When I served as President Biden’s Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council, I had more than a few difficult meetings over whether, and how, to cut foreign assistance. My reflections here: poststrategy.substack.com/p/on-foreign...

"What’s striking is that many of the most troubling voter suppression tactics that the U.S. will no longer condemn overseas — strict proof of citizenship and residency requirements, as well as purges of the voter rolls, all targeting disfavored groups — are being kicked into high gear here at home."

NEW: GOP attacks on U.S. elections have clashed with America’s pro-democracy stance abroad. Rubio’s move to silence diplomats on fair elections removes that tension, potentially aiding Trump’s efforts to rig upcoming elections, @maxbone55.bsky.social writes.

I've been reflecting on how voter suppression in the U.S. mirrors tactics I’ve analyzed & worked w/ civil society combat abroad. In my first @democracydocket.com article, I examine how these tactics are being used to exclude marginalized voters here at home. The fight for democracy is universal.

I was genuinely pleased to see the leaders of #GuineaBissau, #Mauritania, #Liberia, #Senegal & #Gabon at the White House yesterday. High-level engagement and a focus on commerce have long been lacking from US- #Africa policy, and I will applaud any President who takes action to change that.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s efforts to bypass constitutional term limits and extend his term in office until 2030 has spurred calls for a public uprising, writes @maxbone55.bsky.social‬‬.

The Perfect Storm Pushing Zimbabwe Toward Crisis foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/19/z...

Over the past few months, a confluence of crises has been simmering in #Zimbabwe: a heated succession battle within ZANU-PF, the most divided opposition in two decades, intensified repression of civil society & a worsening economic crisis. In @foreignpolicy.com , I examine the implications.

 A 249-strong contingent of SANDF soldiers serving with the now-terminated Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo have arrived back in South Africa, with the remainder set to return by month-end. www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/fir...

Netanyahu wanted to strike Iran when Obama was president. Obama said no and he didn’t. Netanyahu wanted to strike Iran when Biden was president. Biden said no and he didn’t. Netanyahu wanted to strike Iran when Trump is president. Trump said no and he did.

W.E.B. Du Bois on Robert E. Lee: “Either he knew what slavery meant when he helped maim and murder thousands in its defense, or he did not. If he did not he was a fool. If he did, Robert Lee was a traitor and a rebel–not indeed to his country, but to humanity and humanity’s God.”

The real enemy of this administration is cosmopolitanism. Whether in Los Angeles or South Africa, multiracial pluralistic democracy is a threat to them because it means their “us or them” model of the world is wrong. So they stir up trouble on purpose and gleefully lie.

I have admittedly not been following the New York Mayoral race closely, but I just realized that one of the main candidates is Mahmood Mamdani’s son! If it means anything for NY-Africa relations is another question, but still very neat! pix11.com/news/politic...

This is a five-alarm fire not getting sufficient attention. #PEPFAR funding in #SouthAfrica funded small clinics for key populations. If the figures are this high in RSA, where the public health system is more robust, they are likely much higher elsewhere. www.reuters.com/business/hea...

My phone was buzzing nonstop with messages from Abidjan about a coup- which was bogus. It is imaginable to see such messages leading to ppl pouring into the streets & subsequent unrest. This raises real questions of how to address information integrity in real time businessday.ng/africa/artic...

IMHO: stop calling the meeting an ambush. Ramaphosa had a plan: - staffing his delegation (golfers, a billionaire, and a white minister of ag.) - asking a few Trojan Horse Q’s (where is the video from?) - letting POTUS spew without interruption - letting the press ask the hard Q’s, rather than him

Last week I posted my first substack on U.S. strategies toward Africa. What worked and what didn’t — including the one I wrote for President Biden. open.substack.com/pub/poststra...

Some rare positive news for the global order from @edwardluce.bsky.social and @financialtimes.com, reinforced in #Canada and #Australia: "America’s 47th president plays unwitting ally to democracy everywhere except at home." www.ft.com/content/f063...

This is two global elections in ONE WEEK where the conservative candidate trying to become prime minister not only led his party to a big loss but lost their own seat in parliament (!) in huge upsets. We are global pariahs unseen since the end of the Cold War and need stronger domestic opposition.

Potential protests on Thursday in Cote D’Ivoire

Military drone acquisitions have surged in Africa, but any decisive advantage drones provide may be further negated by the dynamics of proxy warfare. africacenter.org/spo...

This is an example of how the misguided tariffs are already having a massive impact on Lesotho- one of the poorest (but in my mind most beautiful) countries on earth. This will push people into poverty & Impact companies from allied countries.. www.news24.com/fin24/econom...

South Africa-U.S. relations hit new hurdles. The latest on hits to trade and HIV programs – and a controversial refugee program for white Afrikaners. goodauthority.org/news/south-a...

Many assumed in 2020 that Malawi’s democratic triumph would create the political will to address the country’s challenges. Five years later, though, most of the country’s major issues remain unchanged, @maxbone55.bsky.social writes.

Amazing interview with South African jurist Albie #Sachs on @africasacountry.bsky.social africasacountry.com/2025/04/what...

I thought a lot about Malawi & over the past year visited the country a few times. Despite the democratic breakthrough in 2019/2020- Malawi now faces yet another contentious election. I examine why in detail in my latest for @wpr.bsky.social www.worldpoliticsreview.com/malawi-elect...

thrilled to share my latest article with the International Feminist Journal of Politics, "Convergence and contestation: the Women, Peace and Security agenda in central Mali." urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

Some notable takeaways from Gen. Langley's posture statement to the US Senate today that shed light on the Trump admin's priorities in Africa: - Russia is not mentioned. China got a whole section. - A paragraph is devoted to AFRICOM's efforts to support US investment in critical minerals. 🧵

#Lesotho is amongst the hardest hit by the tariffs. This is cruel- it will hurt the government's efforts to regularize artisanal mining & negatively impact American companies. www.bbc.com/news/article...