Encounter - Voice of America VOA English

Is the United States playing catch-up with China and Russia in Africa or just making good on commitments from the recent US – Africa Leaders Summit? Rama Yade, Director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council and Michelle Gavin, former US Ambassador to Botswana and senior fellow in Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, discuss with host Carol Castiel the timing and significance of trips by two senior US cabinet officials --Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield -- to numerous African countries and how these visits fit into the larger Biden Administration Africa strategy.

US President Joe Biden met with his North American counterparts from Canada and Mexico in what has been called the three amigos Summit or North American Leaders Summit in Mexico City in early January. Luz Maria de la Mora Sanchez, former Mexican Vice Minister of foreign trade and Eric Farnsworth, Vice President of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas, discuss the significance and takeaways of this trilateral meeting with host Carol Castiel.

On this US politics edition of Encounter vice president for policy at Third Way, Jim Kessler and American Enterprise Institute resident scholar, John Fortier spar over the nature and direction of the Republican-led House of Representatives of the 118th Congress after concessions California Congressman Kevin McCarthy made to a group of right-wing hardliners in exchange for their vote to elect him Speaker of the House of Representatives after a historic 15th round of voting.

On this annual edition of Encounter, Georgetown professors Anthony (Tony) Arend and Amb. Mark Lagon talk with host Carol Castiel about the most pressing national security and foreign policy challenges facing the United States in 2023. Will the new Republican-led House of Representatives hamper US President Joe Biden’s ability to mobilize robust financial support for Ukraine against Russia? In addition to the rise of China, what other long-term geostrategic priorities require US leadership?

From the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, to the release of a comprehensive report from the select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, host Carol Castiel reviews the stories that dominated the headlines in 2022 and will likely carry over to 2023 with Michael Williams, Washington correspondent for Project 10 TV Australia and Tracy Wilkinson, senior foreign policy writer for the Los Angeles Times.

On this year-end edition of Encounter, host Carol Castiel presents excerpts from our most memorable programs in 2022. From holding Russia accountable for the crime of aggression and war crimes in Ukraine, elections in Brazil and the United States, to the African Union brokered ceasefire in Ethiopia and the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, we present key highlights from 2022.