On May 21st, Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on EU goods and issued a sharp warning to Apple: move production to the U.S. or face penalties. It’s classic Trump; loud, provocative, and deeply strategic. But is it smart policy or reckless power play? This piece unpacks the logic behind the move, weighing its morality, fairness, and real-world impact in a tense moment for global trade and economic diplomacy.
At the Global Strategy Nexus – Africa Summit 2025 in Lagos, Dr Brian O Reuben delivers a powerful keynote on Africa’s economic transformation, emphasizing strategic leadership as the linchpin for progress. He challenges delegates to move from declarations to decisive action, calling for visionary, people-centered leadership that drives policy, builds institutions, and unlocks Africa’s full potential.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faces a deepening crisis, as former President Joseph Kabila breaks six years of silence to deliver a sweeping critique of post-2019 governance. In a rare address, Kabila defends his legacy while condemning constitutional violations, electoral fraud, economic mismanagement, and worsening insecurity. Calling for national dialogue and regional cooperation, his speech underscores the urgent need for institutional reform and inclusive solutions to restore peace and stability.
Africa stands at a critical crossroads of opportunity and challenge. At GSN 2025, the focus was on unlocking private sector potential to drive governance, economic resilience, and inclusive growth. The speech emphasized policy reforms, regional collaboration, and strategic innovation as essential tools for transforming volatility into progress across the continent.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on 22 May 2025, lifted the parliamentary immunity of Joseph Kabila Kabangé, former President and senator for life, challenging entrenched norms around immunity and accountability. While some see it as long-overdue justice, others warn it could deepen political rifts. Either way, the message is clear: the era of untouchable leaders may be coming to an end.
The United Nations faces an existential threat as severe budget cuts, particularly from major donors like the U.S., push it toward potential insolvency. Humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, and global development initiatives are already in jeopardy. Without urgent reforms and diversified funding, the UN risks becoming irrelevant at a time when the world needs it most.
What should have been a strategic dialogue unraveled into a confrontation driven by misinformation. Trump’s reliance on discredited narratives highlighted the risks of populist rhetoric influencing foreign policy, pushing Ramaphosa to defend South Africa’s integrity instead of discussing economic cooperation and global trade partnerships
Trump’s handshake with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on 14 May 2025 was not just the revival of US-Syria dialogue—it was a deliberate violation of every expectation set by decades of bipartisan American foreign policy. Only months earlier, Trump had declared Syria to be “not our fight.”
The Global Report on Food Crises 2025 (GRFC 2025), issued by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN) and the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), confronts us with this brutal truth: the world is not short of food. It is short of justice, political resolve, and collective conscience. We are not experiencing a food shortage. We are living through a humanitarian failure. This report does not merely present numbers. It bears witness to suffering and demands urgent global action.
The recently convened BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in April 2025 failed to issue a joint statement on the bloc’s response to the United States’ protectionist trade policies under President Donald Trump. While the grouping has lofty ambitions to credibly represent the Global South, there are lingering doubts whether the organisation is wavering in establishing a unified direction and purpose with an expanded membership.