Opinion | Soft glove treatment

While high tariffs and a conspicuous absence of U.S. senior officials at the G20 summit hosted in Johannesburg in November 2025 were tangible blows to SA ’s political pride and economic confidence, they amount to little more than a slap on the wrist in comparison to how Washington has dealt with countries such as Iran, Venezuela, and more recently, Rwanda. While this does not mitigate the seriousness of tensions between SA and Washington, nor does it diminish the impact of economic pressure, in a global environment where the United States has shown itself willing to wield force and coercion with lethal precision against perceived enemies, Pretoria ’s experience resembles treatment with comparatively soft gloves.

The clearest illustration of this hard–edged posture was the U.S.’s latest military strikes on Iran. The operation was carried out swiftly and decisively, with little consultation with international partners, highlighting Washington’s willingness to act unilaterally when it perceives its national interests and those of its allies to be at stake. In January, the U.S.

executed a military operation in Venezuela that culminated in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, whom the superpower also regards as a threat to its national interests. The operation involved strikes on military installations in Caracas, rapid deployment of forces, and the extraction of the Venezuelan leader to face prosecution in the U.S.. Despite international organisations, and governments across the globe condemning the move as a flagrant violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty, this did not stop Washington from pursuing its objecting of destroying whoever it deems to be standing in the way of its national interests.

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Recently, the U.S. turned its focus to Africa, imposing sanctions on Rwanda in response to alleged support for rebel activity in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The sanctions targeted the Rwandan Defence Force and four senior commanders, reflecting Washington’s preparedness to suffocate an economy of even a poor country such as Rwanda as long as such a country is not toeing the U.S. It should be borne in mind that Rwanda has been historically a reliable US security partner and contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations.

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