South Africa, the United States, and the Fight Against Islamic Extremism

South Africa's concern over Islamic radical groups did not begin on 9/11. It began during the first Gulf War and escalated in the mid-1990's with the People against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD), a small terrorist cell located in their Western Cape province. Both al-Qaeda's 1998 United States embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and the 9/11 terror attacks forced the US to reexamine security on the African continent. America hoped, at a minimum, that most African countries would assist in this new US-led fight against extremists that threatened not only US national security, but international security as well. This article assesses South Africa's involvement with the US in the fight against Islamic extremism. It argues, for the most part, that South Africa has cooperated with the global power and has played a beneficial role in helping to reduce the presence and activity of Islamic terrorists in their region.