China's Assertive Global Governance Initiative

The Diplomat published on 23 September 2025 a commentary titled "2025 Xiangshan Forum: China Enters a New Era of Assertive Global Governance" by Sookyeon Lee, lieutenant colonel in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps and associate professor at the Korea National Defense University.  

The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in September 2025 represented a watershed moment in China's foreign policy.  The author, who attended the forum in 2024 and 2025, concluded this year's session showcased an emboldened China ready to present itself as the leader of an alternative global order.  The forum also tracked closely the recent announcement of China's Global Governance Initiative, a framework for reforming the current Western-led international system. 

Official Chinese Media Begins to Replace VOA

 The Wall Street Journal published on 13 July 2025 an article titled "China Gets More Airtime Around the World as Voice of America Signs Off" by Aruna Viswanatha, Alexandra Wexler, and Clarence Leong.

Media time slots in foreign countries once used by the Voice of America are, in some cases, now being allocated to official Chinese media outlets.

Press Freedom Index: 10 African Countries Score Better than US

 Reporters without Borders posted recently its "RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025: Economic Fragility a Leading Threat to Press Freedom."

RSF ranked 180 countries for the 2025 index.  Ten African countries, led by South Africa, Namibia, and Cabo Verde scored better than the United States, ranked number 57, although Sub-Saharan Africa generally experienced a decline in press freedom.  The five lowest ranking countries were Eritrea, North Korea, China, Syria, and Iran.  

The 2025 RSF index shows that today's news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival.  

US Support for Regime Change in Eritrea: A Bad Idea

 The conservative American Enterprise Institute published on 6 January 2025 a commentary titled "Eritrea Is the North Korea of Africa: America Must Act" by Michael Rubin.  

The author argues that while U.S. forces have no business in Eritrea nor would their deployment be wise, "the United States should openly support regime change."  He adds that incoming President Donald Trump should empower his National Security Council and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs "to help Eritreans rid the world of one of its worst regimes."

Comment:  While Eritrea is poorly governed and no friend of the United States, U.S. government supported regime change is not the answer.  This is a task for Eritreans themselves.  Any concerted effort by the United States to change the government in Eritrea will almost certainly end badly and even be resented by many Africans who also have a negative opinion of the regime.

North Korea Closes Embassies in Uganda and Angola

 National Public Radio published on 6 November 2023 an article titled "North Korea Says It Is Closing Some Diplomatic Missions Around the World" by Se Eun Gong.  

North Korea is closing its diplomatic missions in Uganda, Angola, Spain, and Hong Kong and may shut down as many as a dozen in order to increase efficiency in its diplomatic establishments.  North Korean ambassadors have already left Angola and Uganda.  

North Korea Busts Sanctions in Africa

 Just Security posted on 1 September 2020 an article titled "Shoring Up Sanctions Enforcement in Sub-Saharan Africa: A North Korea Case Study" by Megha Swamy.

This is one of the rare pieces written on North Korean activity in Africa.  Despite hundreds of sanctions against North Korea, it has found an easy way to get around financial sanctions by operating through banks in Africa.  The author identifies banks in Cameroon and the DRC that allowed North Korean operatives to open accounts and then access U.S. dollars and Euros through correspondent banks in Europe.  

US Works To Improve Relations with Sudan

Foreign Policy posted on 8 November 2018 an article titled "Trump Administration Gives Sudan a Way To Come in from the Cold" by Robbie Gramer.

Sudan's foreign minister recently visited Washington. The Trump administration offered a scenario whereby Sudan could be removed from the United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Sudan-US Engagement Recommendations

The Atlantic Council published in March 2018 an issue brief titled "Sudan: Politics, Engagement, and Reform" by Johnnie Carson and Zach Vertin.

In an effort to improve relations between Sudan and the United States, the paper makes a series of recommendations to the government of Sudan and, if implemented, indicates the appropriate response from the United States.

North Korea's Military Links with the Horn of Africa

The Diplomat published on 6 January 2018 a commentary titled "North Korea's Military Partners in the Horn of Africa" by Samuel Ramani, University of Oxford.

While Sudan and Uganda reportedly are no longer violating sanctions against North Korea, the author suggests that Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia are continuing to do so. He argues that Eritrea and Somalia are unlikely to suspend military links with North Korea, although Ethiopia may be in the process of complying with sanctions.

Are African Countries Observing Sanctions against North Korea?

The Diplomat published on 8 December 2017 a commentary titled "Why North Korea Sanctions Are Failing in Africa" by Merve Demirel, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.

The author argues that so far UN sanctions against North Korea have not functioned in Africa in a way to isolate North Korea. She bases this largely on the fact that only 15 percent of African UN members are in compliance with reporting requirements concerning North Korean sanctions. It should be noted, however, that the African countries are notoriously bad in meeting international reporting requirements.

State of Sudan-US Ties

Abu Dhabi's The National carried a story dated 28 November 2017 titled "US and Sudan Rebuild Ties after Decades of Sanctions" by Joyce Karam.

The commentary suggests that the recent thaw in US-Sudan ties is not about resolving every outstanding issue but is rather a recognition that engagement achieves results, whereas decades of sanctions and economic and cultural isolation didn't achieve much.

US Open To Removing Sudan from State Sponsors of Terrorism List

The New York Times published on 16 November 2017 an article titled "U.S. Is Open to Removing Sudan From Terrorism List, Diplomat Says" by Jina Moore.

Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan recently visited Khartoum. One of the most senior U.S. officials to visit Sudan in the past decade, he said the United States would consider removing Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism if Sudan continued to make progress on counterterrorism cooperation, human rights and other key issues. While this is a big "if," it clearly signals Washington's willingness to move in this direction.

Impact of Partial Lifting of US Sanctions on Sudan

World Politics Review published on 11 October 2017 a commentary titled "With U.S. Sanctions on Sudan Finally Lifted, How Will Khartoum Act?" by Andrew Green, a freelance journalist based in Berlin.

The U.S. decision to lift some sanctions on Sudan will pave the way for U.S. businesses and banks to resume activities in Sudan and could help jump start the country's economy.

Better US Diplomacy in Africa Needed to Counter North Korea

Foreign Policy published on 3 October 2017 a commentary titled "The U.S. Needs Real Diplomacy to Counter North Korea in Africa" by Grant T. Harris, National Security Adviser for Africa under President Obama.

The author concludes that the United States is not properly staffed at its embassies in Africa to counter North Korea's outreach to African countries, citing the cases of Namibia and Uganda.

North Korean Activities in Africa

The Swiss-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime published in September 2017 a report titled "Diplomats and Deceit: North Korea's Criminal Activities in Africa."

The report presents an overview of evidence implicating North Korea in criminal activity ranging from smuggling and drug trafficking to the manufacturing of counterfeit money and black market cigarettes.

Dangers of Replacing Development Aid with Arms

The Conversation published on 19 July 2017 my remarks titled "Merkel's Proposal to Transfer Weapons as Aid Needs to Be Approached with Caution."

Angela Merkel suggested the possibility of substituting some development assistance with military assistance so that African countries could more effectively combat militancy and terrorism. While all countries should be able to defend themselves, most of them already prioritize the purchase of military equipment and more equipment can lead to greater abuses.

US Sudan Sanctions Decision Delayed

Foreign Policy published on 12 July 2017 an article titled "Disorganized White House Blamed for Delay in Sudan Sanctions Decision" by Siobhan O'Grady and Robbie Gramer.

The White House announced it would put off any decision on extension of the partial lifting of sanctions against Sudan by an additional three months, a delay that former officials and Africa experts say reflects "chaos inside the U.S. government."

North Korea's Ties to Africa

The Washington Post published on 10 July 2017 an article titled "North Korea's Surprising, Lucrative Relationship with Africa" by Kevin Sieff.

The author concludes that North Korea's ties to Africa allow it to show it still has friends abroad and benefits from their political support, sometimes violating UN sanctions in the process.

The UN Security Council published on 27 February 2017 a UN panel of experts report on North Korea that offers more detailed links between North Korea and a number of African countries, including Eritrea, Egypt, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, DRC, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Africa and North Korean Sanctions

The Institute for Defense Analyses published on 4 May 2017 a brief report titled "Africa and North Korea: Monuments and Munitions" by George Ward. It is based on the latest report by the panel of experts established under a UN Security Council resolution.

North Korea has a long history of selling arms to African countries. In addition, it has constructed military facilities in the DRC, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Namibia, and Uganda. The 2017 panel of experts report suggested possible North Korean sanction violations by the following African countries: Angola, the DRC, Eritrea, Egypt, Mozambique, Namibia, Sudan, and Uganda.

North Korea-Africa Cooperation

The Institute for Security Studies published on 30 November 2016 a major study titled "Cooperation between African States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" by Annie DuPre, Nicolas Kasprzyk, and Noel Stott.

Most African states have refrained from explicitly condemning North Korea's nuclear weapon and delivery system-related activities as a threat to international peace and security. The authors suggest this may be the result of the legacy of North Korea's military support of African liberation movements and the contemporary political and economic relations that many African states still have with Pyongyang. North Korea has built arms factories in the DRC, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Uganda. Namibia has contracted with North Korea to build military sites and ballistic missile manufacturing lines have been sold to Egypt and Libya.

On 30 November 2016, the UN Security Council in a unanimous vote of 15 members put new sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The three non-permanent African members--Angola, Egypt, and Senegal--voted in favor of additional sanctions.