During his second White House term, Trump’s governing style remains characteristically assertive, launching a full-scale offensive from day one. Domestically, he’s pushing for sweeping government reforms. On the international stage, he’s swiftly announcing withdrawals from numerous international organisations and aggressively deploying foreign policy moves, seeking to reshape the landscape of American influence globally.  So, what does Trump’s return mean for Africa? Despite his stated policy goal of maintaining American hegemony, Africa may become the biggest victim of his policies. Guided by the America First principle, Trump’s second term is likely to feature an Africa policy that largely ignores the…

In a bold display of independence that is rattling traditional diplomatic circles, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has signaled a clear break with the United States, a move that has not only shocked Washington but also redefined the nation’s foreign policy.  This weekend, Washington expelled Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, giving him just 72 hours to leave the country, according to BBC reports. While Washington’s abrupt action might have been intended to assert American influence, it instead exposed the widening gulf between…

Most analysts tend to focus on events like AfriForum and Solidarity lobbying for US intervention or Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ill-fated visit to Washington. However, an ugly and unprecedented confrontation in the Oval Office hammered home how a transactional approach to diplomacy, providing aid and cooperation only if the recipient pays, could impact the United States’ economic and geopolitical relations with other countries and regions under Trump. This transactional philosophy threatens to upend decades of US engagement with Africa, Europe…

South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who has recently shared one of his notable foreign policy perspectives, says his country would not abandon the Palestinian cause and ignore the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appease the US.   Mashatile, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s deputy in the country’s governing African National Congress (ANC), insists that the US understands that while Pretoria is one of Washington’s biggest trading partners, the two will not agree on everything.…

The upcoming BRICS Summit in Johannesburg next month is important for South Africa, the African continent and the global south. The gathering of the world’s major developing countries is expected to discuss a common currency and admit or agree on criteria to admit new members.  Countries which have either applied or lined up to join the global South economic alliance include regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico, Algeria and Senegal. Formed…