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Stephen Chan

Professor of World Politics, SOAS, University of London

Stephen Chan was awarded an OBE for "services to Africa and higher education" in the summer of 2010, alongside receiving the 2010 Eminent Scholar in Global Development award of the International Studies Association.

Professor Chan has published 27 books on international relations and more than 200 articles and reviews in the academic and specialist press, as well as over 100 journalistic feature articles. His books include Robert Mugabe: A Life of Power and Violence, Kaunda and Southern Africa: Image and Reality in Foreign Policy, and Citizen of Africa: Conversations with Morgan Tsvangirai. His most recent work is The End of Certainty: Towards a New Internationalism.

He participated in the transition to independence of Zimbabwe, the reconstruction of Uganda after the fall of Idi Amin, and also advised and trained government ministries in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Kenya. He established a consortium that trained the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately before and after independence in 1993. He was also part of a consortium that trained the parliamentarians and ministers of post-Dergue Ethiopia from 1998-9. From 2006-7 he was a member of the Africa-China-US Trilateral Dialogue, an effort to establish a common set of principles to help govern the emerging trade wars involving the three continents.

South Africa election: ANC’s lost majority ushers in a new era of coalition politics

Jun 04, 2024 06:18 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

From the moment this years South African general election was called, through the whole campaign, the main question everyone here was asking was whether the African National Congress (ANC) could extend its 30-year...

Why the upcoming South African election a massive milestone for the ruling ANC

May 24, 2024 03:43 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africans governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), is in trouble. After 30 years in charge, it is scrambling for support ahead of the upcoming national elections. The ANC has run the country since the...

Russia rekindles old friendship with South Africa, its ally against apartheid

Jan 25, 2023 04:42 am UTC| Politics

The recent announcement that the South African, Russian and Chinese navies will conduct joint exercises off the east coast of South Africa between February 17 and 27, has alarmed the United States. Washington has condemned...

Zambia: debt, unpaid salaries and a poor harvest have sown seeds of crisis

May 02, 2019 17:46 pm UTC| Insights & Views

In the volatile landscape of southern Africa, Zambia is often overlooked. It played a huge role in the liberation struggles of its neighbours. The ANC, banned in South Africa by the apartheid government, established its...

New hope in Nigeria, but Zimbabwe struggles with the same old problems

Dec 04, 2018 16:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

There has been a sense of transition in both Nigeria and Zimbabwe recently. In Nigeria, Obiageli Oby Ezekwesili launched her presidential election campaign. She is not expected to win in the 2019 election. At best, she...

Zimbabwe: troubled nation now faces tough foreign policy choices

Oct 04, 2018 14:34 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

The toxic presidency of Mugabe may be over, but the new Zimbabwean government of Emerson Mnangagwa must quickly make some hard foreign policy decisions if it is to change the countrys fortunes. For so far no major foreign...

Economy

Trump's Bold Moves: A New Era in U.S. Foreign Policy

Trumps Bold Moves: A New Era in U.S. Foreign Policy Overview of Trumps Speech and Iran Policy On February 4, 2025, President Donald Trump delivered an important speech after signing some executive orders in the Oval...

China’s Markets Reopen Amid U.S. Trade Tensions and AI Boom

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) Chinas stock markets reopen after the Lunar New Year break, facing renewed trade tensions with the U.S. and major developments in artificial intelligence. Investors are closely monitoring...

Stocks Rally as Earnings Offset US-China Trade War Fears

The SP 500 closed higher Tuesday as investors balanced strong earnings with rising US-China trade tensions. The Dow gained 142 points (0.3%), the SP 500 climbed 0.72%, and the Nasdaq surged 262 points (1.4%). President...

China Hits Back with New Tariffs on U.S. Goods After Trump’s 10% Levy

Chinas finance ministry announced fresh tariffs on U.S. products on Tuesday, responding swiftly to a 10% tariff imposed by President Donald Trump on Chinese imports. The U.S. tariff, which took effect at 0501 GMT, marks...

Trade Truce: Trump Pauses Tariffs as North America Strengthens Borders

+9 Tariff Suspension and Trade Agreements President Donald Trump announced a 30-day tariff halt on imports from Mexico and Canada after successful negotiations. The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, agreed to...

Politics

Pam Bondi Confirmed as U.S. Attorney General in GOP-Led Senate Vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as attorney general in a 54-46 vote, solidifying President Donald Trumps influence over the Justice Department. Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and longtime Trump ally, secured...

JD Vance to Attend AI Summit in Paris Amid U.S.-China Tech Competition

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set to attend the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action (WA:ACT) Summit in Paris next week, according to a French diplomatic source. The visit comes as global competition in AI intensifies,...

Elon Musk’s Team Gains Access to U.S. Treasury Payment System, Sparking Protests

The U.S. Treasury confirmed that Elon Musks government-efficiency team has been granted read-only access to its payment system codes but denied any disruption to government payments, including Social Security and Medicare....

Hamas Open to Talks with Trump Administration Amid Gaza Tensions

The Palestinian Hamas movement has expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a senior Hamas official cited by Russias RIA news agency. Mousa Abu...

Trump Proposes U.S. Takeover of Gaza, Sparking Global Backlash

President Donald Trump announced a controversial plan to take over the war-torn Gaza Strip, promising economic development after Palestinians are permanently resettled elsewhere. Speaking at a joint press conference with...

Science

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us with personal decisions on matters like health and provide evidence-based policymaking to assist governments with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change. In...

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

The U.S.s return to the Moon with NASAs Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar...

Technology

Honda-Nissan Merger Talks May Be Canceled, Boosting Stock Prices

Honda Motor Co. (TYO:7267) and Nissan Motor Co. (TYO:7201) shares surged on Wednesday after reports suggested they may abandon merger plans. Hondas stock rose 2.9%, while Nissan gained 4.3%. Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203)...

Hong Kong Tech Stocks Rally on AI Optimism Despite U.S. Tariffs

Hong Kong-listed Chinese technology stocks surged as optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) advancements from companies like DeepSeek and Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) overshadowed concerns about new U.S. tariffs. DeepSeeks...

Trump Highlights Strong Interest in TikTok Amid Uncertain Future

Trump Highlights Strong Interest in TikTok Amid Uncertain Future Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday that there is significant interest in TikTok as his administration works to facilitate the sale of the...

Apple Criticizes EU Porn App, Citing Consumer Trust Concerns

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has voiced strong opposition to a pornography app available on iPhones in the European Union, blaming the blocs Digital Markets Act (DMA) for eroding consumer confidence. The app, Hot Tub, is...

Xiaomi Stock Rises as Morgan Stanley Raises Price Target on EV and AIoT Growth

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has boosted its price target for Xiaomi (OTC:XIACF) Corp (HK:1810) to HK$45 from HK$35, maintaining an Overweight rating, citing strong growth in electric vehicles (EVs) and AIoT. Analysts...