ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the political predicament of US foreign policy in South Sudan and how this is creating an uncertainty that is working against US values (human rights and democracy). The uncertainty I argue, reflects how the Trump administration’s high risk, erratic policy deviates from a valued approach and remains more aligned with Russia’s and China’s disengaged approach. To understand this predicament, the chapter identifies three stages of US foreign policy in South Sudan: (1) disenchantment, (2) negative reinforcement, and (3) political uncertainty. The first, which begins during the civil war (1983–2005) and continues to the early period of statehood (2011–2013) highlights the US’ funding of the SPLA’s resistance to the Sudan (and eventually his role in the CPA negotiations of pressuring Khartoum to achieve democratic unity). The second stage marks the break with this earlier strategy of supporting the SPLA, as highlighted by the Obama administration’s official attempts to target the punishment of the political leaders, followed by the release of UN reports and the African Union Commission of Inquiry report exposing the corruption of the leaders and the leaders’ support of rogue militias. Last, the third stage represents the Trump administration’s unpredictable policy, or rather, its support and willingness to maintain and even intensify the threats of the Obama administration’s punitive approach, while punishing the people of South Sudan.
