Kathrine Frich
The transactional American approach is now hitting a solid brick wall.
High-stakes diplomacy often looks perfect on paper.
Smiling politicians pose for the cameras and promise a brand new era of global cooperation.
Then the cameras leave, and those carefully crafted agreements crash into the brutal reality of the real world.
A failed handshake
President Donald Trump wanted to score a major international win. His administration spent months brokering a complex peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to end a brutal four-year war.
The grand plan fell apart spectacularly in December 2025. When the two African leaders finally met in Washington for the big reveal, they flatly refused to even shake hands.
Violence immediately flared up back home. Rwandan-backed M23 fighters launched a massive new offensive in the South Kivu province, capturing the key town of Uvira just days later.
Trading resources for peace
Washington has a very specific financial goal in this region. The current administration desperately wants to break China’s tight grip on the global supply of critical manufacturing resources.
Congo sits on massive reserves of copper, cobalt, and coltan. These highly sought-after materials power everything from modern smartphones to electric vehicles across the globe.
Officials in Congo made a very clear offer. They promised the United States direct access to these valuable mines if American diplomats could stop the aggressive Rwandan military attacks.
The White House sent Massad Boulos to lead the complicated talks. Trump’s family ally managed to secure a brief pause in the fighting near a vital tin mine, but that early success quickly faded away.
A frozen battlefield
The transactional American approach is now hitting a solid brick wall. Prioritizing quick resource deals over long-term democratic stability has left the peace process completely frozen.
Rebel forces currently occupy a massive chunk of land. They control an area roughly the size of Maryland, and they have absolutely no intention of leaving after losing hundreds of their own soldiers.
Both sides are now deploying deadly drone strikes against each other. The daily escalating violence continues to put countless innocent civilians in the direct crossfire.
According to Foreign Affairs and Digi24, the America First strategy risks failing on all fronts. China might easily keep its mining monopoly while the central African nation slips much deeper into endless conflict.
Sources: Digi24, Foreign Affairs
