diplomacy

The Chinese Balloon And The Breakdown of US Diplomatic Ties

February 28, 2023 4:25 am

The Chinese balloon spotted in the open sky of the United States last week has taken the pre-existing diplomatic ruckus between the two superpowers to a dodgy height. While China said it was a civilian weather research ‘airship’ that has strayed into US airspace, the US rejected that out of hand, saying, it was a spy balloon used by China ‘in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States’.

Despite China’s diplomatic tone that the object did not constitute a physical and security threat, the US waited till Saturday the February 5, to shoot down the balloon …

Debt-Trap: Is Africa Trading Off It’s Sovereignty To China?

February 20, 2023 3:25 am

Over the last two decades, the economic relationship between China and many African countries has continued to flourish, alongside speculation that the Chinese government has a hidden agenda. Many see sovereign immunity clauses in Chinese loan agreements as a ploy to re-colonise Africa from the back, while others ask whether these loans form a debt-trap diplomacy.

Chinese engagement with African countries, as one of the country’s most important economic partners, has spanned over two decades, traversing trade, investment, infrastructural financing, and aid. During this period, China has catapulted from being a relatively small investor to the highest creditor in sub-Saharan …

German Diplomacy In Chaos Over Syria Blue-Helmet Proposal

October 28, 2019 3:01 am

While the conflict has raged in Syria, a vaguely-worded German proposal for a UN-led security zone in the country’s north has sown new chaos within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s fragile coalition government.

The idea offered by the politician who hopes to succeed Merkel in 2021, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, once more throws a spotlight on Germany’s struggle to define its role as a player on the world stage.

The political row started when Kramp-Karrenbauer, who heads Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and is widely known simply as “AKK”, early last week proposed her plan for a blue-helmet mission in northern Syria.

Such …