With Prof. Dr. Rui Verde,  Research Associate within the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford, UK, and at the Centre Population & Development at the University of Paris-Cité, France. He also teaches African Geopolitics at the Catholic University of Paris, France. Legal Analyst of MakaAngola.

The following seminar will examine the realignment of Angolan foreign policy since 2017, when a process of strategic reorientation began. The central question to be explored is how Angola has adapted to the new geopolitical landscape, particularly in relation to China, and what implications this has for the 2027 electoral landscape. The analysis focuses on the recalibration of relations with China, which are currently characterised by a drive towards diversification and the reduction of asymmetries. It also examines the cooling of relations with Russia and the gradual rapprochement with the United States and various Western actors. These developments occur within an international context marked by shifting dependencies and competition among the major powers.

This diplomatic dynamic assumes particular importance in the period leading up to the 2027 Angolan elections, which have attracted the attention of various global actors due to the country’s energy significance, its geopolitical position in Southern Africa, and its history marked by direct and indirect external interventions.

The objective of the seminar is to analyse how these international realignments interact with the electoral cycle, highlighting the interests, strategies and projections of the various powers, as well as the implications for sovereignty, institutional stability and Angola’s role in the contemporary international system.

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