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.

China Strategy Initiative

China in Africa: February 2025

Diplomacy was at the forefront of China-Africa relations in February, with China continuing to showcase its commitment to African countries amid far-reaching policy changes from the United States.

Article by Nathan Schoonover April 1, 2025 China Strategy Initiative
China Strategy Initiative

China in Africa: January 2025

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi continued the tradition of visiting the continent at the beginning of each year.

Article by Nathan Schoonover February 13, 2025 China Strategy Initiative
China Strategy Initiative

China in Africa: December 2024

China continued to strike economic deals with African countries, particularly in infrastructure, sustainable development, and mining.

Article by Nathan Schoonover February 13, 2025 China Strategy Initiative
China Strategy Initiative

China in Africa: November 2024

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.

Article by Nathan Schoonover November 26, 2024 China Strategy Initiative
China

China in Africa: October 2024

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.

Article by Nathan Schoonover October 31, 2024 China Strategy Initiative

Trade

What Are Tariffs?

President Donald Trump has begun his second term imposing tariffs against some of the United States’ leading trading partners to correct what he says are decades of imbalances harmful to the U.S. economy. Here’s how these taxes work.

Backgrounder by Anshu Siripurapu and Noah Berman April 1, 2025

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Fentanyl and the U.S. Opioid Epidemic

Opioid addiction has become one of the United States’ biggest killers, endangering public health, the economy, and national security. But closing the floodgates on fentanyl poses a significant foreign policy challenge.

Backgrounder by Mariel Ferragamo and Claire Klobucista March 28, 2025

International Criminal Court

The Role of the ICC

The International Criminal Court was created to bring justice to the world’s worst war criminals, but debate over the court still rages.

Backgrounder by Mariel Ferragamo and Claire Klobucista March 27, 2025

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