event

Are South Africa-U.S. Relations at a Turning Point? A Conversation With Naledi Pandor

Tue. March 19th, 2024
Washington, DC

South Africa is the most industrialized country and the second-largest economy on the African continent. It is also the United States’ largest trade partner in Africa, even as it maintains strong relationships with both China and Russia. South Africa plays an important leadership role among African countries: it was the first African member of the BRICS group of emerging economies and is the sole African member state of G20. Recent developments have brought the complexities of South Africa’s relations with the United States to the fore—including discussions on the reauthorization of the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act, South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and the recent U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act introduced in the U.S. Congress.

What factors within the country, the African continent and the U.S. are shaping South Africa’s relations with the rest of the world? What are the continuities and changes to expect in the U.S.-South Africa relationship? How is South Africa navigating an increasingly multipolar world?

Join the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Africa Program for a fireside chat and audience Q&A with Naledi Pandor, the minister of international relations and cooperation of the Republic of South Africa.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Naledi Pandor

Naledi Pandor is the minister of international relations and cooperation of the Republic of South Africa. She has been a member of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa since 1994. Dr. Pandor previously served as the deputy chief whip of the African National Congress in the National Assembly, deputy chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces.

Dan Baer

Senior Vice President for Policy Research, Director, Europe Program

Dan Baer is senior vice president for policy research and director of the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Under President Obama, he was U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)  and he also served deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

Zainab Usman

Director, Africa Program

Zainab Usman is a senior fellow and inaugural director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Her fields of expertise include institutions, economic policy, energy policy, and emerging economies in Africa.