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China and the United States have engaged in an ever-deeper rivalry in Latin America and Africa seeking to build political and security alliances, secure access to natural resources, invest in critical infrastructure, and win over skeptical publics. Both countries have shown willingness to mobilize expensive investments to solidify their ties in Africa and Latin America. In 2024, the PRC President Xi inaugurated the Chancay Port in northern Peru while the U.S. President Biden launched the Lobito Corridor Railway connecting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia with Angola’s Lobito port on the Atlantic Ocean. This seminar will explore the nature and breadth of competition from the policy maker perspective, including that of African and Latin American senior officials. Students will analyze the dynamics of the relationships looking at the interests of Latin American and African nations as well as the United States and China. Outside speakers with direct policy making experience will contribute to the discussion. This is a graduate level course with students expected to write short policy analyses and orally brief on topics frequently.