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Russia-Africa Summit: The Bear Returns to Africa

For decades the Soviet Union had extensive ties across Africa, from its contribution to the national liberation movements in countries such as Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and South Africa, as well as its involvement in the Ogaden conflict. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, these relationships ...

China’s Ambassador to South Africa Is New to Twitter but From the Looks of It, He’s Learning How to Waste Time on Social Media Just Like the Rest of Us

China's outspoken ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, just joined Twitter last month and for the most part, he's been posting the usual things that ambassadors tend to post on social media like photos from official events and pro-Beijing propaganda. Then out of character, a video ...

Kenya’s Newest SGR Line is Up and Running But Bad Roads Means No One Can Actually Get to the Stations

Two days after the high-profile launch of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway line between Nairobi and Naivasha, the trains are running largely empty as very few passengers can actually get to the stations due to the poor condition of the roads.  Nearby ...

With Africa-Russia Summit Kicking Off This Week, Judd Devermont Has Some Advice for How the U.S. Should Respond

The inaugural Russia-Africa Summit will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of this week in the Olympic city of Sochi near the Black Sea. Some 50 heads of state have been invited to what many regard as Russia's formal re-entry into African geopolitics. ...

Wang Yi’s Quick Visit to South Africa Highlights How SA is Now China’s #1 BFF in Africa

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a quick one-day stop in South Africa on Friday where he met with President Cyril Ramaphosa and his counterpart Naledi Pandor for talks. The big smiles in the official photos (above) highlight how these two governments are becoming increasingly aligned with ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics

In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...