“America’s refugee program was built to reflect our values, and the thousands of individuals we’ve closed our doors to represent thousands of missed opportunities of people who could have strengthened a local community or economy.”
For someone following migration and work trends in southern Africa, this policy shapes not only the direct US - Africa relations, it also affects regional attitudes about fairness and opportunity when talking about race.
“Do you support having a refugee admissions policy in this country that only admits white refugees?” Mr. Murphy
The congressional questioning shows growing concern about explicit racial bias in federal policy
“This decision doesn’t just lower the refugee admissions ceiling. It lowers our moral standing,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah
Critics frame the move as a moral failure that betrays the humanitarian spirit of the refugee program
The Trump administration, however, made the refugee determination official on Thursday, without consulting with the required congressional committees,
Issuing the policy without Congress shows disregard for legal process and oversight
Police statistics do not show that white people are more vulnerable to violent crime than other people in South Africa.
Data contradict Trump’s justification for protecting Afrikaners, undermining the policy’s stated rationale
He then created a carve-out for South African descendants of Dutch and French settlers who arrived there in the 17th century, even as families hoping to escape war in Sudan, Iranian religious minorities previously approved to travel to the United States and people in refugee camps around the world remained in limbo.
The carve-out for white South Africans shows how ideology and political symbolism now shape refugee priorities
The administration lowered the ceiling of refugee admissions to just 7,500 for the fiscal year that started this month, down from the cap of 125,000
The reduction shows a retreat from our traditional refugee commitments
The Trump administration is drastically cutting the number of refugees it will admit to the United States, rejecting thousands of people fleeing war and persecution while reserving the record-low number of slots for mostly white Afrikaner
This is clearly a political move, prioritizing race and nationality in a system long defined by humanitarian need
“This threatens to undermine China’s credibility as a reliable trading nation,” she said. “It is an incredibly delicate balance to strike.”
For anyone pursuing work in trade, energy, or mining, including my own job search in southern Africa, China’s rare earth policies will ripple across resource markets, affecting regional industries and investment flows
Foreseeing “a lot of resistance” to providing that information, Dr. Miller said it could accelerate efforts to build non-Chinese supply chains for rare earths. T
China’s licensing demands may backfire by pushing countries to create alternative supply networks
“It scares the rest of the world how far China is willing to go in upending the global supply chain,”
The move unsettles global markets, revealing how fragile international production systems have become
The administration seemed caught off guard by China’s restrictions, which could cripple American industries.
Beijing’s timing blindsided Washington, exposing U.S. dependence on Chinese materials
President Trump threatening to increase already substantial tariffs on Chinese imports by imposing an additional 100 percent tax
Trump’s threat of extreme tariffs escalates tensions and risks a new phase of the trade war
China has really begun to figure out how to take a leaf from the U.S. playbook and in a certain sense play that game better
This quote captures the article’s theme. China is adopting the U.S.’s own economic tactics, perhaps more effectively
With its dominance over the production of these rare earth minerals and its control of other strategic industries, China may have an even greater ability than the United States to weaponize supply chains
Analysts warn China’s leverage in critical minerals could outweigh U.S. power in technology
The Chinese government flexed its own influence over worldwide supply chains when it announced new rules clamping down on the flow of critical minerals
China is mirroring U.S. export controls by using its dominance over rare earths, a direct challenge to the US tech restrictions.
Addressing the state Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany in 2023
Even in old age, Weiss urged global resistance to racism and injustice
After her stint at The Guardian, Ms. Weiss left London and returned to Africa in 1970 as business editor of The Times of Zambia.
Her career spanned continents, from London and Zambia to Germany, where she became a respected witness to history
But she soon ran afoul of the government there — and of Prime Minister Ian Smith, who had declared the country’s independence from Britain
Weiss’s reporting on Rhodesia’s sanctions evasion led to her expulsion and eventual exile from southern Africa
“We covered the emergence of MK” — the military wing of the African National Congress, the oldest liberation movement in Africa — “the arrests and detentions, and the government’s decision to leave the Commonwealth
As a reporter, she covered the rise of South Africa’s liberation movements while under government scrutiny
Ms. Weiss wrote some of his articles for him, under his name — initially the ones dealing with economics, as she had worked for a large South African insurance company — and, in the process, she became a journalist.
She began her journalism career ghostwriting for her ill husband before establishing her own reputation
“Blacks under apartheid — Jews under the swastika. Was it all that different?” she asked in a lecture in Nuremberg
Weiss drew direct parallels between antisemitism and apartheid in her writing and speeches
Her long life and the hundreds of articles and many books she wrote were shaped by twin experiences of discrimination: first, as a girl, when her life was upended after the Nazis came to power in 1933, and then, three years later, when her family immigrated to Johannesburg
Her early life as a Jewish refugee shaped her lifelong opposition to oppression
Ruth Weiss, a South African journalist forged by the Nazi persecution she experienced as a child in Germany, who covered the malignant flowering of apartheid in the early 1960
Ruth Weiss survived Nazi persecution and went on to expose racial injustice in apartheid South Africa
The country is facing a critical moment with the United States, attempting to negotiate the 30 percent tariffs introduced by the Trump administration this year.
For expatriated Americans seeking work or partnerships in southern Africa, including my own job search in Namibia and South Africa, U.S.–South Africa tensions could shape economic prospects and trade stability.
Mr. Malema, who is scheduled to be sentenced in January, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The potential sentence could significantly weaken one of South Africa’s most visible opposition voices.
The gun charges originate from a video taken at a political party rally in July 2018 in which Mr. Malema appeared to fire into the air with an automatic rifle.
The incident behind the conviction underscores Malema’s use of provocative, militant imagery in his politics
Economic Freedom Fighters, attributed the verdict to a political climate in which the South African judiciary “is influenced by imperialist and right-wing agendas,
His party frames the conviction as part of a broader struggle against Western interference
Mr. Malema has said that his current legal challenges are a result of pressure from Washington after the meeting in the Oval Office
Malema portrays his prosecution as politically motivated and influenced by U.S. pressure
Mr. Trump played a video montage of Mr. Malema leading chants of “Kill the Boer,” or kill the white farmers
The use of this footage fueled international outrage and linked Malema’s rhetoric to racial violence narratives
During an Oval Office meeting with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, Mr. Trump openly accused the leftist politician, Julius Malema, of fomenting violence against white South Africans
Trump’s direct criticism of Malema shows how U.S. politics can spill into African domestic affairs
A leftist politician in South Africa who became the subject of President Trump’s attacks on the country was convicted on Wednesday of gun charges
the story’s focus is Malema’s latest conviction, which deepens political tensions between South Africa and the U.S
erupted recently in Nepal and Kenya.
Youth-led protests across Africa and beyond highlight how instability can affect regional economies. This is important context as I explore opportunities in Namibia and South Africa, where similar frustrations could shape the job market.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Madagascar, a country of nearly 32 million people, has struggled with political instability.
Similar to nearly ever post colonial nation in Africa
at least 22 people had been killed and more than a hundred injured.
The heavy toll shows both the determination of protesters and the state’s reliance on force.
Mr. Rajoelina first came to power through a coup in 2009. He lost power after the 2013 election, and then won office again in 2018 and 2023. M
This history underscores Madagascar’s cycle of instability and contested elections.
calling for the president’s resignation.
Protesters’ demands go beyond cabinet reshuffling, they want Rajoelina himself out
even accepting applications through email and on LinkedIn.Image
While the goal here is probably to show openness, it gives me a message of desperation
has fired Prime Minister Christian Ntsay and all the cabinet ministers.
creates a power vacuum and uncertainty about new leadership
“I understand the anger, the sadness and the difficulties caused by power cuts and water supply problems,”
A rare public admission that basic infrastructure failures are fueling the rage
youth-led
this has been happening successfully in multiple countries, mainly in asia.
dissolved his government on Monday in response
shows the severity of the crisis and how far protests have pushed Rajoelina.
That solution is looking as distant as ever as the Gaza war nears the end of its second year and Israel rapidly expands its settlements in the West Bank.
shows futility of two-state solution right now
France joins nearly 150 nations that already consider Palestine a sovereign nation.
U.S. isolated, majority of world supports Palestinian statehood.
France recognized Palestinian statehood
Symbolic move, contrasts with U.S. disengagement.
This time, the Americans lost.
Illustrates U.S. weakening soft power
One former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva told me about a time he helped defeat a Chinese candidate
Concrete example of U.S. using influence to block China
and has long wielded immense power there, helping sway elections and votes on human rights and in other arenas.
Reminder of U.S. historical dominance in U.N. system
Russia has proposed cutting speaking time for advocacy groups, to save money on hearings.
Cuts framed as cost-saving but really limit civil society voices
is offering to host some of the offices of the U.N. workers’ rights agency.
world cup irony
The Trump administration’s retreat is emboldening authoritarian nations to reshape the U.N. to their advantage.
Central thesis = U.S. absence = rival influence grows
Trump has upended its operations by withdrawing from the Human Rights Council and other agencies
U.S. disengagement = vacuum for rivals
ambassadors of China and Cuba had a suggestion: What if the council limited inquiries into, say, government-sanctioned abuses
Shows authoritarian states using U.S. funding cuts to weaken human rights oversight.
By law, the Malawi Electoral Commission must release the results within eight days of the vote.
I wish the article gave more input on how Malawi was likely to vote
85-year-old
both quite old in a nation that is majority young people
50 percent of the vote in order to win. If no one reaches that mark in the first round of voting, the top two vote getters proceed to a runoff.
this is different from many parliamentary or republic election systems
directly for the president
different than electoral college
Many skilled youth are voting with their feet, emigrating mostly to South Africa
much of sub sahara africa is experiencing similar. Leading to an European migrant crisis
While the official unemployment rate is low,
unemployment rate is also somewhat irrelevant when being paid such low wages. For example, unemployment rates are extremely low in the DRC, however many people are employed in what is essentially modern day slavery.
70 percent of Malawians live on less than $2.15 per day, according to a 2019 household survey by the World Bank, which has forecast rising poverty and food insecurity in the country of about 22 million.
terrifying
Malawians watch their economy deteriorate, with rising inflation and widespread poverty.
unfortunately the juxtaposition between politicians and the average African city is stark over much of the continent
Some analysts believe that the election will again lead to a court battle.
I wonder if the courts have been influenced over the past 5 years to strengthen Chakwera's support.
manipulating the voter registration process
I draw parallels to certain political tactics in America. By making it harder for certain demographics to vote, certain parties can maintain power.
commission that runs the country’s elections
common corruption tactic
that saw Lazarus Chakwera, an opposition leader, prevail over Mr. Mutharika.
was this court actually justified in striking this down?
small
18 million people btw
often cling to power through corruption
what has Malawi's history with political corruption been
Disillusioned
why disillusioned
0s and early 1960s, the a
n