BOOK REVIEWS 121Zimbabwe's International Borders. A Study in National and RegionalDevelopment in Southern Africa Edited by Solomon M. Nkiwane. Universityof Zimbabwe Publications, Harare, 1997, 107 pages, ISBN 0-908307-53-5,Price Z$75-00.In this book the authors reflect on the relations between Zimbabwe and itsneighbours by looking at the border policies of the nations that borderwith Zimbabwe namely, South Africa and Mozambique. Nkiwane exploresin detail the Kazungula-Caprivi strip where the borders of Namibia, Zambia,Botswana and Zimbabwe converge. Perhaps the greatest strength of thiswork is that it places the borders within the context of a larger process ofnational and regional development. Furthermore this is a time when thewhole outlook on border policies world-wide is changing because ofliberalisation and greater economic interdependence.There is an abundance of literature on regional co-operation andintegration in Southern Africa but what distinguishes this book from therest is that it looks at the border posts and the policies that areimplemented. The first chapter is devoted to the definition of borderswithin international relations theory. Borders are an important symbol ofstate sovereignty. Whilst borders have caused wars in different parts ofthe world, the Southern African region has not witnessed such seriousconflicts. The only conflict that has reached the international court ofjustice for arbitration has been that between Botswana and Namibia overthe Sidudu strip.The sanctity and the inviolability of these borders is clearly stated inarticle 3 (3) of the Organisation of African Unity, which calls on memberstates "to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each stateand for its inalienable right to an independent existence". This makes allterritorial claims unlawful. Although the authors seem to be lamentingover the artificiality of these colonial borders and call for the rationalisationof the border policies in view of future conflicts, Zimbabwe and itsneighbours seem to have accepted the permanence of these borders andthe likelihood of a border conflict that will threaten peace in the regionseems to be far off.Zimbabwe being landlocked has maintained good neighbourlyrelations. Consequently the attainment of majority rule in South Africa in1994 has transformed the Southern African political and economic relationsand cross border activities and trade links have expanded. The authors inthe book call for an open border policy to facilitate development and co-operation in the region but they do not clearly define what the openborder policy is. Although the free movement of peoples in the region willbe welcome, an open border policy should evolve slowly as there are anumber of problems that will arise because of a complete liberalisation ofborder policies, eg. a brain drain towards South Africa.122 BOOK REVIEWSAt the moment the border areas continue to deal with the problems ofpoaching, border jumping, and smuggling. Even though the SouthernAfrican countries have signed the SADC treaty which calls for theestablishment of an economic community of states, no significant stepshave been taken towards the attainment of this goal. This is because mostof the states in the region would want to protect some vital sectors of theireconomies from external competition. At the moment the direction andvolume of trade flow in the region is dominated by South Africa. And anopen border policy would benefit countries which are roughly at the samelevels of development. It is the diversification and development of industrialcapabilities that will influence trade policies and concurrently liberalisedborder policies which will facilitate inter-state co-operation anddevelopment in Southern Africa.Unfortunately, the book's strength is undermined by the fact that itleaves out the analysis of the Zimbabwe/Zambia and the Zimbabwe/Botswana borders. The inclusion of these two countries would havecompleted the study of regional development in Southern Africa. The titlepromises us that it is going to talk about Zimbabwe's international bordersand only talks about the border relations of Mozambique and South Africaand the Caprivi strip. In addition, an analysis of the countries' levels ofeconomic development would have been appropriate, because a country'seconomy is an important determinant of its foreign policy. A country'slevel of economic development also plays an important role on issues ofcommercial interests which also determines its border policies as well asissues of co-operation and development.Despite these problems the book is a welcome contribution to theongoing debates on economic development and regional integration inSouthern Africa. Its detailed account of the border areas and the problemsinherent in these areas will make a worthwhile contribution to graduateand undergraduate courses on African International Relations, InternationalLaw and the politics of Southern Africa.University of Zimbabwe BERTHA CHIRORO