Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Michael Walsh

Creator

Michael Walsh

Iron ore mine in West Africa. The Liberty Corridor railroad  provides a mechanism for Ivanhoe Atlantic to get that ore to market on favourable terms. Photo: File

US Congress should ask questions about the Ivanhoe Atlantic Deal

Did US ambassador to Liberia Mark Toner, US Africa bureau official Troy Fitrell, Africa adviser to the US president Massad Boulos and former US special envoy J Peter Pham have…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s place in the G20, rejecting his United States counterpart Donald Trump’s claim that the country would be excluded from next year’s summit (X)

A primer for the White House visit by West and Central African countries

Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal should learn from South Africa’s experience when preparing for their dealings with the US administration

Failure to disclose affiliations in foreign policy activities demand scrutiny of US Congress

CSIS and other US think tanks neglecting to reveal Covington & Burling and WestExec links should raise red flags

On Strategies

What (really) went wrong with the Africa strategy under Biden?

Judd Devermont, who served under the Obama and Biden administrations, asked questions, danced around answers and shared insights.

Criticism of MTN disclosures raises questions about Jonas’s suitability as envoy

Concerns about the group’s involvement in Iran-related Anti-Terrorism Act cases in the US casts doubt on this as he will keep his role as MTN board chair

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan foreign minister.

US designation of Polisario Front as foreign terrorist group will create new problems for SA

South Africa’s banking system could come under scrutiny and the country may attract targeted sanctions if it does not follow the US lead.

Any attempt to prohibit access to the secure financial messaging network could backfire.

Cold reality of mooted Swift bans for Israeli and South African banks

Any attempt to prohibit access to the secure financial messaging network could backfire

The G20 is a forum of the largest economies in the world who meet regularly to discuss the most pressing issues facing the global economy. (Photo: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images/Getty Image)

Trump administration might put AU and South Africa’s G20 membership into play

Political analysts should pay more attention to the G20 Johannesburg Summit given Donald Trump’s bid to restore meritocracy and dilute diversity

Irrespective of the examination by the Federal Maritime Commission, the ICJ Case and NATO Summit will provide the Trump administration with policy windows to convey its threats. (Reuters)

New Federal Maritime Commission inquiry could rock Pillars of Hercules in US-Spain relations

the US Federal Maritime Commission launched an examination to identify any regulations, policies, or practices by other parties that create unfavorable shipping conditions in…

South Africa accounts for 54% of all exports to the US under Agoa — a trade law which  gives eligible African countries duty-free access to the US market for thousands of products including clothing, agricultural goods, crafts and manufactured items.

Will the US Congress pull the Magnitsky sanctions trigger on South Africa?

With President Donald Trump in office, there is strong political will to push back against the Brics nations

The Biden administration failed to fix the latency that exists in the executive leadership and public strategic planning of the US Mission to South Africa. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Biden administration failed to fix strategic management issues at American diplomatic missions

The US Congress may want to consider issues with ambassadorial appointments and mission-level strategic planning before the next presidential inauguration

Even if Harris was the perfect candidate, the way that she ended up at the top of the Democratic ticket is harmful to the institution of democracy in America. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Why I am wary of giving anyone from the Biden administration my vote

The current administration delivered an American foreign policy that continues to benefit vested interests. Different administration, different party, same script

There is strong bipartisan and beneficiary support for making improvements to Agoa.

African Growth and Opportunity Act: Early extension or substantive improvements?

There is good and bad news – strong bipartisan support for improving Agoa and little consensus on what improvements should be made to the Act