China-Africa Ties and US Policy

 The Congressional Research Service published on 6 August 2026 a paper titled "China-Sub-Saharan Africa Ties and U.S. Policy" by Nicolas Cook, Lauren Ploch Blanchard, and Michael D. Sutherland.

China presents its engagement in Africa as promoting mutually beneficial economic development without imposing political conditions.  In practice, China seeks to use integrated multidimensional engagement to advance its broader global strategic goals of expanding its international influence, strengthening its access to natural resources, and challenging US global leadership.

Economic activity is a central pillar of China's activity in Africa.  Beijing's policy banks and state-backed lenders have extended numerous loans to African governments and other actors, making China a key bilateral creditor on the continent.  China engages in education and media cooperation, and provides development aid via grants and concessional loans, technical assistance, and humanitarian programs. Security cooperation between China and African countries has grown, especially over the last decade. 

Decline of the US State Department

 Small Wars Journal published on 11 August 2026 a commentary titled "The War of the Pen: What America's State Department Is Ignoring" by Julian McBride.

The author laments the absence of ambassadors at numerous US embassies, the State Department's waning soft power, the rise of middle and regional powers at the expense of the United States, and the increasing influence of China in the Global South.

He believes US diplomatic setbacks are self-inflicted but can be reversed through concerted action and the US position restored in the Global South.  

China-Sub-Saharan Africa Ties and U.S. Policy

 The Congressional Research Service published on 6 August 2026 a report titled "China-Sub-Saharan Africa Ties and U.S. Policy" by Nicolas Cook, Lauren Ploch Blanchard, and Michael D. Sutherland.

This is a comprehensive overview of China's relations with Sub-Saharan Africa and guidance for US policymakers.  

Sudan's Peace Process Is Trying to End the Wrong War

 African Arguments posted on 21 July 2026 a commentary titled "Sudan's Peace Process Is Negotiating a War That No Longer Exists" by Ezzat Khairi, a Sudan political analyst.

Diplomatic assumptions for ending the war in Sudan remain where they were in April 2023.  Peace initiatives approach Sudan as a two-sided conflict between a national army and a paramilitary rebellion.  That model no longer fits the war.  The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) now contain armed movements, tribal formations, ideological brigades, local defense groups, and commanders with their own constituencies and expectations of the postwar order.  The leaders of the SAF and RSF do not fully control the coalitions supporting them.

Namibian President Makes Most of Visit to China

 The Diplomat published on 24 July 2026 a commentary titled "As the World Courts Beijing, Namibia Shows How Africa Can Sharpen Its China Strategy" by Huiyi Chen and Ovigwe Eguegu.  

Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah made a weeklong state visit to China in early July.  She arrived with a clear agenda, negotiated a Namibia-relevant itinerary, and left with numerous tangible agreements.  The authors urge other African leaders to follow her example.

US Diplomacy in the Horn of Africa

 Aljazeera published on 21 July 2026 an article titled "Who Is Driving Diplomacy in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, and Why?"

US senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, recently held meetings in Cairo with the foreign ministers of Somalia and Eritrea as part of an effort to prevent another regional crisis or build a broader diplomatic framework.

Comment:  These meetings may well have been routine diplomacy, constituting less than is implied in the Aljazeera lead to the article. 

The Decline of Diplomacy in the United States

 USA Today published on 19 July 2026 an opinion piece titled "Reduction in US State Department Staff Was Purge in Diplomacy" by Elizabeth "Liz" Colton.

The Trump administration's dismissal of diplomacy and purge of the State Department have resulted in the predictable negative impact on US foreign policy.  

Urgent Diplomacy Needed to Calm Down Horn of Africa

 The International Crisis Group published on 17 July 2026 a commentary titled "As the Horn of Africa Nears Boiling Point, Time for Urgent Diplomacy" by Alan Boswell. 

Given the uncertainty about Washington's level of commitment to bring peace to the Horn of Africa, additional Gulf States, the European Union, the United Nations, Norway, and the United Kingdom should step up their engagement.  

The Kremlin's Long Game in Africa

 The Hudson Institute published on 4 July 2026 an analysis titled "The Kremlin's Long Game in Africa" by Joshua Meservey.

The analysis concludes that the Kremlin seeks to extract outsized benefits from Africa with the limited means it can deploy.  The nature of this engagement will change only when there is meaningful political transformation in Russia.

Crisis at the U.S. Department of State

 The Daily Beast published on 14 July 2026 an article titled "Insiders Expose Trump 'Crisis' at the State Department" by Ewan Palmer.

This is a devastating account of the current situation in the U.S. Department of State.  It draws heavily on a longer article in the UK's Financial Times.

US-China Competition in the Middle East and North Africa

 The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published on 1 July 2026 an analysis titled "In the Middle East and North Africa, America and China Converge More Than They Diverge" by Amr Hamzawy and Kathryn Selfe.

Competition between the United States and China in the Middle East and North Africa is less a threat and more an opportunity.  The region has important geostrategic significance for both countries.  As great power competition develops globally, Washington and Beijing's positions in the region are increasingly converging.  

The United States and China are united by their primary interest in maintaining free trade in the region.  For both countries, a stable, peace-driven order is key.  Washington is also driven by interest in Israel's security; Beijing is similarly driven by China's need for oil and liquid natural gas.  These two interests are compatible and underscore the need for peace and stability in the region.  

Kenya Deports Taiwan Attendees at International Conference

 Aljazeera published on 17 June 2026 an article titled "Taiwan Accuse Kenya of Deporting Conference Delegates on China's Behalf."

Taiwan accused Kenya of deporting two of its nationals who planned to attend a global oceans conference in Mombasa and blamed Beijing for pressuring Kenya to take this action.  Kenya defended its decision by stating that it recognizes only one China.   

Somaliland Opens Representative Office in Taiwan

 Horn Diplomat published on 12 June 2026 an article titled "Somaliland Opens New Representative Office in Taiwan as Ties Deepen" by Mohamed Duale.

On June 12, breakaway Somaliland opened the new premises of its Representative Office in Taiwan as officials from both sides pledged to expand cooperation across security, trade, healthcare, and development sectors.

The new office reflected the steady expansion of relations between Somaliland and Taiwan since the two sides established reciprocal representative offices in 2020.  

Dismantling of Professional American Diplomacy

 The Daily Beast published on 1 June 2026 an article titled "Jaw-Dropping Brain Drain Under Trump Revealed" by Will Neal.

The Trump administration has either laid off or forced into retirement about 2,000 career diplomats since the beginning of 2025.  This figure does not include foreign service personnel who were fired when the administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development.  

More than half of US embassies do not have a Senate-confirmed ambassador and those that are staffed at the ambassadorial level include only 8 percent career ambassadors.  The vast majority of American ambassadors today are financial contributors to the Trump campaign, close friends of the administration, or family members. 

U.S.-Ethiopia Relations

 Ethiopia Insight published on 1 June 2026 a commentary titled "Washington's Ethiopia Reset Risks Rewarding Impunity" by Getachew Gebrekiros Temare.

The author argues Ethiopia is pursuing a transactional foreign policy with the United States and other major international players, playing one against another.  He urges the United States engage in a responsible dialogue with Ethiopia that addresses serious unresolved security issues. 

The Hollowing Out of the US State Department

 CNN published on 16 May 2026 an article titled "As Global Crises Multiply, Scores of US Diplomats Say They Have Been Forced Out" by Jennifer Hansler.

An estimated 2,000 Foreign Service officers have been forced out or left by their own choice the U.S. Department of State in the past year.  Of 195 ambassadorial positions overseas, 115 are currently vacant, an unprecedented situation this late in an administration.  

This hollowing out of the State Department will have far reaching implications for the ability of the United States to project power and deliver on its foreign policy priorities.

Somalia's Role in the UN Security Council

 The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in April 2026 a study titled "Somalia's Mandate in the UN Security Council 2025-2026."

The study provides a comprehensive assessment of Somalia's performance during its non-permanent term in 2025-2026 on the UN Security Council.  It evaluates Somalia's institutional capacity, diplomatic engagement, and strategic positioning within the Council. The study also identifies key gaps and offers practical recommendations to strengthen Somalia's diplomatic effectiveness.

US Ambassadorships: Career Diplomats Need Not Apply

 2paragraphs published on 2 May 2026 an article titled "Former U.S. Ambassador to China Says Just 7% of U.S. Ambassadors Are Career Diplomats, 'Our Country Deserves Better'" by Lisandra Gomez-Tate.

In previous administrations, about 70 percent of U.S. ambassadors came from the career Foreign Service.  In the second Trump administration, that number is currently just over 7 percent, i.e. minus the zero.  Most of the ambassadorial positions are now occupied by friends, family members, and large political donors.

Comment:  This statistic demonstrates the low regard the Trump administration and Marco Rubio State Department hold the career diplomatic service.  What a waste of talent!  

Diplomatic Solution Language Eludes Sudan Cease Fire Talks

 The International Crisis Group published on 17 April 2026 a statement titled "Latest Sudan Conference Shows Diplomacy Is Backsliding" by Comfort Ero and Alan Boswell.

Officials who gathered in Berlin on 15 April pledged 1.5 billion Euros for humanitarian aid to Sudan but failed to agree on a joint communique.  Blame for the inability to agree on a common approach to achieve a cease fire resulted because of differences in the US-led Quad, which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt.

Negotiations foundered over Saudi Arabia's insistence on language stressing the need to preserve "state institutions", which would include Sudan's army, and the UAE's opposition to it.  The intra-Quad discord highlights the challenges facing US-led efforts to secure a truce, which are backsliding amid deteriorating relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

What's Behind Risk of War Between Ethiopia and Eritrea

The Conversation published on 20 February 2026 a commentary titled "Ethiopia and Eritrea Are on Edge Again: What's Behind the Growing Risk of War" by Yohannes Gedamu. 

The author argues that landlocked Ethiopia's desire for maritime access, Eritrea's support for armed dissident groups in Ethiopia, and Eritrea's omission from the peace process that ended the Tigray war are the primary drivers of current tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea.