After Trump poured cold water on SA: What's next for the middle power?

As the dust settles on the G20 summit, South Africa is left wondering what's next. Will the country's diplomatic efforts pay off, or will the United States' decision to ‘delete’ South Africa from the G20 website have lasting consequences?

The US has decided to remove South Africa from the G20. "The US has been telegraphing this for some time," explains geopolitics specialist Dr Terrence McNamee.

McNamee warns that the country needs to be cautious and not read too much into the Trump administration’s actions.

"I think we have to recognise that if relations were to continue to deteriorate, let's say to the point where the United States imposed general sanctions on South Africa, I'm not saying that's likely, but it's not impossible. Then that would have a massive impact on the South African economy."

One of the key issues at play is the US's perception of South Africa's relationships with countries like Cuba, Iran, and China. McNamee notes that the US sees these relationships as a national security threat.

"The Republicans, or at least a large chunk of them, believe that South Africa is morally compromised because of issues around race-based policies.

“Poking the bear doesn’t work,” warns McNamee.

Instead, he suggests the Government of National Unity (GNU) focuses on internal reforms and building a strong domestic agenda.

"You have great people that are driving the reforms, we have to ask the same question about South African foreign policy: do we have the right ideas, do we have the right strategy, do we have the right people?"

If you're interested in understanding the intricacies of international diplomacy and the G20 summit, click below to listen to McNamee discuss Trump’s decision to remove South Africa from the G20 and what it means for the country's future: