Daily News Brief

February 2, 2024

Top of the Agenda

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to the Middle East this weekend, as Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas weigh a deal that could release hostages and result in a cease-fire, media including the Associated Press reported. This marks Blinken’s fifth emergency visit since war broke out in October, and comes as the Joe Biden administration focuses on postwar reconstruction and governance of the Gaza Strip, increasing humanitarian aid to Palestinians, and preventing conflict spillover. Other U.S. officials have traveled to the region in recent days to explore the possibility that a temporary cease-fire could be expanded into a broader regional deal, the Economist reported.

As negotiations continue, Israel released ( NYT) more than one hundred people yesterday that it had detained during the start of its military operation in Gaza and later cleared of involvement in terrorist activity. Separately, Biden issued an executive order yesterday imposing financial and travel sanctions on four Israelis accused of attacking Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

Analysis

“An extended period of calm would allow more aid to enter Gaza, and permit planning for reconstruction,” the Economist writes. “Above all, American envoys will be hoping a pause will help Israel turn its mind to the ‘day after’.”

“[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu rejects Biden’s extraordinary sanctioning of settler extremists saying ‘there is no room’ for such measures. But if Netanyahu had stood up to the settlers rather than coddling them there would have been no need for Biden to act,” CFR expert Martin Indyk posts. 

Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.

Pacific Rim

The missiles fired today mark (Yonhap) North Korea’s fourth such cruise missile launch this year and came three days after its previous launch, South Korea’s military said. Seoul did not specify how many missiles it detected.

For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert Scott A. Snyder writes that North Korea is on track to generate tensions in 2024.

Vietnam: Worsening air pollution and fog in the capital, Hanoi, caused all flights in and out of its international airport to be canceled (Reuters) today. An independent monitor said the city’s air quality was at an extremely severe level. 

South and Central Asia

The deal has been in negotiations for three years and would add (Bloomberg) attack drones to India’s arsenal, which currently only has surveillance and reconnaissance drones. The United States has sought to decrease India’s long-standing reliance on Russian arms as New Delhi carries out a ten-year, $250 billion military modernization plan.

Sri Lanka/Thailand: The two countries will sign (Bangkok Post) a free trade agreement during Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s weekend trip to Sri Lanka, his spokesperson said.

Middle East and North Africa

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday that the two parties had reached an agreement (Reuters) on the main components needed to revive and increase Egypt’s $3 billion loan program. Egypt was carrying out policy reforms to receive credit from the IMF until last year, when the country failed to meet a pledge regarding currency policy, causing the fund to pause its payouts.  

Sub-Saharan Africa

Lawmakers extended (Bloomberg) a state of emergency in the Amhara region that was first imposed in August after clashes there between a local militia army and government forces. Tensions between the government and the Fano militia, a group that allied against Tigray rebels in Ethiopia’s civil war, have been high over the government’s decision to integrate special forces into the national army or police. 

The Center for Preventive Action tracks the conflict in Ethiopia. 

Kenya: An explosion at a gas refilling plant in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, yesterday, killed at least three people (Nation Africa) and injured 280 more, authorities said.

Europe

In an article for CNN, Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine should push to reexamine its defense production capabilities, as well as its approach to training and battlefield strategy. Media outlets have reported he was told on Monday that he is being dismissed ( WaPo), but Ukraine’s presidential spokesperson denied the report.

In this article, CFR expert Kristen D. Thompson explains how Ukraine’s drone war is transforming conflict. 

Brussels: Protesting farmers blocked roads ( FT) in Brussels yesterday during a European Union leadership meeting. After the event, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised concessions to the agriculture sector, including potential changes to climate-related laws.

Americas

President Nayib Bukele and his New Ideas party have a commanding lead ( NYT) in polls ahead of Sunday’s vote. Crime in El Salvador has dropped as Bukele has carried out mass detentions of people suspected of gang violence, but human rights groups have voiced concerns he is removing checks on power. A legislature dominated by his party swapped out several justices on the Supreme Court, which then reinterpreted the constitution to allow him to seek reelection.

U.S./Colombia/Venezuela: Senior U.S. officials will travel to Bogotá, Colombia, for talks next week regarding rising tensions and political freedoms in Venezuela, unnamed sources told Bloomberg. The trip comes after Washington reimposed a sanction on Caracas following a court ban on a presidential candidate running for office in this year’s election.

United States

The new law limits such programs (NYT) at state educational institutions and government offices. More than two dozen states and Congress have seen bills that would limit diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at colleges since the start of 2023, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education; eight of those bills have become law.

Friday Editor’s Pick

A vast web disentangled by the Associated Press finds hundreds of popular food brands linked to hidden labor by U.S. prisoners.

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