With the advent of the New Cold War, Pretoria finds itself in the middle; politically it is aligned with, if not in formal alliance with, the US’s strategic rivals, China, Iran, and Russia, while conducting the vast majority of its general and industrialized trade with the West, putting it at odds with Washington, in both the White House and Congress. The country’s post-apartheid security consensus, which has legitimized diminished emphasis on traditional military capabilities in favor of “human security,” has resulted in decades of neglect toward its defense sector and lackluster military capabilities that barely meet the criteria for regional power status. The end of single-party dominance in 2024, and the emergence of coalition politics among ideologically opposed parties, portends a less coherent foreign policy outlook that will have major implications in a similarly polarizing global order.