Philippines to Temporarily Host Afghans Awaiting Resettlement in United States |
The Philippines will temporarily host some Afghans who assisted the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan and are in the midst of visa processing for their eventual resettlement in the United States. The Washington-Manila deal was publicly announced yesterday. Washington will provide funding support for food, housing, and other services. Unnamed U.S. and Philippine officials briefed on the matter said the initiative could first include some three hundred Afghans. More than 160,000 Afghans have been resettled in the United States since U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. They traveled through various pathways, including Albania and Qatar.
The new agreement comes at a moment of strengthened bilateral ties between the countries. The Philippine ambassador to the United States called it “very significant” and cited the country’s humanitarian tradition, which included accepting Jewish refugees in the run-up to World War II. (WaPo, AP)
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“This does show how deep the trust and partnership [between the United States and the Philippines] is at the moment, extending beyond just the military components of the alliance to a willingness to cooperate politically, economically and diplomatically,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Gregory Poling tells the Washington Post.
“Many [U.S.] allies remain in Afghanistan, some living in acute danger while they wait for administrative roadblocks to be cleared,” journalist Ariane Luthi writes for Foreign Policy.
This 2021 In Brief by CFR’s James McBride looks at how the United States has resettled its wartime allies.
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North Korean Soldier Crosses Over to South Korea |
The number of North Korean soldiers fleeing to their neighbor has risen since Pyongyang eased COVID-19 border controls, and with today’s defection, now total 105 in the first half of this year, up from the same period last year. Relations between the two countries are at one of their worst points in years. (AFP, Yonhap)
This Expert Brief by Scott A. Snyder unpacks the deteriorating chances for North-South unification.
India/Japan: The countries’ foreign and defense ministers are in talks today on security cooperation and will discuss updating their 2008 joint declaration on the subject. (Times of India)
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India, Malaysia Upgrade Ties as Malaysia Seeks Support for BRICS Membership |
Ties between the countries had been cool since the then-president of mostly-Muslim Malaysia criticized the Indian government’s decision in 2019 to strip the Muslim-dominant region of Kashmir of its special administrative status. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is on his debut trip to India as he seeks a way into the BRICS group of which India is a member; the two countries announced cooperation in semiconductors, financial technology, and defense production. (Reuters, SCMP)
This episode of the Why It Matters podcast discusses India’s tilt toward Hindu nationalism.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israel Recovers Bodies of Six Hostages From Gaza, Kills Hezbollah Commander in Lebanon
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Israel’s military announced it recovered the bodies of six hostages in an overnight raid, including one that had been previously presumed to be alive. Separately, both Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said that an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed Hezbollah commander Hussein Ali Hussein Suleiman. (Times of Israel, Al-Monitor)
U.S./Iran: Three U.S. intelligence agencies said in a joint statement yesterday that Iran has sought to breach the presidential campaigns of both U.S. parties in order to influence the election process. Such efforts had been previously reported but not openly attributed by U.S. intelligence officials until now. Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied involvement. (FBI, AP)
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DRC Expects Mpox Vaccine Doses From U.S. to Arrive as Early as Next Week |
Health Minister Roger Kamba of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) previewed the delivery timeline yesterday. Washington has pledged fifty thousand vaccine doses as part of an air package. Kamba estimated that the country has so far had more than 16,700 cases and 570 deaths. (Bloomberg) In this YouTube Short, CFR expert Thomas J. Bollyky gives the rundown on the mpox global health emergency.
Kenya: The Supreme Court struck down a challenge to a 2023 public finance law, reinstating its provisions including a 16 percent value-added tax on fuel. Both of Kenya’s 2023 and 2024 finance laws have proven to be controversial elements of President William Ruto’s economic overhaul efforts; Ruto withdrew the 2024 law in June after mass public protests. (Daily Nation, Reuters)
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EU Says Tesla EVs Imported From China Will Have 9 Percent Tariff |
The tariff rate for Tesla cars comes on top of a 10 percent duty across the board. Tesla’s rate is lower than for other electric vehicles (EVs) imported from China—rated at a maximum of around 36 percent—because the European Union (EU) determined Tesla received less subsidies from the Chinese government. Brussels also announced slight downward adjustments on tariffs for cars made by manufacturers BYD, Geely, and SAIC. (FT, AFP)
Belarus/Ukraine: Belarus reinforced its military position near the Ukrainian border by sending soldiers and anti-aircraft missiles, the country’s air defense forces commander said. Ukraine did not immediately confirm the deployment. (AP)
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Mexican Judges, Court Workers Strike Over Proposed Judicial Reforms |
Federal judges voted to join an ongoing strike against a reform being pushed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador which would see judges directly elected rather than appointed based on their qualifications and training. Congress is due to consider the reform next month. (NYT)
Nicaragua: The government revoked the registration of 1,500 nonprofits, including religious groups, in its latest restriction of civil society that could make space for dissent against the Daniel Ortega administration. (CNN)
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Biden Touts Work “Around the Clock” to Deliver Gaza Cease-Fire at DNC |
In a speech reviewing his record and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden said that their administration is “working around the clock” to deliver a cease-fire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip and end the war. He added that protesters at the convention “have a point,” and “a lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” (Time)
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