Bolivia Quashes Apparent Coup Attempt Amid Economic Strains, Political Rift |
Bolivian authorities arrested General Juan José Zúñiga yesterday after he and other military officers attempted to storm the country’s presidential palace. Zúñiga said he aimed to “restructure democracy” in Bolivia. The incident prompted protests in favor of the government and international statements of condemnation of the attempted putsch. Bolivia, which has a long history of coups, has been on edge in recent months amid economic strains and a rift within the ruling party that has led to legislative deadlock.
Zúñiga had been commander of Bolivia’s army until he was removed on Tuesday. After his detention yesterday, he claimed he was acting on President Luis Arce’s orders. The country’s justice minister rejected that statement. Bolivia will hold presidential elections next year, with Arce and former President Evo Morales both attempting to run on the ruling party ticket. The country’s ability to deal with a shortage of foreign reserves, fuel, and other basic necessities has been held up by a legislative boycott by Morales supporters. (CNN, BBC, Bloomberg)
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Report: Japan to Help Philippines Build 5G Network |
Japan’s foreign minister is due to hold talks on the plan during a trip to the Philippines next month, Nikkei reported. The United States is expected to help fund the project, which aims to add an alternative to Chinese technology for digital infrastructure. (Nikkei)
China/Vietnam: Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính discussed investing in transport infrastructure and the potential for cross-border economic cooperation zones with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a trip to Beijing yesterday. Chính is wrapping up a four-day trip to China today that also included talks with the country’s premier. (VnExpress)
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Thousands of Skilled Chinese Workers Struggle to Get Indian Visas |
India put strict curbs on Chinese business in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and bilateral border clashes. Thousands of Chinese engineers and technicians who aimed to work in India have since had visas denied and more have been discouraged from applying, an Indian tech industry association head told the Financial Times. He said the restrictions harmed the advancement of India’s electronics industry. India’s external and home affairs ministries did not comment. (FT)
U.S./Pakistan: Pakistan’s foreign ministry objected to a U.S. House of Representatives resolution urging a probe into reports of irregularities in the country’s February parliamentary elections, saying the resolution’s timing and context “does not align well with the positive dynamics of our bilateral ties.” The resolution passed the U.S. House 368–7 earlier this week. (VOA)
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Middle East and North Africa |
Two Hardline Candidates Drop Out of Iran Presidential Race |
The mayor of Tehran and vice president to the late President Ebrahim Raisi called for unity among voters after withdrawing from the race ahead of tomorrow’s election. Four contenders remain, including a reformist candidate who Tehran’s mayor said he aimed to block by withdrawing. (AP) This Expert Brief by CFR Senior Fellow Ray Takeyh explores whether Iran’s elections will bring any real change.
France/Syria: France’s top appeals court held up an arrest warrant yesterday for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a war crimes case. Prosecutors had argued against the warrant, saying Assad has immunity as a sitting foreign head of state; lawyers for the plaintiffs hailed the decision as a first in a national court acknowledging that an active leader does not have total immunity. The case against Assad was filed under the concept of universal jurisdiction, which says crimes of a certain gravity can be tried anywhere. (BBC)
The Center for Preventive Action tracks the conflict in Syria.
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Kenya’s Ruto Withdraws Tax Bill That Prompted Protests |
President William Ruto said “the people have spoken” in a national address yesterday and announced he would withdraw a controversial tax overhaul bill despite its passage in the legislature. The bill was set to hike levies on basic goods as part of a broad tax overhaul to reduce Kenya’s national debt. At least twenty-two people were killed in demonstrations on Tuesday, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. (BBC, Daily Nation)
Sudan: After fourteen months of civil war, Sudan faces the highest level of acute food insecurity ever recorded by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the group said yesterday. It calculated that 755,000 people in Sudan face “catastrophic conditions” of hunger. A Hague-based think tank estimated that around 2.5 million could die from starvation by September. (ReliefWeb, Africanews)
This In Brief by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy looks at the extent of Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.
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EU Leaders Gather in Brussels to Talk Leadership, Ukraine |
The two-day summit that begins today will officially select the European Union (EU) top posts and see a security deal signed between the bloc and Ukraine. Media reported that a draft leadership deal includes Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen, Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, and Portugal’s António Costa. (Euronews)
France: The country’s annual human rights report recorded a 284 percent rise in reports of antisemitic acts, a 29 percent increase in anti-Muslim acts, and a 21 percent increase in other kinds of racist acts in 2023. It cited tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and the growth of far-right ideas in public debate. Though the far-right National Rally party leads polls ahead of upcoming elections, the report says 69 percent of people surveyed do not support the National Rally’s proposal to favor French people for jobs and benefits over foreigners. (Reuters)
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U.S. Judge Sentences Former Honduran President to Forty-Five Years |
Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández’s sentence for cocaine trafficking and related charges yesterday concluded a rare case of a foreign leader being prosecuted in the United States. Hernández was extradited to the United States soon after he left office in 2022. He said he was innocent. (WSJ) |
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Supreme Court Rules Government Can Contact Social Media Firms Over Content Moderation |
In a 6–3 ruling, the court said the individuals and states who challenged federal officials’ ability to communicate with social media platforms over content moderation did not have legal standing for the case. The decision did not include definitive guidance on how to determine whether government content moderation efforts could go too far in the future, free speech advocates said. It came as many social media platforms have removed guardrails against hate and disinformation. (NPR, AP)
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