Why Trump’s plans for tariffs on foreign films probably won’t have a happy ending: Bill Chizek/Shutterstock With its tariffs policies, the administration of US president Donald Trump aims to correct the country’s persistent goods trade deficit. The president has argued that the US has been “looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” by other countries. Trump feels …
Africa’s data workers are being exploited by foreign tech firms – 4 ways to protect them: Data workers in Africa often have a hard time. They face job insecurities – including temporary contracts, low pay, arbitrary dismissal and worker surveillance – and alarming physical and psychological health risks. The consequences of their work can include …
Terrorism is spreading in west Africa – foreign and regional collaboration are needed to fight the threat: The United States army has completed its withdrawal from Niger after 11 years of military cooperation with the west African country. This follows a major disagreement earlier in the year when the Nigerien government accused the US of …
Uncertain times for South Africa’s foreign policy as country heads for coalition government: After South Africa’s 29 May election, the African National Congress has lost the electoral majority it held for 30 years, but remains the party with the highest number of seats in parliament. This makes it a key partner in the formation of …
South Africa’s foreign policy under Ramaphosa has seen diplomatic tools being used to provide leadership as global power relations shift: Leadership plays a critical role in diplomacy. What quality of leadership does South Africa need if it’s to secure its international interests? This is a question my colleagues and I have had the opportunity to …
African countries lost control to foreign mining companies – the 3 steps that allowed this to happen: Within a few years of independence, African governments asserted sovereignty over their metal and mineral resources. Prior to this, the resources were exploited by European mining corporations. Since the 1990s, transnational corporations have once again become the dominant …
Henry Kissinger was a global – and deeply flawed – foreign policy heavyweight: Declarations of the end of an era are made only in exceptional circumstances. Henry Kissinger’s death is one of them. Kissinger was born into a Jewish family in Germany, and fled to the US in 1938 after the Nazis seized power. He …
Zambia’s foreign debt tragedy – what needs to happen to resolve the crisis: Three years after defaulting on its foreign debt, Zambia is still trying to reach agreement with all its creditors on how to manage this situation. This has left the southern African country in a state of development finance limbo. It is handicapped …
Africa’s new online foreign exchange system will enable cross-border payments in local currencies – what you need to know: The high cost of making cross border payments on the African continent has driven governments on the continent to seek options of settling trade and other transactions in local currencies. This has given birth to the …
David Cameron returns: how can a prime minister make someone who isn’t an MP foreign secretary? And what happens now?: In a surprise move, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed former prime minister David Cameron as foreign secretary. Cameron, who resigned immediately after losing the 2016 Brexit referendum, has been almost entirely absent from the …
Five things that the west doesn’t understand about China’s foreign policy: China’s capacity to surprise western politicians was demonstrated recently, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping was unexpectedly absent from the G20 summit. There were a few reasons why this G20 might have been less important for Xi, including the rising influence of the Brics (Brazil, …
China is switching away from its aggressive ‘wolf warrior’ foreign policy – here’s why: As India prepares to host the G20 summit on September 9, there’s one person not readying his plane for the gathering of world leaders. China’s president Xi Jinping, who has attended every meeting of this summit since 2013, is not going. …
Many GCSE students still aren’t taking modern foreign languages – how to motivate them to consider it: Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock Figures for GCSEs taken in 2023 show that entries for GCSEs in languages have increased slightly from last year. Despite this, the number of pupils taking a modern foreign language stands at less than 60% of …
Nigeria’s new foreign exchange policy is good news – but it can’t work wonders for the economy on its own: A man exchanges Nigeria's Naira for US dollars in Lagos in April 2021. Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images The Central Bank of Nigeria recently announced changes to the way the country’s foreign exchange market …
Africa’s oceans are being protected to serve the interests of big foreign corporates: French marine commandos operate on a speed boat off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden. AYMERIC VINCENOT/AFP via Getty Images Africa’s valuable ocean resources have drawn the interest of foreign nations, particularly those in the West and Asia. How …
Foreign exchange: several African countries have a shortage of US dollars – why this happens and how to fix it: Getty Images A number of African countries, including Kenya, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia, are currently experiencing shortages of US dollars. The dollar is the dominant currency in international transactions. These countries rely on …
Lula and the world: what to expect from the new Brazilian foreign policy: Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was scheduled to visit his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping at the end of March. Beijing would have been Lula’s fourth international destination in less than 100 days in office. Lula had to cancel his trip, …
Georgia: ‘foreign agent law’ protests show disconnect between pro-Moscow government and west-leaning population: The Georgian government has been forced to withdraw its controversial “foreign agent” law after days of mass protests against what many saw as Russian-inspired legislation which would limit press freedom, making its chances of ever joining the European Union near impossible. Over …