Diplomacy 101: Undiplomatically Speaking
Where Beliefs Clash and Stories Flash
Ties Cut, Deals Made, and the Diplomacy of Absence
Just days before the holiday recess, North Korea officially expelled all remaining South Korean personnel from the Kaesong liaison office and declared its intent to nullify the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration. Seoul responded with symbolic sanctions and military readiness alerts. Regional actors, especially China and Russia, remained publicly indifferent—highlighting a growing diplomatic vacuum on the peninsula.
Elsewhere, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat announced a new digital customs protocol that will allow automated clearance of goods across participating states. Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda have signed on immediately, signaling early confidence in what could be a transformational moment for intra-African trade.
Meanwhile, the EU and ASEAN signed a new Strategic Connectivity Agreement focused on sustainable logistics and green ports. Though the deal is modest in scope, it reflects growing attempts to de-risk global trade infrastructure from singular dependencies—especially on China.