Nathan Schoonover

CFR Staff

Nathan Schoonover

Research Associate, Africa Studies

Nathan Schoonover is a research associate for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Before joining CFR, he was an auxiliar de conversación in Madrid, Spain and researched violent extremism in the Horn of Africa at the Critical Threats Project. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public and international affairs (security and intelligence), each from the University of Pittsburgh.

Most Recent
  • China Strategy Initiative

    Apart from a few noteworthy deviations, November saw routine Chinese investments in infrastructure and green energy across Africa, in addition to strong Sino-African cultural exchanges. Africans made their voices heard at the Twenty-Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan, and in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Nineteenth Group of Twenty (G20) Summit, where China reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to serving the continent as a viable non-Western partner.
  • China

    Chinese diplomatic developments abounded across the African continent throughout October, including the implementation of new China-Africa partnerships in the wake of last month’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit and business-as-usual investments in innovation, sustainable development, and infrastructure. The month culminated with the 2024 summit of the intergovernmental bloc BRICS in Kazan, Russia, where President Vladimir Putin was joined by BRICS heads of state and a slew of hopefuls. 

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