Israel’s Allies Call for Scale Down of Attacks as Red Sea Tensions Affect Shipping |
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to urge Israel (AP) to decelerate its sweeping military offensive in the Gaza Strip on a visit to Israel today, while the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) called for a cease-fire over the weekend in light of continued civilian casualties. Inside Israel, families of hostages held by Palestinian militant group Hamas also pressed for the Israeli government to increase its focus on hostage releases after Israeli troops said on Friday they mistakenly killed three hostages waving a white flag.
Regional tensions related to the Israel-Hamas war also yielded new economic consequences today, with British oil giant BP announcing it was suspending (The Guardian) oil and gas shipments through the Red Sea following a series of attacks on commercial tankers. Over the weekend, the U.S. and UK militaries said their ships downed fifteen drones (AP) that were suspected to be launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
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“To avoid the worst, Washington will have to revisit its core assumptions, renew its commitment to the Middle East, and lay out a fresh vision for the region,” Istituto Affari Internazionali’s Maria Fantappie and Johns Hopkins University’s Vali Nasr write in Foreign Affairs. “The United States must also subscribe to a vision for Middle East security that does not divide the region into camps but makes room for all actors.”
“[BP’s announcement is] the most tangible sign of disruption to energy flows since the attacks spiraled,” Bloomberg’s Rachel Graham writes. “The disruptions are a stark reminder of the inflationary and economic pressures that make securing the area a top priority.”
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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North Korea Launches First Long-Range Ballistic Missile Since July |
The test missile was fired off of North Korea’s eastern coast this morning and landed (Bloomberg) in waters west of Japan, according to Japanese and South Korean authorities. The launch coincided with U.S.-South Korea talks on nuclear deterrence against North Korea, which Pyongyang has criticized. North Korea has also ignored U.S. calls to return to nuclear disarmament talks.
This Backgrounder unpacks North Korea’s military capabilities.
U.S./China: Beijing appears to have halted (FT) fighter jet intercepts against aircraft flown by Washington and its partners following a meeting last month between the U.S. and Chinese presidents, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said. Chinese aircraft carried out 180 “risky and coercive” maneuvers over the past two years, the Pentagon said last month.
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Pakistan Experiences Nationwide Internet Blockage Ahead of Virtual Opposition Rally |
Access to sites including Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube was disrupted (Dawn) across the country yesterday, internet monitor Netblocks said. The outage occurred an hour before the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was set to hold a virtual rally.
India: The opposition Indian National Congress party launched an online fundraising drive (Bloomberg) and plans to solicit door-to-door donations ahead of national elections in the coming months. The crowdfunding campaign underscores the financial gap between the opposition and governing parties, analysts said.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Kuwait’s Emir Dies, Half-Brother Becomes Ruler |
Foreign dignitaries traveled to Kuwait (Reuters) to pay respects to former Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who died on Saturday at the age of eighty-six. His half-brother, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, had already been responsible for many day-to-day duties in recent years due to Sheikh Nawaf’s poor health. |
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Kenya, EU Sign Trade Deal |
Officials inked an economic partnership agreement (Reuters) in Nairobi that will allow Kenyan goods duty- and quota-free access to the European Union (EU) and European goods preferential access to Kenya, Kenya’s trade minister said. The deal was approved by the European Council last week and must be ratified by legislatures on both sides before entering into force.
Chad: The country held a referendum (AFP) yesterday on whether to approve a constitution for a unified rather than federalist country. The opposition said it was paving the way for current transitional president, General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, to remain in power. Provisional results are due later this month.
This Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista and CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo explores the rising trend of lifelong leaders across Africa.
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Serbia’s Ruling Populists Win Legislative Vote |
The ruling Serbian Progressive party secured a leading margin (AP) of more than 20 percent in yesterday’s parliamentary election, according to nearly complete results from election authorities. An opposition group said it would dispute the results, and cited allegations of fraud in carrying out the vote.
Ukraine: Kyiv’s economy can manage a funding gap of a few months, but a lack of new economic aid will soon endanger its recovery (FT), International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said. A Ukrainian budget passed for next year is counting on $18 billion from the EU and $8.5 billion from the United States, but the two both recently failed to secure proposed long-term funding packages for Ukraine.
This episode of the Why It Matters podcast discusses the case for rebuilding Ukraine.
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Chilean Voters Reject New Constitution |
For the second time in two years, voters rejected (El País) a potential new conservative constitution in a nationwide referendum. About 55 percent of Chileans voted against the draft while 44 percent voted for it, with an 83 percent voter turnout. A spokesperson for the government said the process of attempting a constitutional rewrite “ends here.” Chile’s constitution has undergone seventy reforms since it was written in 1980.
Brazil: The legislature passed an overhaul (FT) to the country’s tax system on Friday, the first such broad tax reform in decades. It is designed to simplify a tax system that has long been cited as a barrier to doing business in Brazil and replaces five separate consumption taxes with a dual value-added-tax system.
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Storm Causes Flooding in South Carolina, Heads up East Coast |
An intense storm moving up the coast over the weekend caused heavy flooding (AP) beyond normal flood-prone areas in South Carolina, a local official said. Rising sea levels caused by climate change can produce storm surges previously associated with hurricanes, a meteorologist and co-founder of the weather service the Weather Underground said. Charleston experienced its sixth major flood this year; by 2050, the city could see another fourteen inches of sea level rise.
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