Having returned recently from two weeks of discussions in Chicago, Washington DC and New York, I’ve gained troubling insights into US-SA relations. My meetings with American academics, policy experts and diplomatic officials — all preceding ambassador Ebrahim Rasool’s expulsion — revealed growing tensions that have now erupted into an open diplomatic crisis.

While merely the catalyst, Rasool’s controversial remarks about President Donald Trump reflect deeper fractures in a relationship increasingly characterised by misunderstanding and mutual frustration. This deterioration demands a strategic recalibration. The ball is in our court. ..

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