Newsday: The man who created the DA and took the party from 338,000 to 2.9 million votes
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/28858/the-man-who-created-the-da-and-took-the-party-from-338000-to-2-9-million-votes/
Amateur hour in South African diplomacy?
Former DA leader Tony Leon talks about how South Africa should handle Trump and the G20. Former DA leader Tony Leon tells Peter Bruce in this edition of Podcasts from the Edge that South Africa is taking a chance in how it is dealing with US President Donald Trump’s decision to boycott the recent G20 [...]
G20 glory vs kitchen table reality: Voters don’t care for foreign policy wins GalleryG20 glory vs kitchen table reality: Voters don’t care for foreign policy wins
African National Congress (ANC), American Politics, Cyril Ramaphosa, Democratic Alliance, Donald Trump, Elections, G20, International Politics, South African Politics, Trump, United States, US President
G20 glory vs kitchen table reality: Voters don’t care for foreign policy wins
While President Ramaphosa touts G20 success and foreign policy achievements, he should keep in mind that voters overwhelmingly prioritise domestic economic concerns like jobs and corruption over international relations, writes Tony Leon. “There are few votes in foreign affairs,” was the response I received from a local politician. This, after I enquired why his party had [...]
G20 Summit: Diplomatic theatre masquerading as historic breakthrough GalleryG20 Summit: Diplomatic theatre masquerading as historic breakthrough
African National Congress (ANC), Cyril Ramaphosa, Democratic Alliance, Donald Trump, G20, International Politics, South African Politics, Trump, UK Politics, World Politics
G20 Summit: Diplomatic theatre masquerading as historic breakthrough
Tony Leon argues that South Africa’s G20 summit was inflated as a historic diplomatic triumph when it was merely standard international theatre with vague aspirations. In July 1971, US National Security Advisor Dr Henry Kissinger undertook a top-secret visit to Beijing, breaking more than two decades of Cold War confrontation between America and China. It was [...]
Lessons from Pope Francis for SA-US relations
Tony Leon reflects on lessons for the US-SA relations in the relationship between Jorge Bergoglio (who later became Pope Francis) and the former president to Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. A lot of airtime right now is taken with the identity of who President Cyril Ramaphosa appoints as South Africa's new ambassador to the United States. Though, as [...]