Relationship dossier
Madagascar
United States
Relationship assessment
Development and trade cooperation, interrupted by Madagascar’s 2009 political crisis
Madagascar toward United States
+15Madagascar entered a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact with the United States, establishing a bilateral framework for development cooperation. The 2009 political crisis disrupted this partnership and subsequent U.S. assistance.
United States toward Madagascar
+20The United States provided development assistance and supported Madagascar’s trade access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. It suspended assistance and trade benefits after the 2009 political crisis, then resumed engagement following the return to elected government.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has included concrete development and trade cooperation, but the 2009 political crisis prompted a substantial U.S. policy response that interrupted assistance and trade benefits. Subsequent engagement resumed, leaving a generally cooperative but politically conditional bilateral relationship.
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
Madagascar and the United States have had practical cooperation in development and trade, including Madagascar’s participation in a U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation compact and U.S. support for Madagascar’s eligibility under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The relationship was disrupted after Madagascar’s 2009 political crisis, when the United States suspended assistance and trade benefits. Cooperation resumed following the return to elected government, though the scope and continuity of later bilateral programs are unclear.
Areas of tension
- The 2009 political crisis and resulting U.S. suspension of assistance and trade benefits.
Key developments
Madagascar entered a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact with the United States.
Following Madagascar’s 2009 political crisis, the United States suspended assistance and Madagascar lost eligibility for African Growth and Opportunity Act trade benefits.
After Madagascar’s return to elected government, the United States resumed engagement and Madagascar regained African Growth and Opportunity Act eligibility.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and continuity of bilateral development and security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of Madagascar’s direct government cooperation with U.S. initiatives after the political transition is uncertain.