Relationship dossier
Republic of the Congo
United States
Relationship assessment
Bilateral engagement combines investment and assistance cooperation with U.S. concerns over democratic conditions.
Republic of the Congo toward United States
+15The Congolese government has participated in bilateral investment arrangements with the United States, including a bilateral investment treaty. The scope of additional direct cooperation is unclear.
United States toward Republic of the Congo
+10The United States has provided assistance connected with health and conservation in the Republic of the Congo, while also raising concerns about democratic conditions, including the 2016 election.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a cooperative foundation in bilateral investment arrangements and U.S. assistance, but is not a close partnership. U.S. concerns about democratic governance and human rights have been a recurring point of friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Republic of the Congo and the United States have maintained bilateral engagement that includes a bilateral investment treaty and U.S. assistance in areas such as health and conservation. The relationship also includes U.S. criticism of democratic and human-rights conditions, particularly surrounding Congo’s 2016 election. The breadth and implementation of bilateral cooperation are not fully clear.
Areas of tension
- U.S. concerns about democratic conditions and the conduct of the 2016 Congolese election.
Key developments
The Republic of the Congo and the United States signed a bilateral investment treaty.
The United States raised concerns about democratic conditions surrounding the Congolese election.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and practical implementation of bilateral investment and assistance arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing government cooperation across health, conservation, and governance issues is uncertain.