The New Paradigm of U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changing Global Order

The DR Congo–Rwanda Agreement

Abstract

The article examines the transformation of U.S. foreign policy towards Africa through the lens of the June 2025 peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, brokered by the United States, and backed by Qatar. It argues that the agreement exemplifies a pragmatic and overtly transactional turn in U.S. engagement, privileging strategic and economic interests – most notably access to critical mineral resources – over the aid-centric and normatively framed approaches that have traditionally characterised Western, including U.S. policy in the region. Situating the agreement within the historical context of colonial legacies, protracted regional conflicts, and the enduring volatility of Congolese–Rwandan relations, the article highlights the persistent role of armed actors, particularly the M23 movement, in undermining earlier peace initiatives such as the Luanda and Nairobi processes. The analysis further situates the U.S.-brokered accord within a broader recalibration of the Africa policy of the USA, driven by concerns over regional stability and intensifying geopolitical competition, especially with the People’s Republic of China. While the agreement signals a significant strategic pivot in U.S. engagement with Central Africa, the article concludes that its long-term efficacy remains uncertain, as enduring insecurity and unresolved structural drivers of conflict continue to cast doubt on the prospects for sustainable peace in the eastern DRC.