Jonathan Kranendonk is a graduate student in the MAGG program at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Prior to admission into the MAGG program, Jonathan completed a double major in English and History at Redeemer University, and a Master’s degree in History at the University of Waterloo.

Jonathan’s research focuses on post-independence African history and politics. His Major Research Paper for his history Master’s degree examined the first Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, and his overthrow during the Congo Crisis in the summer of 1960. He has also written on the current Sudan Civil War, the Mozambican independence movement under Eduardo Mondlane, and the recent coup in Gabon among other topics in African history and current events. Jonathan’s research primarily focuses on the ways in which conflicts in Africa have been transformed by global involvement and external actors.

As a BSIA student, Jonathan hopes to further his research in the global interactions within African conflict, and to gain further understanding of the place of global governance institutions in conflict arbitration.