EU Greenlights Membership Talks With Moldova, Ukraine |
European Union (EU) leaders voted to begin accession talks (AP) with Moldova and Ukraine at a Brussels summit yesterday, a boost to Kyiv even while the bloc failed to pass a $54 billion financial aid package for the country. European Council President Charles Michel called the start to membership talks for Ukraine “a clear signal of hope for their people and our continent,” while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the decision (NYT) a “political artillery shell that will bring victory closer” in the country’s war against Russia. EU leaders said that they would try again to pass the financial aid package when they meet in January.
At the summit, EU countries also agreed (Reuters) to a twelfth round of sanctions against Russia in response to its continued invasion of Ukraine. Bans on Russian diamond imports and other measures are due to enter into effect beginning on January 1. The package will also require more robust proof from companies saying they comply with the Group of Seven (G7) price cap on Russian oil.
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“The start of accession talks was a momentous moment and stunning reversal for a country at war that had struggled to find the backing for its membership aspirations and long faced obstinate opposition from [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán,” the Associated Press’s Raf Casert and Samuel Petrequin write.
“Arguments over the cost of enlargement and over internal reforms needed to streamline decision-making could yet stymie its full membership. But the failure to take this step would have been a terrible blow to the EU’s strategic ambitions, which start with securing its neighbourhood,” the Financial Times’ Ben Hall writes.
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Security Advisor Talks Timeline of Israel-Hamas War in Mideast Visit |
In Israel yesterday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that the war against Palestinian militant group Hamas would stretch on (Times of Israel) for “more than several months.” Sullivan urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the high intensity phase of the war in weeks rather than months, Axios reported. Sullivan is meeting today (Times of Israel) with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
At this CFR meeting, experts discuss the regional ripple effects of the Israel-Hamas war.
Iran: Tehran will lift visa restrictions (Reuters) for tourists from thirty-three countries, including Gulf States such as Saudi Arabia, the semi-official Iran Student News Agency reported yesterday. The move comes as Iran and Saudi Arabia thaw years of cold relations.
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Hong Kong Offers Bounties for Activists Living in U.S., UK |
Hong Kong’s government said it would offer (BBC) some $128,000 for information that could help lead to the arrest of any of five pro-democracy activists who are now living in the United States and United Kingdom (UK). Hong Kong’s government has accused the activists of violating a national security law. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the bounties amounted to “blatant disregard” for international norms.
U.S./China: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to visit China again next year to ensure that bilateral communication remains “resilient,” she said. She also said Washington aims to increase exchanges (Bloomberg) between financial regulators in the United States and China. This timeline traces U.S.-China relations. |
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Pakistan Bans Media Coverage of Former PM Khan’s Trial |
A Pakistani court ordered that the trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan for accusations of leaking state secrets will be conducted behind closed doors (Reuters), prompting criticism from press freedom advocates over the trial’s lack of transparency.
Afghanistan: The Taliban government has closed shelters for women seeking protection from domestic violence and instead is sending women to prison (AP) if they have no male relatives or those male relatives are considered unsafe, a new UN report said. Taliban officials did not respond to a request for comment about where women seeking refuge from gender-based violence should go.
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss the Guyana-Venezuela territorial dispute, the U.S. missile base in Poland, the DRC presidential election, and more. |
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Haitian Police Chief Visits Kenya Amid Prep for International Security Deployment |
Around three hundred Kenyan police officers are preparing to deploy (AP) to Haiti in February as part of a multinational mission to support Haitian police as they fight gang violence, Kenyan officials said. The UN Security Council approved the mission but it has faced local opposition in Kenya. The officers’ deployment is pending a Kenyan court decision set for January that seeks to block the mission.
For the Africa in Transition blog, Robert I. Rotberg and CFR expert Ebenezer Obadare explain why the Kenya-led mission will not save Haiti.
Niger: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice ruled today that Niger’s deposed former President Mohamed Bazoum had been arbitrarily detained and should be reinstated (Reuters). Bazoum was ousted during a military coup in July. |
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Finland Reseals Entire Border With Russia After Partial Reopening |
Finland had opened two border crossings yesterday on its frontier with Russia after previously closing down the border amid an influx of migrants that it said Russia was abetting as an act of “hybrid warfare.” The crossings quickly filled with migrants (AP), and Finland shut the border again today until mid-January. |
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Guyanese, Venezuelan Leaders Agree to Refrain From Force in Territorial Dispute |
At a meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines yesterday that was mediated by regional officials, the two countries’ leaders agreed to restrain (AP) from threats and the use of force in a dispute over the land rights to the Guyana-run Essequibo territory. A joint commission made up of the foreign ministers of both countries was created to address the issue, and Guyana and Venezuela plan to meet again in Brazil within the next three months.
Chile: Chileans will vote (Axios) on Sunday on whether to accept a draft constitution written by a conservative-led constitutional assembly. The proposal comes after voters rejected a previous version of a new, more progressive constitution in 2022.
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Yazidi Americans Sue French Cement Maker in U.S. Court, Saying It Supported Self-Declared Islamic State |
The lawsuit, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, accuses French cement firm Lafarge (Reuters) of providing material support to the self-declared Islamic State as it conducted violence against Yazidis in their homeland in Iraq. The company pleaded guilty last year to paying groups designated as terrorists by the United States.
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Coda Story visits northern Sweden, where locals are wrestling with the effects of mining the area’s natural resources as a tool to fix the climate problem. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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