Ebrahim Rasool returned to Cape Town on Sunday, not as a triumphant negotiator but as a man unwavering in his convictions. The former South African ambassador to the U.S. was expelled with just a week’s notice, but if Washington thought it could dictate South Africa’s alliances, Rasool had a firm response: “America doesn’t get to decide who we stand with.”
Greeted as a hero, Rasool admitted he had hoped to bring back renewed trade agreements, particularly the extension of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). But not at the cost of abandoning South Africa’s stance on Palestine. “We couldn’t win AGOA by withdrawing our case against Israel at the International Court of Justice,” he said. “Because as we speak, the bombing and shooting continue.”
Despite the political rift, Rasool insists this isn’t about anti-American sentiment. South Africa’s bond with the American people has endured for decades—even when its government stood on the wrong side of history during apartheid.
As tensions rise and global alliances shift, one question lingers: Should economic interests dictate moral decisions? South Africa has made its choice. Will history vindicate it?
