On January 12, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the AGOA Extension Act (H.R. 6500), marking a significant step toward renewing and strengthening the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The bipartisan vote of 340–54 demonstrates strong congressional support for ongoing U.S.–Africa trade cooperation and economic engagement. The legislation extends AGOA for three…
Greenland‘s prime minister said “we choose Denmark” over the U.S., on the eve of Wednesday’s meeting between the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Trump administration officials. “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” Greenlandic Prime…
Washington, DC — The Africa Bureau at the State Department has a new top official, Nick Checker. Unlike his recent predecessors who were career diplomats, he has been at State for only four months, having served for the previous decade as a military analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He spent part of last…
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Nationwide unrest challenging Iran’s theocracy saw protesters flood the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city Saturday night and into Sunday morning, crossing the two-week mark. At least 203 people have died in violence surrounding the demonstrations, U.S.-based activists said, with fears the death toll is far higher. With…
Protests in Iran raged Friday night in the Islamic Republic, online videos purported to show, despite a threats from the country’s theocracy to crack down on demonstrators after shutting down the internet and cutting telephone lines off to the world. The protesters appeared to be taking encouragement from repeated declarations of support by the Trump…
Of Africa’s 54 countries, 36 are now subject to either travel bans or visa bonds by the United States. African states are the prime target of President Donald Trump’s latest round of travel restrictions, which he says are aimed at protecting national security and preventing visitors overstaying. The US State Department this week added several…
Addis Abebe — The adage that “there are no free lunches in geopolitics—only postponed bills” captures a core reality of international relations: engagements that appear cost-free in the short term almost always carry deferred obligations. The recently signed five-year health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia and the United States fits squarely within this…
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2026 in New York City. Xny/star Max | Gc Images | Getty…
The U.S. carried out operations Wednesday to seize two oil tankers linked to Venezuela — one in the North Atlantic and one in the Caribbean Sea, officials said. The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker formerly known as Bella-1. It said the vessel was seized for violations of U.S….
On November 5, the Trump administration unveiled the new National Security Strategy (NSS) for the United States. Since the passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Act in 1986, presidents have been required by Congress to provide an NSS. Waiting for this strategic guidance has become a routine across parts of the US government, and the document’s release…
