Theo Neethling
Theo Neethling obtained his MA degree in 1989 from Potchefstroom University (now North-West University) in South Africa and his DLitt et Phil in 1992 from the University of South Africa, both in the discipline of International Politics.
He served as Professor in the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State from 1 April 2009 until his retirement in February 2026. During this period he also served as Head of Department from April 2009 to June 2020. He was elected by the Senate to serve on its Executive Committee from 2017 to 2020 and was elected to the university’s Institutional Forum for the period 2021–2025. He currently remains affiliated with the University of the Free State as a Research Fellow and also teaches Politics and Global Politics at Akademia (Paarl Campus), a private higher education institution.
Earlier in his career, he served in the Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy) of Stellenbosch University, where he began his academic career. In 2002 he was appointed Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science (Mil.) and was promoted to Professor in 2005. He also served as Subject Chair of the Department of Political Science (Mil.) from 2003 to early 2009 and represented the Faculty of Military Science on the Military Academy Council until his move to the University of the Free State.
Prof. Neethling is the author or co-author of more than 150 scholarly and popular publications, including over 70 articles in accredited academic journals and 24 chapters in scholarly books. His publications have appeared in South Africa, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hungary, India, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. He has presented more than 90 research papers at national and international conferences, and his research has taken him to governmental and academic institutions across all five of Africa’s political regions, as well as Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America.
In recent years he served on the editorial boards of four academic journals and has been rated as an “established researcher” by the South African National Research Foundation since 2009. His research interests include Africa’s international relations, South Africa’s foreign relations, security and politics in the African context, African futures, and political risk analysis with particular reference to South Africa.
He served as Professor in the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State from 1 April 2009 until his retirement in February 2026. During this period he also served as Head of Department from April 2009 to June 2020. He was elected by the Senate to serve on its Executive Committee from 2017 to 2020 and was elected to the university’s Institutional Forum for the period 2021–2025. He currently remains affiliated with the University of the Free State as a Research Fellow and also teaches Politics and Global Politics at Akademia (Paarl Campus), a private higher education institution.
Earlier in his career, he served in the Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy) of Stellenbosch University, where he began his academic career. In 2002 he was appointed Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science (Mil.) and was promoted to Professor in 2005. He also served as Subject Chair of the Department of Political Science (Mil.) from 2003 to early 2009 and represented the Faculty of Military Science on the Military Academy Council until his move to the University of the Free State.
Prof. Neethling is the author or co-author of more than 150 scholarly and popular publications, including over 70 articles in accredited academic journals and 24 chapters in scholarly books. His publications have appeared in South Africa, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hungary, India, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. He has presented more than 90 research papers at national and international conferences, and his research has taken him to governmental and academic institutions across all five of Africa’s political regions, as well as Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America.
In recent years he served on the editorial boards of four academic journals and has been rated as an “established researcher” by the South African National Research Foundation since 2009. His research interests include Africa’s international relations, South Africa’s foreign relations, security and politics in the African context, African futures, and political risk analysis with particular reference to South Africa.
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African Politics by Theo Neethling
from two major governance problems on the continent.
Several home-grown insurgencies in African states underscore
the disconnect between military mandates and related
capacities on the one hand, and actual security threats on
the other. Another major problem is that there is a lack of continental consensus among African leaders and,
at the level of the AU, on the modalities for regulating
foreign security and military activities.