Biden Calls for Careful Military Choices, Humanitarian Access During Israel Visit |
On a visit to Tel Aviv yesterday to voice U.S. support for Israel in the wake of the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s surprise attack, U.S. President Joe Biden also warned Israel (FT) not to be “consumed” by rage, adding that the United States made “mistakes” following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. He also announced that Egypt has agreed to allow up to twenty humanitarian aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip. Biden is due to speak today (NYT) from the White House about the ongoing wars in Israel and Ukraine.
Yesterday, the White House said that U.S. intelligence suggests Israel was not responsible for Tuesday’s deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital. Israeli air strikes continue over Gaza, where many residents are eating only one meal a day (AP) and have resorted to drinking unsafe water. At the UN Security Council yesterday, the United States vetoed a draft resolution (Reuters) calling for a humanitarian cease-fire, saying that it was important to focus on direct diplomacy efforts. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate cease-fire and to allow for humanitarian aid to the region and hostages to be released.
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“Perhaps more than past American leaders, Biden (due to the Ukraine war) recognizes the solemnity and fragility of the global nuclear taboo. One wonders whether another tacit reason for Biden’s unprecedented involvement—including his naval deployments and high-profile visit to Israel on Oct. 18—is to make sure that taboo is not shattered,” Haifa University’s Uri Bar-Joseph and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey’s Avner Cohen write for Foreign Policy.
“Although the Biden administration views a ground offensive and the blockade of Gaza as a risk to regional stability—and worries about an unfolding humanitarian disaster—the United States’ ability to alter Israel’s course at this point is limited,” the University of Washington’s Steven Simon writes for Foreign Affairs. “Hamas’s removal could provide a fleeting opportunity to bring about a new dispensation in Gaza that is better than what came before it.”
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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Russian Foreign Minister Reportedly Proposes Regular Security Talks With North Korea |
Sergey Lavrov proposed the talks (AP) on a two-day visit to Pyongyang to discuss the two countries’ approach to what he called increasing U.S.-led regional military threats, Russian state media reported. The United States and South Korea say that North Korea is sending Russia weapons for use in its war in Ukraine, which Pyongyang has denied.
In this In Brief, CFR expert Scott A. Snyder explains the perils of a renewed North Korea-Russia relationship.
Argentina/China: Argentina has borrowed $6.5 billion (FT) worth of Chinese currency as part of economic stabilization efforts amid looming debt repayment deadlines to the International Monetary Fund, the Argentine economy minister said.
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Indian Trade Negotiators Visit UK to Address Differences in Trade Talks |
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously invited United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to visit India by the end of the month to sign a free trade agreement that would seek to double bilateral trade by 2030. But outstanding disagreements regarding some goods, investments, and services may push the talks into next month, Bloomberg reported.
Afghanistan: The Taliban government is applying to join (Reuters) China’s Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure lending program, Afghanistan’s acting commerce minister said today.
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert David Sacks looks at who is supporting the Belt and Road Initiative as it enters its second decade.
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Announces Sanctions on Iran’s Weapons Programs as UN Restrictions Sunset |
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Liberian Presidential Election Advances to Runoff |
The October 10 election was the first that was fully organized (NYT) by the Liberian government without monetary assistance from international partners since the end of the country’s civil war in 2003. According to official provisional results announced yesterday, incumbent George Weah won 43.8 percent of votes and Joseph Boakai, former vice president, secured 43.5 percent, making this the closest race Liberia has seen in two decades.
Guinea-Bissau: Power was restored (BBC) in Bissau, the country’s capital, after a nearly two-day outage due to an unpaid electricity bill totaling $15 million. The country’s energy minister said that $6 million of the bill was settled, but that their contract with Turkish firm Karpowership needs to be renegotiated as costs have doubled since it was signed.
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Russia Detains Russian-American RFE/RL Journalist |
Russian authorities arrested Alsu Kurmasheva and charged her (Politico) with failing to register as a foreign agent, the media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) said. The news organization has called for her immediate release. She is the second U.S. citizen arrested in Russia since the start of this year, following Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Kurmasheva faces up to five years in prison.
Germany/Lebanon: Germany’s defense minister visited German troops (Reuters) serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon today after the mission was hit by a rocket on Sunday amid rising tensions in the Middle East. There were no casualties.
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U.S. Broadly Eases Sanctions on Venezuelan Oil, Gas, Gold Following Election Deal |
The broad sanctions relief is in response (Bloomberg) to a deal earlier this week between Venezuela’s government and its political opposition to hold competitive elections next year. Venezuela also freed five political prisoners in the wake of the deal. The U.S. Treasury Department warned that sanctions would be reimposed if Venezuelan officials fail to follow through on their commitments.
Nicaragua: Nicaraguan authorities announced yesterday that they released twelve previously-jailed Catholic priests (AP) and sent them to Rome in an agreement reached with the Vatican. The government of Daniel Ortega jailed some of the priests after they voiced support for anti-government protests in recent years.
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Senate Moves to Accelerate Confirmation Process for Vacancy in Israel Ambassadorship |
President Biden’s nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob J. Lew, sat before (AP) the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a confirmation hearing yesterday. The committee is expected to vote on his nomination next week, which could advance his nomination to the full Senate. |
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