Daily News Brief

July 18, 2024

Top of the Agenda

The new Labour Party government in the United Kingdom (UK) aims to reset relations with Europe at today’s summit. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to be “a friend and a partner” on issues such as supporting Ukraine, addressing irregular migration, and bolstering energy security. The summit, which takes place at the birthplace of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, is the fourth meeting of the European Political Community; the group was founded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to discuss European security beyond the scope of the European Union. North American Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is attending the summit today for the first time.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy is a guest at the event, which occurs amid European concerns of a potential change in U.S. defense posture toward the region if former President Donald Trump is reelected. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced ahead of a Brussels vote on her own reelection today that she plans to create a “true European Defense Union” with new projects on air and cyber defense over the next five years. (Reuters, WSJ, AFP)

Analysis

“It is vital that Starmer rises to the occasion with a big, historic offer to his European partners,” the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Mark Leonard writes. “By working with Warsaw, Berlin, and Paris, the UK can provide reassurance to countries that live in Russia’s shadow and that feel exposed.”

“The future of NATO depends to a large extent on the outcome of the U.S. elections, even if Europeans wished this were not the case,” CFR expert Liana Fix writes in this Council of Councils global memo. “NATO under a second-term U.S. President Trump would look different than NATO today—less a value-based alliance, and more a pay-for-service business deal.” 

Pacific Rim

Beijing is ceasing arms control and nuclear nonproliferation talks with Washington due to the sales to Taipei, China’s foreign ministry said yesterday. It said “the U.S. must respect China’s core interests and create the necessary conditions for dialogue.” Eight months ago, the two countries had their first formal talks on the issue in nearly five years. A U.S. State Department spokesperson called the decision “unfortunate” and said the United States would continue to support its allies and partners in the region, adding that “China has chosen to follow Russia’s lead in asserting that engagement on arms control can’t proceed when there are other challenges.” (SCMP, WaPo)

South Korea: Same-sex couples will be eligible for the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples, South Korea's Supreme Court ruled today. LGBTQ+ rights activists said they hoped the decision could pave the way for same-sex marriage to be legalized in the future. (Yonhap, NYT)

This Backgrounder compares marriage equality worldwide.

South and Central Asia

Pakistan’s military says the group that claimed responsibility for the Monday attack operates out of Afghanistan. The attack in northwestern Pakistan killed eight Pakistani service members. A Taliban spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment. (Reuters)

Kazakhstan: Opposition activist Nurlybai Tataev went on trial yesterday for speaking online in 2021 with a leader of the banned opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement. Many activists have been jailed in recent years for their association with the group. (RFE/RL)

Middle East and North Africa

Israel’s military said yesterday that it carried out twenty-five strikes in the past twenty-four hours, while Gaza’s health ministry said that Israeli strikes had killed fifty-two people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “this is exactly the time to increase the pressure even more” on Hamas to bring home hostages and achieve Israel’s war goals. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyah accused Israel of deliberately undermining negotiations on a potential cease-fire and hostage deal. (AFP)

Iraq/Syria: The self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is attempting “to reconstitute,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement yesterday. An unnamed U.S. defense official told the Associated Press that the group was behind 121 attacks in Iraq and Syria in 2023; in the first half of 2024, the group has claimed 153 attacks. (AP)

Sub-Saharan Africa

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu asked the legislature for approval to increase government spending by as much as $3.8 billion and carry out a one-time windfall tax on banks. Tinubu has faced pressure from unions to address Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis. (Bloomberg, Reuters)

Kenya: Police announced yesterday they banned protests in the central business district of Nairobi and surrounding areas, saying ongoing antigovernment demonstrations had been infiltrated by criminals and that it was difficult to enforce safety protocols. (Daily Nation)

Europe

Belarus previously permitted visa-free travel to such residents by plane and will now do so by land. Analysts view the measure, set to take effect on Friday and last until the end of the year, as an effort by Belarus not to appear isolated by Europe ahead of a presidential election next year. (AP)

Americas

The fund at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation would assist in preparing investment projects and partner with the private-sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank. The U.S. agency announced the plan yesterday as Latin American foreign ministers met with U.S. officials in Washington for economic talks. (Bloomberg)

This Backgrounder by CFR’s Diana Roy looks at the Inter-American Development Bank.

Haiti: Prime Minister Garry Conille called on gangs to surrender their weapons in a televised address yesterday as an international security mission began its work in the country. As part of that mission, Haitian and Kenyan police took up positions around the capital, Port-au-Prince, yesterday. The Associated Press reported that several shots were fired, but it was not clear who fired and if anyone was killed. (AP)

U.S. Campaign 2024

President Joe Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 in Las Vegas yesterday and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” his press secretary said. He is due to continue his duties from Delaware for the next few days. The news came as Ohio Senator J.D. Vance gave his first address as the Republican vice presidential nominee, pledging to address the demands of working-class voters through restrictions on foreign labor and a move away from “unlimited global trade.” (AP, NYT)

For The Water’s Edge blog, CFR expert James Lindsay unpacks Trump’s choice of Vance as running mate.

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