Biden Cites ‘Inflection Point in History’ in Call for Continued Support of Israel, Ukraine |
U.S. President Joe Biden said the current wars in the Middle East and Ukraine represent an “inflection point in history” (NYT) in a speech from the Oval Office yesterday. Both the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin aim to “completely annihilate a neighboring democracy,” he said. To stop them, he urged Congress to support new military aid for Israel and Ukraine. The full request package is expected to total some $100 billion (Bloomberg) and will go to a still-leaderless U.S. House of Representatives as the House struggles to choose a new speaker. Biden also denounced antisemitism and Islamophobia and emphasized the need to abide by the laws of war.
Biden’s address came as humanitarian aid for residents in the Gaza Strip was delayed by disagreements (NYT) between Egypt and Israel, and Israel’s defense minister told troops that they would soon see Gaza “from inside” (Reuters). As diplomats pushed to contain the threat of a wider war, a U.S. Navy warship in the northern Red Sea shot down three cruise missiles and several drones launched from Yemen that the Pentagon said could have been aimed at Israel. Israel also ordered the evacuation of its largest town near the border with Lebanon and conducted raids in the West Bank amid clashes there.
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“Even before [Tuesday’s Gaza] hospital tragedy, the magnitude of Hamas’s attacks and the realities on the ground as war unfolded in Gaza were already changing key actors’ strategic calculations. Those shifts are making regional escalation more likely—and the risk of confrontation between Iran and Israel is particularly acute,” the University of California, Los Angeles’ Dalia Dassa Kaye writes for Foreign Affairs.
“Mr. Biden was seeking to harness bipartisan sympathy for the Jewish state to reaffirm the United States’ global role,” the Economist writes. “He is also hoping the explosive crisis in the Middle East will bring a divided and paralyzed Congress to its senses.”
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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China Announces Export Controls on EV Battery Component Graphite |
Beijing will require special export permits (FT) for three grades of graphite on national security grounds, the commerce ministry said today. China is the world’s largest producer of both natural and synthetic graphite, which is used to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The move comes after the United States tightened controls this week on exports of microchips to China.
China: The country grew its nuclear arsenal (NPR) from an estimated four hundred nuclear warheads in 2021 to more than five hundred in May 2023, according to a new U.S. Department of Defense report. It estimates that China aims to have around 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035; the United States and Russia currently say they each have about 5,000 warheads.
On this episode of The President’s Inbox, Fiona S. Cunningham discusses China’s nuclear forces.
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Forty-One Canadian Diplomats Leave India Amid Fallout From Sikh Leader’s Killing |
India had threatened to revoke the immunity (CBC) of the Canadian diplomats who left, Canada’s foreign minister said. The departure comes in the wake of Canada’s claims that Indian agents were involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader on Canadian soil in June.
China/Sri Lanka: China is willing to buy more Sri Lankan exports (Reuters) without political conditions following the restructuring of part of Sri Lanka’s debt to the country, Chinese President Xi Jinping said. Sri Lanka owes about $7 billion to Chinese lenders.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Egypt to Host Weekend Summit on Israel-Hamas Crisis |
Several Middle Eastern leaders and UN Secretary-General António Guterres are expected to attend (Asharq Al-Awsat) Saturday’s summit, which is due to discuss the current war and the prospect of a comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ahead of the summit, the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates held their first public meeting (Bloomberg) today in more than three years to discuss the threat of the war becoming a wider regional conflict.
In this In Brief, CFR expert Steven A. Cook looks at Egypt’s potential role in the Israel-Hamas war.
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Argentina’s presidential election, Putin seeking allies in Russia’s war in Ukraine, and more. |
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Ghana Grants Australian Firm Fifteen-Year Lease on First Lithium Mine |
An Australian firm had begun exploring for lithium at the site on Ghana’s southern coast six years ago and will pay Ghana a 10 percent royalty (Reuters) to mine as Accra seeks to increase its involvement in EV battery production.
Niger: The country’s ruling military government said it blocked an attempt (Bloomberg) by ousted former President Mohamed Bazoum to escape his residence. His lawyer said he was being held without access to the outside.
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U.S.-European Talks on Steel, Critical Minerals Stall Ahead of White House Summit |
President Biden and top European officials will meet at the White House today amid ongoing talks that could protect European steel exports from U.S. tariffs and allow European producers to access some benefits under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. But outstanding differences in the talks have held up the possibility of a deal being announced today, Bloomberg reported.
United Kingdom: The Labour Party defeated two previously solid Conservative seats (FT) in by-elections yesterday. The ruling Conservative Party is polling poorly ahead of the general election next year.
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Argentina to Hold Presidential Election Amid Higher Than 130 Percent Inflation |
Far-right outsider Javier Milei has gained popularity (Bloomberg) in the polls compared to traditional left- and right-wing groups in Argentina ahead of Sunday’s vote. He has pledged to dollarize Argentina’s economy. Haiti: Former Justice Ministry official Joseph Félix Badio was arrested yesterday (NYT) in a suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince. He is a prime suspect in the 2021 murder of former President Jovenel Moïse.
The Center for Preventive Action tracks instability in Haiti.
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Some Republicans Reject Plan for Temporary House Speaker as Voting Continues |
Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) said yesterday that he would continue to try to gain enough votes to be chosen as house speaker after previous attempts failed. Moderate Republicans seem to be waning in their support for Jordan; meanwhile, some far-right Republicans said they do not support efforts (AP) to appoint an interim speaker. |
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