Expert: U.S. 'diplomatic bullying' behind South African ambassador's expulsion

The expulsion of South Africa's ambassador to the United States highlights "diplomatic bullying" by the new U.S. administration, which should be opposed by all African nations, said a South African political expert.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool "persona non grata" on the social media platform X on Friday, giving him 72 hours to leave the United States, following an earlier speech in which Rasool criticized U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Saturday, the South African president's office described the expulsion as "regrettable", calling for "diplomatic decorum" between the two nations.

Patrick Bond, a political economist and expert on international relations at the University of Johannesburg's Department of Sociology, noted that the U.S. is discontented with South Africa's opposition to Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, fueled by Ambassador Rasool's candid criticism of Trump, which led to the escalating tension between the two countries.

"The main friction between South Africa and the U.S. now goes back to early 2024, is the International Court of Justice case against Israel's genocide against Palestinians, and that would imply that the United States, the main supporter of Israel, is complicit in the genocide. So, the U.S. would like South Africa to withdraw the case. But most of the rest of the world wants South Africa to keep having leadership. U.S. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said that ambassador from the South Africa to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, who is new in the job but he had served before, was not being diplomatic enough because he essentially accused Donald Trump of inspiring a worldwide movement of white racists," he said.

"That's the signal that they will be bullies, they will get away with it. They will throw out an ambassador for simply being honest. All the (African) continent should stand up against this bullying," the scholar added.