Editor’s note: There will be no Daily Brief until Wednesday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day. |
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UNGA Greenlights Mechanism to Probe Fate of Those Missing in Syria’s War |
The UN General Assembly approved a resolution (AFP) yesterday to establish an independent body to investigate the whereabouts of the over one hundred thousand people who have gone missing during the Syrian civil war and provide support to victims and their families. Since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began his crackdown on protesters in 2011, more than 130,000 people have disappeared (Al Jazeera), according to UN estimates. Syria objected to the resolution, while human rights activists lauded it, though they cautioned that the new body will need the right tools to be successful.
Eighty-three countries voted to approve the resolution, eleven voted against, and sixty-two abstained. Many of those who abstained were Arab countries that in the past supported the Syrian opposition. |
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“Some of the missing are believed to be languishing in government prisons. Others were taken by non-state armed groups. Others are buried in mass graves, which have been found on both sides of the front line,” the Associated Press’s Kareem Chehayeb and Ghaith Alsayed write. “Despite more than 12 years of well-documented atrocities, Bashar al-Assad’s regime has largely evaded accountability, with only a handful of cases brought in international courts,” the Financial Times’s Raya Jalabi writes.
This photo essay by Zachary Laub traces Syria’s civil war. |
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French Police Arrest More Than Six Hundred People in Third Night of Protests |
President Emmanuel Macron held his second crisis meeting (FT) in two days after nationwide demonstrations continued in the wake of a police killing of a seventeen-year-old boy of North African origin at a traffic stop earlier this week.
Belarus: Satellite images appear to show new construction (Reuters) on military facilities near the capital, Minsk. Russian media have reported that private military company Wagner Group is considering setting up a new base at a vacant facility near Minsk.
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Chinese Spy Balloon Reportedly Carried U.S. Surveillance Technology |
The Chinese balloon shot down over the Atlantic in February used U.S.-built technology, according to a preliminary analysis by the FBI. When this information was shared with some U.S. lawmakers in March, it derailed efforts to improve bilateral relations, the Financial Times reported.
China: Beijing declared that it will pilot measures (Bloomberg) to ease international trade through its free trade zones. The announcement comes as industry raids at international firms in China have discouraged investors and impeded economic growth.
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IMF, Pakistan Reach $3 Billion Bailout Deal |
The deal between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) comes after months of delay (Reuters) and is still subject to approval by the IMF board next month.
This Backgrounder by Andrew Chatzky, Anshu Siripuapu, and CFR’s Jonathan Masters looks at the role of the IMF.
India: An Indian court dismissed a lawsuit by Twitter (NDTV) against the government in which Twitter had challenged New Delhi’s orders to take down posts and accounts critical of the government’s handling of Indian farmers’ protests in 2021.
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Special Envoy for Iran on Leave as Security Clearance Is Reviewed |
Rob Malley said that his security clearance is under review (Al-Monitor). He had led the Joe Biden administration’s exploration of a possible return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. More recently, the United States and Iran have been in indirect talks brokered by Oman.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Kali Robinson explains the Iran nuclear deal.
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss Russia’s post-rebellion moves, NATO’s Vilnius summit, Europe’s 21st century Woodstock, and more. |
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Ethiopia Applies to Join BRICS |
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A spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry said Ethiopia submitted an application (Addis Standard) to join the group of nations that consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Africa/Russia: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it is for African leaders to decide (Bloomberg) whether they continue cooperating with the Wagner Group following its failed mutiny against the Russian military. He said that more than half of African leaders are expected to attend a Russia-Africa summit next month.
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Argentina to Partially Repay IMF in Yuan |
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Supreme Court Rules Race Cannot Be a Factor in College Admissions |
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A Reuters special report traces many of the United States’ powerful political elite directly back to slave owners and discusses how this shapes the landscape for reparations and U.S. policymaking. |
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