The Western alliance under strain: implications for Africa

Could Western divisions increase African agency by encouraging more autonomous bilateral partnerships?

Date: 2026-08-25

Time: 15:00 to 16:30

Venue: Online via ISS Zoom

Shifts in United States foreign policy under the second Trump Administration are straining the Western alliance across defence, trade, technology and multilateral cooperation. For Africa, further fragmentation could reduce the predictability and coherence of development finance, security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and political engagement. Yet it may also create opportunities for greater African agency.

This dialogue explores whether Western divisions could encourage more autonomous bilateral partnerships between Western capitals and Africa, while giving African states greater scope to diversify external relations and negotiate more balanced partnerships.

This event is the third of a six-part series on global geopolitical developments and Africa’s security-development futures.

Moderator: Priyal Singh, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Security Studies

Panelists:

• Lwazi Somya, Manager of Research, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, Southern African Liaison Office
• Prof Bob Wekesa, Director, African Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of the Witwatersrand
• Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Global Dialogue (TBC)