Daily News Brief

September 13, 2024

Top of the Agenda

The images released today show leader Kim Jong Un visiting what Korean state media said was a uranium enrichment plant at an unspecified location. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is banned by several UN Security Council resolutions, but Pyongyang has stepped up enrichment efforts under Kim. The photo release comes as senior Russian security official Sergei Shoigu held talks on “a wide range of issues” in Pyongyang today, Russian state media reported. The two countries have deepened their ties since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting North Korea in June.

It was not immediately clear to experts that Pyongyang was showing off a previously-unknown capability in the photo, but it comes amid broader nuclear saber-rattling by North Korea. South Korean officials have warned that North Korea may be preparing for a nuclear weapons test around the time of the U.S. election in November; the last such test was in 2017. (AP, FT, Reuters)

Analysis

“Kim is exceptionally confident these days and he’s particularly interested in making sure that his calls for a massive increase in nuclear capabilities are not misinterpreted,” the Carnegie Endowment’s Ankit Panda tells CNN. “These disclosures lend credibility to North Korea’s plans and demonstrate that they’ve come a long way in their enrichment capabilities.”

“The support from China, Iran, and North Korea [for Russia’s war in Ukraine] has strengthened Russia’s position on the battlefield, undermined Western attempts to isolate Moscow, and harmed Ukraine,” the Center for a New American Security’s Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Richard Fontaine write in Foreign Affairs. “Their convergence is creating a new axis of upheaval—a development that is fundamentally altering the geopolitical landscape.”

Pacific Rim

The two countries agreed to establish a framework for facilitating direct investments and the settlement of transactions in local currencies, China’s central bank said today. The Maldives has faced scrutiny in recent weeks over its ability to repay looming international debt amid fears of a default. (Reuters)

This In Brief by Rhea Basarkar explores the Maldives’ turn toward China.

South and Central Asia

The U.S. Department of State announced yesterday that a research institute, several entities, and one individual based in China as well as one entity based in Pakistan had been involved in the provision of materials for controlled missile equipment and technology. The Department issued similar sanctions on Chinese entities last October. A Chinese spokesperson said China will “firmly protect” companies’ and individuals’ rights and interests. (ANI, Reuters)

Afghanistan: A gun attack in central Afghanistan yesterday killed several civilians, authorities said, but they provided no further details. The self-declared Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, while unnamed local sources told RFE/RL that at least twelve people had been killed and some wounded. (AFP, RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi)

Middle East and North Africa

Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday to shore up bilateral ties after a similar trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this week. Last year, China was the UAE’s top non-oil trading partner. (Al-Monitor)

U.S./Middle East: One of two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups that had been deployed to the Middle East in recent weeks has left the region for the Asia-Pacific, a Pentagon spokesperson said. The decision ended a period of roughly three weeks during which the United States took the rare move of having two carriers in the area. The dual-carrier presence had been in response to heightened Israel-Iran tensions. (Reuters)

This Expert Brief by Richard Fontaine and CFR Senior Fellow Robert D. Blackwill explains how the United States can effectively pivot its military resources to Asia.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) authorization is designed to facilitate the procurement of jabs amid an mpox global health emergency that has its epicenter in the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 120 countries have confirmed over 103,000 mpox cases since a global outbreak in 2022. (WHO)

Think Global Health’s Chloe Searchinger and Allison Krugman track global mpox vaccine donations.

Kenya/Germany: During Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Germany today, the two countries are expected to sign an agreement that would give some 250,000 professional, skilled, and semi-skilled Kenyans permission to work in Germany in an effort to boost labor mobility. (The Star)

Europe

The bank lowered its interest rates for the second time this year yesterday, saying growth in the eurozone would be weaker than expected. European growth has been slower than that in the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic; the U.S. Federal Reserve has not cut interest rates in more than four years, though that is expected to change next week. (The Guardian, FT, NYT)

Russia/UK: Russia announced the expulsion of six United Kingdom diplomats today, asserting they participated in espionage and sabotage work. The British Foreign Office called the claims baseless; Russia’s Federal Security Service said the move was in response to “numerous unfriendly steps taken by London.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Washington today, where he is expected to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with U.S. President Joe Biden. (NYT)

Americas

The allies of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro obstructed a competitive and inclusive election process in Venezuela, the U.S. Treasury Department said. They include the head of Venezuela’s high court, directors of state security forces, and prosecutors. (AP, Department of Treasury)

Canada: Canada is in talks with the Australia, the UK, and the United States about joining an expanded version of those countries’ security partnership known as AUKUS, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said. Canada has expressed interest in cooperation on new technologies including artificial intelligence. (Reuters)

This In Brief by Lauren Kahn explains the AUKUS trilateral pact.

U.S. Campaign 2024

Former President Donald Trump said at a rally yesterday that he would push for legislation to end taxes on overtime pay as part of his broader tax cuts plan if elected. He has previously said he would push to end taxes on tips and put forth a proposal that seniors should not pay taxes on Social Security benefits. (CNN)

Friday Editor’s Pick

The New Yorker details how Russia has for years used a small Norwegian town as a laboratory to test out its intelligence operations.

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