Kenya to Become Major Non-NATO Ally of United States as Biden Highlights Africa Ties |
U.S. President Joe Biden will announce plans to designate Kenya a major non–North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally of the United States today during Kenyan President William Ruto’s state visit, the White House said. Kenya is the first sub-Saharan African country to receive the designation, which comes after the two countries have strengthened their defense partnerships in Africa and beyond, such as in Haiti. The leaders are discussing a range of economic and security issues in bilateral talks today. Amid a drive to emphasize tech partnerships, U.S. officials are also working to ensure that Kenya can become the first African country to secure funding from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, an unnamed U.S. official told Bloomberg.
Ruto will address the press with Biden today and be honored with a state dinner tonight. His extended visit to the United States underscores U.S. goals and commitments in Africa more broadly, U.S. officials said. Biden said yesterday that the two countries were launching “a new era of technological cooperation” that would include partnerships in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, clean energy, and semiconductors. |
|
|
“In Ruto, Biden is welcoming an increasingly assertive international operator, with a track record of promoting African solidarity and a keen awareness of the new partnerships possible in a multipolar world. The state visit offers an opportunity to U.S. policymakers and to Kenya alike to strengthen foundations for long-term partnership—but discussion must be founded in recognition of mutual need,” Chatham House’s Fergus Kell writes.
“[Ruto’s] enthusiasm for global platforms and regional leadership have helped to fill a vacuum left by the continent’s inwardly focused giants, Nigeria and South Africa,” CFR expert Michelle Gavin writes for the Africa in Transition blog. “Kenya is an important security partner, increasingly active diplomatic actor in a fragile neighborhood, and, as the energetic U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, has noted, a compelling candidate for increased trade and investment from the U.S. private sector.”
|
|
|
China Announces Military Drills Around Taiwan as ‘Punishment’ Following Inauguration |
A Chinese military spokesperson said today that the two-day drills encircling Taiwan were “punishment” for “separatist acts.” They follow (Nikkei) the Sunday inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who said in his speech that China and Taiwan “are not subordinate to each other.” Taiwan’s defense ministry said it “expressed regret for such irrational provocations.”
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR experts Rush Doshi and David Sacks unpack Lai’s inauguration speech.
South Korea: The government announced (Reuters) today a $19 billion support package for its semiconductor sector. The country’s industry minister said the package aims to boost South Korea’s global market share in non-memory chips from its current level of 2 percent to 10 percent.
|
|
|
NYT: U.S.-Backed Security Official in Afghanistan Oversaw Extrajudicial Killings |
U.S.-backed Afghan official Abdul Raziq oversaw the forces that carried out hundreds of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the province of Kandahar during the war in Afghanistan, the New York Times reported. The actions contributed to negative sentiment against U.S. forces more broadly, the journalists found. More than a dozen U.S. officials interviewed by the Times said Raziq was seen as the only partner capable of beating back the Taliban in the region. Many said they did not fully grasp that Raziq was using U.S. military support to carry out personal vendettas that preexisted the war.
This timeline traces the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
India: The country’s election authority warned (Reuters) yesterday that both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Congress party need to exercise restraint in their campaign speeches. They said the BJP should refrain from campaigning along religious or communal lines, and the Congress Party should not give the “false impression” that India’s constitution could be abolished.
|
|
|
Middle East and North Africa |
WaPo: Oman Plans to Expel Former Guantánamo Detainees |
Twenty-eight Yemenis who had been released from the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and resettled in Oman face a July deadline to leave the country, the Washington Post reported. One of the men described the move as a “shock,” while Oman’s government did not comment. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said yesterday that Oman “provided rehabilitation services and subsidies to former detainees for longer than required,” and that in general, the U.S. government never expected former detainees to indefinitely remain in countries where they were resettled.
Israel: The families of several female Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas released a video (Times of Israel) yesterday of their abduction in an effort to pressure the Israeli government to increase efforts to bring them home. The video was captured from body cameras worn by Hamas fighters. Israel’s prime minister’s office said yesterday evening that officials had instructed (Haaretz) negotiators to continue hostage release talks.
|
| |
Close Ally of DRC President Becomes Legislative Speaker |
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) legislature elected (Reuters) Vital Kamerhe as speaker, placing him in the country’s number two position of authority. The election came a day after Kamerhe’s home was attacked on Sunday in what Congolese officials called a failed coup attempt. |
| |
UK Prime Minister Announces General Election Will Be Held July 4 |
The surprise announcement by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came (AP) yesterday after the United Kingdom (UK) reported its lowest inflation numbers in three years. Still, the opposition Labour Party is widely leading in the polls, suggesting that fourteen years of rule by the Conservatives could come to an end.
Germany: The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party banned (WaPo) its prominent candidate Maximilian Krah from appearing at campaign events after he made previous comments suggesting that not all SS officers in Nazi Germany should be considered criminals. The comments prompted France’s far-right National Rally party to say they would break with the AfD in the European Parliament.
|
|
|
Ecuadorian President Declares New State of Emergency in Seven Provinces |
Daniel Noboa Azín said yesterday that new permissions for security forces to enter homes and intercept communications without authorization were necessary (Reuters) as part of efforts to combat organized crime. In January, Noboa declared Ecuador was in a state of internal armed conflict against gangs. The country’s Constitutional Court will evaluate the emergency decree; earlier this month, it ruled a previous decree was invalid.
Mexico: A stage collapse at a campaign rally yesterday in northern Mexico killed (BBC) at least nine people and injured around fifty, the local governor said. Presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez was delivering a speech at the event and was not injured. He said the collapse was caused by a sudden gust of wind.
|
| |
U.S. Agency Joins Probe of Boeing Plane That Hit Extreme Turbulence |
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it is sending representatives (FT) to assist in the investigation of an incident in which a Boeing 777, piloted by Singapore Airlines, hit extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar on Tuesday. One man died during the incident and twenty passengers were in intensive care as of yesterday. Turbulence is the leading cause of injuries on passenger planes and is expected to worsen due to climate change.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Noah Berman explains how U.S. aviation infrastructure works.
|
|
|
Council on Foreign Relations |
58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 |
1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006 |
|
|
|
