Trump Unveils Senator J. D. Vance as Running Mate |
Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced Senator J. D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate yesterday, with delegates at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee confirming both Trump and Vance as their official 2024 ticket. Vance has shifted over the years from being a former critic of Trump to being closely aligned with him on major policy issues, including foreign affairs. Vance has been one of the most vocally opposed in Congress to increasing U.S. aid to Ukraine. He has also argued that Ukraine should cede some territory in order for the war to come to an end, called for “broad-based tariffs, especially on goods coming in from China,” and has said climate change is not a threat.
In his first interview since being nominated yesterday, Vance told Fox News that he believes Trump would aim to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine “to a rapid close” to better focus on China. On Israel, Vance has said that it should be able to “finish the job” against Hamas; yesterday, he said that Israel should quickly conclude its war and that a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia should move forward. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also echoed Trump’s statements on the Russia-Ukraine war following his visit to Florida last week. (Axios, NYT, FT, The American Conservative, The Hill, Haaretz)
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“In Trump’s first term, [his] realist impulses were muted and sometimes stopped by hawkish national security staffers who did not share his vision. But having learned that personnel is policy, Trump will not make this mistake again,” Texas A&M University’s Andrew Byers and Ohio State University’s Randall L. Schweller write for Foreign Affairs.
“Mr. Vance quickly established himself as a leading isolationist in the U.S. Senate. He is supportive of Israel but more ambivalent on Taiwan. He has made his contempt for Ukraine clear,” the Economist writes.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Jonathan Masters lays out the role of the U.S. vice president in foreign policy.
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China to Host Officials From Palestinian Groups Hamas, Fatah for Talks |
Next week’s talks aim to bridge differences between the rival factions over discussions on the possible postwar administration of the Gaza Strip. U.S. officials have argued the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority should play a central role in Gaza’s future governance, which would likely require Hamas’s approval. Cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel are still underway. (NYT)
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Kali Robinson overviews who governs the Palestinians.
Cuba/North Korea/South Korea: A North Korean diplomat who was stationed in Cuba defected to South Korea last year, Seoul’s spy agency said today. The defection came as Cuba and South Korea moved forward with establishing formal diplomatic relations. (Yonhap)
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Nepal Swears in Fifth Prime Minister in Five Years |
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, who was sworn in yesterday, returned as prime minister for the fourth time after the previous government collapsed following a no-confidence vote on Friday. Oli was the only candidate put forth by a Sunday deadline; he is the leader of Nepal’s largest communist party. (AP, Kathmandu Post)
India: Thousands of lawyers protested yesterday in New Delhi against an overhaul to India’s legal code by boycotting hearings and otherwise ceasing to work. The new code lengthens pre-trial detention to up to ninety days rather than fifteen, a move lawyers say will further overburden the justice system and give excessive power to police. (Reuters, Indian Express)
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Middle East and North Africa |
Houthis Attack Two Tankers in Red Sea |
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels carried out aerial attacks yesterday on tankers with flags from Panama and Liberia. U.S. Central Command said yesterday that U.S. forces destroyed five uncrewed Houthi aerial vehicles. Houthi attacks on merchant vessels rose in June to levels not seen since December, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center. (AP)
On this episode of The President’s Inbox podcast, Katherine Zimmerman discusses the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping.
Oman: At least four people were killed and thirty wounded in a rare shooting that took place near a Shiite mosque today, officials said. Four Pakistanis were killed, Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Shiites are a minority in Oman. (AFP)
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Gambian Legislature Blocks Bill That Would Overturn Female Genital Mutilation Ban
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The leaders of five UN agencies called yesterday’s vote a “critical win for girls’ and women’s rights.” The bill, introduced in March, would have made Gambia the first country to overturn a ban on female genital mutilation. The vote to keep the ruling came after months of campaigning led by women to convince lawmakers of the procedure’s harms. (UN OHCHR, NYT)
For Think Global Health, CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo looks at how Gambia’s crusade to keep the ban represents a broader fight for women’s health.
South Africa: The government expects as much as $2.4 billion to enter the country this year as part of a climate finance deal with wealthy countries known as the Just Energy Transition Partnership, a treasury department official said yesterday. South Africa has locked in $9.3 billion in pledges under the plan so far, but the money has been slow to materialize, in part due to delays and disagreements regarding the delayed scaleback of coal in the country. (Bloomberg)
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Countries Within and Outside of EU Call for Delay in Agriculture Import Restrictions |
Austria and six other European Union (EU) countries yesterday called for a delay of an EU ban on imports of agricultural products from deforested areas that is set to take effect December 31. The countries cited “serious concerns” about the ban’s implementation. Australia and Brazil claim the EU is using incorrect deforestation maps for the ban, and Canberra says Brussels has yet to publish guidance on how to comply with the rules. (FT)
Ukraine: The country’s electricity grid operator started emergency shutdowns today in seven parts of the country, citing strains on the system due to a record heatwave. The searing temperatures further hamper the grid’s integrity after its system was severely weakened by Russian attacks. (Reuters)
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Bolivia Finds Biggest Natural Gas Reserve in Nearly Two Decades |
The newly discovered “mega field” has a likely market value of $6.8 billion, President Luis Arce said yesterday. Bolivia was once among the world’s top ten natural gas producers, but production has declined sharply in recent years; the country has recently been experiencing an energy crunch. (AP)
Jamaica: The UN International Seabed Authority began its latest round of negotiations over a deep-sea mining code yesterday in Kingston. Groups are split between the benefits of sourcing minerals for the clean energy transition and concerns about its environmentally disruptive extraction process. Some countries called to accelerate the negotiating process as the Pacific island nation of Nauru moves forward with approval for a mining process regardless of whether the UN code is agreed upon. (Reuters)
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Judge Dismisses Classified Documents Case Against Trump |
A federal judge in Florida threw out charges that Trump illegally held classified national security documents yesterday, saying that the Justice Department’s appointment of the special prosecutor who brought forth the case was improper. A spokesperson for Special Counsel Jack Smith said the Justice Department had authorized an appeal, saying “all previous courts” had previously affirmed the attorney general’s authority to appoint special counsel. The case had been moving slowly and was not expected to go to trial before the election in November. (NYT)
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