EU Unveils Plan for First-Ever Defense Industrial Strategy |
The European Commission proposed (Reuters) a $1.6 billion program today to boost the bloc’s defense industry between 2025 and 2027. The plan (European Commission) includes several targets, such as that of European Union (EU) countries purchasing at least 40 percent of their weapons jointly by 2030. The suite of policies aims to shift (Reuters) the defense industry into “war economy mode” in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, EU industry coordinator Thierry Breton said.
Funding for the strategy would come from the EU’s budget. Europe “must take greater responsibility for its own security” in the current geopolitical context, Breton said. The strategy must be approved by all EU member countries in order to pass. |
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“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed the limitations of the EU’s industry and its reliance on others for key supplies and defense capabilities, leaving the bloc struggling to ramp up production capacity and spending after decades of underinvestment,” Bloomberg’s Natalia Drozdiak and Alberto Nardelli write.
“Like much of the rest of the world, EU policymakers and politicians now pray at the altar of geoeconomics. They have rediscovered the economy as a battleground for geopolitical competition—and industrial policy as a weapon for states to wield against one another,” CFR expert Matthias Matthijs and Princeton University’s Sophie Meunier write in Foreign Affairs.
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Beijing Announces 5 Percent Annual Growth Target, Cuts on Tech Tariffs |
China set (AFP) a growth target of “around 5 percent” for 2024 and plans to cut import tariffs on advanced technology, Premier Li Qiang said in an annual address on economic policy today. The growth target is the same as last year’s, though analysts expressed doubts (FT) that Beijing could meet it amid struggles in the property sector. Military spending is set to rise 7.2 percent, the same amount it rose last year.
Australia: The country will establish (Nikkei) a $1.3 billion fund to boost trade and investment with Southeast Asian nations, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a summit today. The fund will issue grants and loans and focus on infrastructure and green economy projects. |
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Maldives Signs Defense Agreement With China After Asking India to Withdraw Troops |
The Maldives’ defense minister said China would provide (Mint) free military assistance as part of the deal signed today, though he did not make its details public.
Afghanistan/UK: A policy introduced in November 2022 that prevented Afghans from fleeing to the United Kingdom (UK) was potentially unlawful (FT), a watchdog of the UK’s Home Office said in a report. Officials did not disclose the policy to applicants for several months after it was implemented. The Home Office said it has since resumed issuing resettlement visas for Afghans.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Damage to Internet Cables Beneath Red Sea Underscores Conflict Risk |
Cables belonging to four major telecoms firms have been cut (CNN), affecting internet traffic, a Hong Kong telecoms company said. It was not immediately clear how they were damaged, but the area has been a site of conflict between Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and U.S. and partner efforts to target them. Yemen’s government has previously warned (AP) that the rebels could target the cables, though the Houthis have denied such plans.
This In Brief by CFR’s Kali Robinson unpacks the relationship between Iran and the Houthis.
Israel/Palestinian territories: A team of UN experts found information indicating that Hamas sexually assaulted (WaPo) some victims during its October 7 attacks on Israel, a UN report released yesterday said. The team found “clear and convincing information” that some women and children taken back to the Gaza Strip experienced rape and sexualized torture, and that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that the violence may be ongoing.
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Ghana’s Finance Minister Calls for President Not to Sign Anti-Gay Bill |
The country stands to lose (BBC) a total of $3.8 billion in World Bank funding over the next five to six years if it enacts a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill that congress passed last week, Ghana’s finance ministry said. The country is experiencing a major economic crisis; losing World Bank funding could derail economic recovery. At this CFR meeting, experts discuss LGBTQ+ rights in Africa.
U.S./Zimbabwe: The United States terminated (AP) a Zimbabwe sanctions program and imposed more targeted sanctions on the country’s president, its first lady, and other government officials, citing corruption and human rights abuses. A U.S. Treasury official said the move was meant to refocus sanctions so they do not target the people of Zimbabwe.
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France Makes Abortion a Constitutional Right |
France became (NYT) the first country in the world to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution yesterday in a 780–72 vote in support. Polls suggest more than 80 percent of the public supported (Roll Call) the change, which was spurred by the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade in the United States.
For Think Global Health, CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo looks at how Roe’s repeal inspired abortion rollbacks and protections around the world.
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Panama Court Blocks Former President Martinelli From Running Again |
The electoral court annulled (AFP) the candidacy of Ricardo Martinelli, who was president from 2009 to 2014 and hoped to run in May’s election. Martinelli was found guilty of using stolen public funds last year, and was sentenced to nearly eleven years in prison in addition to a $19 million fine.
Cuba: The government requested (Reuters) subsidized powdered milk from the UN World Food Program as it battles an economic crisis, state media reported. The crisis has prompted shortages in food, fuel, and medicine, which Cuba blames on fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and harsh U.S. sanctions. Havana also announced yesterday that it had purchased milk from Washington, which allows for some exceptions on the sale of agricultural products.
This timeline traces U.S.-Cuba relations.
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Supreme Court Unanimously Rules States Cannot Remove Trump From Ballots |
Yesterday’s ruling reverses (WaPo) a Colorado decision that disqualified former President Donald Trump from running for office due to his behavior related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Today, more than a dozen states hold nominating contests for presidential party candidates as part of Super Tuesday. |
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