Turkey’s Parliament Greenlights Swedish Entry Into NATO After Monthslong Delay |
Turkey’s legislature voted (NYT) yesterday to approve Swedish membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by a 287–55 vote, ending a monthslong diplomatic standoff that tarnished U.S.-Turkish relations and hurt Western efforts to pressure Russia during its war against Ukraine. In the months following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden decided to break with its previous policy of military neutrality and apply to join the Western alliance. Once Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signs off on the decision, Hungary will be the last remaining holdout to approve Sweden’s bid.
Yesterday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán invited his Swedish counterpart to visit Hungary to “negotiate” Sweden’s NATO accession, suggesting he may try to seek concessions from Stockholm in exchange for supporting membership. Sweden toughened (FT) its antiterrorism laws to overcome Turkish objections to its accession, and Erdoğan also said he expects the United States to approve a sale of F-16 fighter jets in exchange for Turkey’s approval. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said he did not see “any reason to negotiate” with Hungary, but that the two countries could continue to have a dialogue.
|
|
|
“Hungary’s invitation to Sweden to negotiate on the accession deal may delay things a while more,” the Atlantic Council in Turkey’s Rich Outzen writes. “For now, though, fans of the Alliance should take heart from the decision in Ankara—it is moving in the right direction.”
“There is a very significant erosion of trust, which was already weakened, between Turkey and its allies in NATO because at a very important geopolitical moment, Turkey put its own interests ahead of the interests of the alliance,” the Center for Applied Turkey Studies’ Sinem Adar tells the New York Times.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Jonathan Masters discusses the NATO alliance.
|
| |
North Korea Test Fires Missiles, Appears to Take Down Monument to Unification |
North Korea fired several cruise missiles (Yonhap) west toward the Yellow Sea today in its first cruise missile launch since last September, South Korea’s military said. Separately, satellite images reveal that North Korea appears to have removed (NK News) a large monument in Pyongyang devoted to the prospect of unification with South Korea, which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered to be removed earlier this month.
Thailand: The country’s Constitutional Court discarded a complaint against Pita Limjaroenrat, the former leader of the progressive Move Forward party, ruling today that he can keep (Nikkei) his legislative seat. A conservative activist filed the complaint before an election last May in which Move Forward garnered the most votes.
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert Joshua Kurlantzick explores how Thailand’s government is functioning after a chaotic election.
|
|
|
UN: 2023 Saw Nine-Year High in Rohingya Refugees’ Death Toll at Sea |
At least 569 Rohingya reportedly died or went missing (The Diplomat) while trying to flee Myanmar or Bangladesh by sea last year, the UN refugee agency spokesperson said yesterday, the highest in nearly a decade. The agency called on coastal authorities from countries in the region to prevent such deaths.
India/Israel: Israel seeks to recruit between ten and twenty thousand Indian migrant workers in the coming months to address a labor shortage exacerbated by the war against Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Washington Post reported. Israel has restricted Palestinian workers, who have long played a critical part in several sectors of Israel’s economy, from coming into the country due to the war, and many other migrant workers have left because of the conflict.
|
|
|
Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Forces Strike Sites of Iran-Backed Militant Groups in Iraq |
The U.S. strikes yesterday targeted (CNN) three locations used by the militia Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-linked groups in Iraq, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. The attacks were prompted by strikes on U.S. and allied personnel in Iraq and Syria, he added. This article by CFR’s Kali Robinson and Will Merrow discusses Iran’s regional armed network.
Iran: Authorities yesterday executed (NYT) twenty-three-year-old Mohammad Ghobadlou, who had been detained in connection to large anti-government protests in 2022 and was accused of killing a police officer. Tehran has executed at least eight people over the demonstrations.
|
|
|
Blinken Pledges $45 Million in New U.S. Security Funding for West Africa |
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the pledge on a visit yesterday to the Ivory Coast, which brings (VOA) U.S. stability-focused assistance in coastal West Africa to almost $300 million since 2022. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has been an outspoken critic of last year’s coup in Niger and his country has become a critical partner for U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the region.
Uganda: The country is in talks (Reuters) with an investment firm led by a member of the Emirati royal family regarding the development of a $4 billion oil refinery, Uganda’s energy minister said yesterday. Talks last year between Kampala and a group of companies fell through when they did not meet a deadline to agree on financing. The new deal will be crucial to Uganda’s nascent hydrocarbon sector, the country says.
|
|
|
Russia Reports One of Its Military Planes Crashed Near Ukraine Border |
The crash today killed everyone onboard (NYT), the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said. Russia’s defense ministry said the aircraft was carrying sixty-five Ukrainian prisoners of war who were headed for a prisoner swap, but the claim was not immediately independently verified. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. |
|
|
Court Rules Ottawa’s Use of Emergency Power to Block 2022 Protests Was Unjustified |
The Canadian government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act to dispel protests that gridlocked downtown Ottawa and blocked some border crossings in early 2022 “does not bear the hallmarks of reasonableness,” a federal judge wrote (CBC) in his decision. The protests were over the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s federal government says it plans to appeal the ruling.
In this In Brief, CFR expert Edward Alden explained Canada’s 2022 trucker protests.
Venezuela: Opposition presidential hopeful María Corina Machado launched an alliance (Reuters) with political parties and civil society groups at an event in Caracas yesterday and called for an official date to be set for the vote, which is expected to occur later this year. Machado is awaiting a Supreme Court decision on whether a ban against her holding public office will be lifted.
|
|
|
Trump Defeats Haley in New Hampshire Republican Primary |
Former President Donald Trump defeated (WaPo) former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley by about 11 percent of the vote with turnout on track to surpass a previous record. The Republican primary race now moves on to South Carolina on February 24. |
| |
Council on Foreign Relations |
58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 |
1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006 |
|
|
|
