Link to Artical: https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-russian-ship-weapons-inquiry-50474a30c747e12ca6a6e853cae29469
Summary: As tensions rise in the Russian and Ukrainian war, some countries choose to stay in a neutral position, one of these countries being South Africa. Lately, suspicions have been arising that South Africa had weapons ready to ship to Russia in May. South Africa denied this to be true stating they wanted to stay in a neutral position throughout the war. A new issue has arrived in which South African officials claim they didn’t know a sanctioned Russian ship was assigned to deliver weapons and military equipment to the country until it neared national waters, this led to high diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and South Africa. It was later reported that the ship offloaded military equipment into South Africa, but no equipment was loaded onto the vessel.
Analysis: The tensions across the globe are at an all-time high because of the Russian and Ukraine wars, one wrong mistake from any Nato power, or against, may lead to a lethal war raging across multiple nations. To ensure no advantages are given both sides are keeping a strict watch on what global entities are doing and whose side they are supporting. So, when the thought of South Africa supporting Russia was brought to America’s attention, America grew alarmed and took diplomatic steps, like questioning Africa. This shows how high tensions across the globe are, even countries that might not be considered world powers are having a close eye kept on them by both America and Russia. Wrong moves from any state with political capability could lead to intense repercussions and cause havoc across the globe.
Connection to Class: This relates to international relations because it shows how global actors are focused on shifting the majority’s opinions in favor of them and will go to extreme lengths to keep straying countries in line. This also accounts for how the relationships between countries change when it is convenient for them. South Africa and America tend to work well with each other, but South Africa might have been shipping goods to Russia because Russia was supporting them in a different convenient way that might not be mentioned yet by officials.