This title analyses the results of a survey of the political attitudes of members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) undertaken in the run up to South Africas third democratic general election in 2004. The survey was the third in a series, two previous ones having been conducted by some of the authors writing in the present collection before the elections of 1994 and 1999. The results of all three surveys are presented in an appendix, and taken together constitute a unique data base whose interpretation makes a major contribution to our understanding of contemporary South African history, notably with regard to how and why COSATU has become a major political actor within the tripartite alliance which links it to the ruling African National Congress and the South African Communist Party.

From the perspective of the connections between this history and current conditions, Chinese naval voyages to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia today are a continuation and development of Zheng He’s voyages to Africa, highlighting China’s status in solving contemporary international issues and safeguarding global maritime security.