Nordic-SADCC Cooperation

Abstract

The Nordic-SADCC cooperation initiative is potentially an innovative attempt to generate new forms of economic interaction between a well defined group of developed and developing countries. The partners concerned are internationally almost extreme cases as regards their level of socio-economic development. The extended cooperation framework between the two groups of countries is, however, well justified. Both groups are geographically concentrated and have a tradition of mutual development cooperation. Their policies as a whole have a similar emphasis on poverty alleviation and development as well as the consistent condemnation of the South African apartheid regime. Issues related to international politics rather than vested economic interests have offered the driving force in the emergence of this cooperation attempt. Never theless, the initiative is at this stage based on already existing measures and institutions and has not yet introduced qualitatively new patterns of mutual interaction.