Daily News Brief

August 4, 2023

Top of the Agenda

Officials from some forty countries, including the United States and Ukraine, will meet in Jeddah (Reuters) this weekend to discuss a peace blueprint for ending the war in Ukraine. Envoys from India, Brazil, and South Africa will attend, while Russia will not. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced hope that he can get developing countries to endorse the initiative, which are based on his own ten-point plan for peace, though a similar meeting in Copenhagen in June ended without a joint statement.

China, which in the past has laid out its own peace plan for Ukraine, did not attend (Politico) the meeting in June and it is unclear whether Chinese envoys would participate in the Saudi-led talks this weekend. They come as lower-income countries, often referred to as the Global South, have faced the fallout of Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal and a subsequent increase in grain prices.

Analysis

“[European officials] warn that whatever eventually emerges from the talks will likely be a list of key principles of international law that everyone can embrace: support for territorial sovereignty and integrity, the application of international law, and the need for conflict to be resolved through dialogue and not the use or threat of force,” the Wall Street Journal’s Laurence Norman writes.

“Both [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman are engaging in a bit of competitive mediator roles in which they are trying to improve their country’s national diplomatic stature by achieving humanitarian goals in the Russo-Ukrainian war,” Ryan Bohl of the Rane risk intelligence company tells CNBC. “By doing so, they hope to improve their country’s reputations in both the Global North and Global South.”

For Foreign Affairs, Happymon Jacob explores whether India could help bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.

Pacific Rim

At least fourteen people were wounded during Thursday’s attack. The national police chief said today that Seoul will launch a “special policing” operation (Yonhap) in response to the back-to-back incidents involving lone individuals. Police will increase patrols and conduct civilian searches. 

China/U.S.: U.S. authorities have arrested two U.S. Navy sailors (CNN) based in California who are accused of sharing sensitive military information with Chinese agents, the Justice Department said. A U.S. attorney for California said the schemes were part of a larger Chinese strategy to obtain U.S. military secrets.

South and Central Asia

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that he will attend (Hindustan Times) the summit of the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, a grouping known as BRICS, in Pretoria between August 22 and 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin will be the only leader to not attend in person.

India: India’s top court stayed a defamation conviction (CNN) for opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, potentially granting him an opportunity to run against Modi in next year’s election. Gandhi had contended that the conviction was politically motivated.

Middle East and North Africa

A spokesperson for the extremist group announced its fifth leader (AFP) yesterday after saying on the messaging app Telegram that Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi was killed in direct clashes with a jihadist group in northwestern Syria, though they did not say when he died.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Writing in a Washington Post op-ed, Mohamed Bazoum called on the U.S. government “and the entire international community to help us restore our constitutional order” after last week’s military coup. Niger’s coup leaders announced overnight that they would end military cooperation (WSJ) with France.

This In Brief by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo explains how the Niger coup could threaten the entire Sahel.

Ethiopia: The government declared a state of emergency (Reuters) in the Amhara region today following clashes between the military and a local militia. The emergency declaration grants officials the power to make arrests without warrants and impose curfews.

Europe

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish media that a potential ban on burnings of the Quran would not be a threat (Politico) to freedom of expression. Denmark has tightened its border controls (Reuters) amid a string of far-right protests during which Qurans have been burned, causing outrage among Muslims worldwide. Sweden increased its security for the same reason earlier this week.

Russia: A Russian court is expected to announce a verdict (NYT) today that could add up to twenty years to the jail sentence of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is already serving nine years. Navalny said via his organization that the purpose of the new sentence is to “intimidate” him.

Americas

The United Nations is monitoring the cease-fire (NYT) between Colombia’s government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the largest remaining Colombian rebel group after a 2016 peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). A cease-fire with the ELN has been a top priority for Colombian President Gustavo Petro since he took office last year.

Cuba: A new rule came into effect (Reuters) yesterday that bans businesses from using ATMs and limits their cash transactions. It is designed to control inflation, which the government estimates is running at 45 percent this year. 

United States

The court gave temporary permission (AP) for the Joe Biden administration to continue to enforce restrictions on applying for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border that had previously been ruled illegal. Illegal bordering crossings have dropped sharply since the new rule took effect in May.

This Backgrounder by CFR’s Diana Roy looks at how the U.S. asylum process works.

Friday Editor’s Pick

Grist explores how some doctors and medical schools are taking climate effects into consideration when treating patients.

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