The 2024 US Elections Strategic and Economic Implications for the New South

September 30, 2024

The outcome of the 2024 U.S. elections marks a pivotal moment for U.S. engagement with the New South. Historically, American involvement in the Atlantic region oscillates between deeper economic integration and strategic retrenchment, driven by shifts in domestic priorities and global pressures. The next administration is likely to redefine U.S. trade policies, investment strategies, and economic partnerships, with potential consequences for key initiatives such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation. The latter serves as a critical framework for fostering multilateral collaboration across the Atlantic, with trade, security, and sustainable development implications. A potential U.S. pivot towards the Indo-Pacific further recalibrates its commitments to the Atlantic, impacting nations across the New South. This discussion critically assesses how these shifts in U.S. economic and strategic policy transform relations with the New South. Central to this analysis is whether the U.S. maintains its economic engagement with Africa and the Atlantic region, and how the New South navigates evolving trade relations, investment flows, and shifts in multilateral cooperation following the U.S. election. Against this backdrop, the Policy Center for the New South organizes a roundtable on September 24th, focusing on the strategic and economic implications of the 2024 U.S. elections for transatlantic relations and their impact on the New South. The event features Senior Fellows from the Policy Center, providing expertise on the potential shifts in U.S. foreign policy and its repercussions on the global South. Discussions explore critical areas such as trade, diplomacy, and strategic alliances, with a special focus on how these developments influence the economic and geopolitical landscape of the New South. Akram Zaoui, International Relations Specialist at the Policy Center for the New South, moderates the session. It includes a presentation followed by an open discussion, allowing participants to engage with the ongoing dynamics shaping transatlantic relations.

Speakers
Dominique Bocquet
Senior Fellow
Dominique Bocquet is a graduate of Sciences-Po, a graduate of history and a former student of ENA. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the French Review Commentaire and Knight of the Legion of Honor. He lectures at Sciences Po and the ENA and is active in several European think tanks.  He is the author of several books and reports, including "Génération Europe" (Editions François Bourin, 1989), in collaboration with Philippe Delleur; "France and Germany, a couple running out of ideas" (Notes from the Saint-Simon Foundation, 1996); What economic efficiency for Lomé? "(Report for the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, June 1998)" Bringing the EDF into the EU’s Budget, a step forward in modernizing aid "(Report for the Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry, ...
Otaviano Canuto
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, Affiliate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Brookings Institute. Former Vice President and Executive Director at the World Bank, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Vice President at the Inter-American Development Bank. ...
Akram Zaoui
Chargé de Mission to the Executive President
Akram Zaoui is a Senior Specialist and Chargé de Mission to the Executive President at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS). Prior to this, he was Manager of Research Support and the Public Policy Lab at the PCNS. His main area of research interest is the geopolitical economy of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. From 2018 to 2020, Zaoui coordinated a network of 70+ civil society organizations (CSOs), working with local communities, public authorities, and private companies. His responsibilities included managing administrative and financial affairs, communications, development, fundraising, operations, and strategic planning. Zaoui holds degrees from HEC Paris and Sciences Po, as well as a bachelor's degree (licence) in history from Université Paris 1 Pa ...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    June 12, 2020
    The United States has suffered more COVID-19 casualties than any other country and continues to report large numbers of new cases and deaths, and – as evident recently in stock markets – investors remain extremely sensitive to the epidemic’s shifting trends. As every state reopens, including most recently the New York epicenter, the fates of the American economy and of the global economy depend on whether the United States has put the worst of the epidemic behind it, or whether it w ...
  • Authors
    Souha Majidi
    June 5, 2020
    Face à l’ampleur des retombées économiques et sociales des crises sanitaires, comme la Covid19, l’aide publique au développement peut jouer un rôle essentiel dans l’atténuation de l’impact des épidémies sur les économies les plus fragiles et vulnérables. L'aide publique au développement (APD) vise non seulement à combler le manque de capital nécessaire à amorcer une dynamique forte de développement, mais aussi à amorcer la capacité des Etats à répondre aux risques sanitaires et sécu ...
  • Authors
    June 10, 2019
    This article was originally published on Center for Macroeconomics and development's website Friday night, US President Donald Trump announced by Twitter that he would suspend the implementation of tariffs on Mexican imports, which would start with 5% on Monday, June 10, to reach 25% in October. A signed agreement between the two countries, also confirmed by Twitter by Mexico’s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard, would have included Mexican government’s commitments to take “strong mea ...
  • Authors
    May 22, 2019
    The trade tensions between the United States and China will cause only minor immediate damage to their giant economies. However, tariffs have important and diverse effects on individual sectors and cause heightened uncertainty. The main adverse effects on Sub-Saharan Africa will therefore be through global investor confidence, economic growth and commodity prices, and these effects could be severe if the dispute escalates further and endangers the rules-based trading system. The tra ...
  • Authors
    Ian Lesser
    November 18, 2013
    This policy brief argues for a closer relationship between Morocco and the United States. Morocco’s geo-economic position is evolving in ways that will shape U.S. and international interests in the country and open new avenues for cooperation. Key drivers of change in this context include Morocco’s stake in greater economic integration in the Maghreb, a growing role in Africa, new energy and infrastructure projects, and the emergence of Morocco as a hub for communications around th ...
  • Authors
    Kassim Bouhou
    September 17, 2010
    Before the 9/11 events, US-Maghreb relations were growing stronger, especially after the United States had long left the floor to the Maghreb’s “natural” European partner. Therefore the American action in this region was in line with a mechanism previously set off by Clinton Administration member, Stuart Eizenstat, which aimed at reducing intra regional obstacles and stimulating American investments towards an area where Americans were little-represented. Hence Washington seemed mor ...