Relations between the United States and Madagascar date to the middle of the 19th century, when the United States was Madagascar's largest trade partner. The two countries concluded a commercial convention in 1867 and a treaty of peace, friendship, and commerce in 1881. At the time, Madagascar was largely controlled by the
Merina Kingdom, based in the country's
central highlands. In 1886, the U.S. sent its first Commercial Agent to Madagascar (John P. Finkelmeier), and in 1875 its first Consul (William W. Robinson). Both were based in the port of
Tamatave (now Toamasina). In the years between the
First Franco-Hova War and the
annexation of Madagascar by France, a series of U.S. Consuls in the country supported the rights of the Merina government against French colonial claims, notably by receiving
exequatur from the Merina rather than the French, as the French insisted they should. This culminated in the 1895 arrest of former U.S. Consul
John Louis Waller, who had been granted a large tract of land by the Merina government (who refused to make such grants to the French). Waller was taken to metropolitan France and sentenced to 20 years in prison for allegedly conspiring with Merina radicals. The incident was only resolved when U.S. President
Grover Cleveland secured his release by threatening to sever diplomatic ties between the U.S. and France. Additionally, in 1882-1883 a Malagasy diplomatic delegation visited the U.S. in order to gain support against French designs on the island. They visited
Washington D.C.,
Philadelphia,
New York City,
Boston, and
Salem, addressing not only government officials but merchants who had substantial trade interests in Madagascar. Also in that year, Malagasy President Philibert Tsiranana visited the U.S. on a two-week tour, and received an official state welcome on the White House South Lawn. Traditionally warm relations suffered considerably following the
1972 and
1975 coups, when Madagascar expelled the U.S.
ambassador, closed the
NASA tracking station, pursued closer relationships with the
USSR, Cuba, and North Korea, and nationalized two U.S. oil companies. In 1980, relations at the ambassadorial level were restored. A Peace Corps program was established on the island in 1992. Madagascar qualified for
AGOA trade benefits in 2000. Madagascar became the first country with a
Millennium Challenge Corporation compact when it signed an agreement worth $110 million in April 2005. The
Ravalomanana government was especially positive about ties with the United States. The fall of President Ravalomanana in 2009 and the subsequent
Transition regime strained those relations. Madagascar could not benefit from much US or international aid any more, nor qualify for free trade agreements such as AGOA. In 2013, a new president and a new national assembly were elected with the support of the international community. International aid resumed, and Madagascar was again eligible for AGOA trade benefits. However, the damage to its main export industry (textiles) was already done. However, in June 2015, a new degradation of the political climate in Antananarivo prompted the U.S. State Department to voice its concern and call for a 'national dialogue' in the country. In 2020 the Peace Corps suspended operations in Madagascar due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2022, Peace Corps volunteers returned to Madagascar. == USAID in Madagascar ==