North Korea Test-Fires ICBM After U.S. Warnings Over Its Troops in Russia |
Pyongyang fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) today that flew for eighty-six minutes before falling into waters west of Japan, the Japanese Defense Ministry said. It was the longest-ever flight time recorded for a North Korean missile, by Tokyo’s count. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the launch aimed to inform unspecified rivals of his country’s “counteraction will.” It came hours after a Washington meeting in which U.S. and South Korean defense leaders publicly denounced North Korean troop deployments in Russia and days before the U.S. presidential election. Yesterday, Seoul’s defense officials had warned Washington that Pyongyang was gearing up for an ICBM test to attract U.S. attention ahead of its high-stakes vote.
Japan’s defense minister called the launch “totally unacceptable,” a South Korean military spokesperson said it was an “illicit and reckless provocation,” and a White House spokesperson said it “needlessly” raised tensions. Following North Korea’s launch, its neighbor South Korea announced a new package of sanctions aimed at hampering North Korea’s solid fuel missile development. (Nikkei, FT, The Hill)
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“North Korea has steadfastly argued that advancing its nuclear capabilities is its only option to cope with the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military training, though Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said they have no intention of attacking North Korea. Experts say North Korea uses its rivals’ drills as a pretext to enlarge its nuclear arsenal to wrest concessions when diplomacy resumes,” Associated Press’s Hyung-Jin Kim, Kim Tong-Hyung, and Mari Yamaguchi write.
“In return for its support of Russia, North Korea most likely wants more military and economic aid and is keen to have its elite forces gain important combat experience, which they haven’t had for decades and will help modernize their military. A concerning possibility is that the June pact opened the door for Russia to provide North Korea with support for its nuclear and space programs, which would violate United Nations sanctions,” CFR Senior Fellow Liana Fix and CFR’s Benjamin Harris write in this Expert Brief.
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Australia Announces Steps to Ramp Up Missile Production |
Australia will increase its domestic missile production and boost long-range strike capability in response to a new “missile age” in the Pacific, Defense Minister Pat Conroy said in a speech yesterday. He voiced “significant concerns” over China’s recent test of an ICBM. Canberra earlier this month announced a $4.5 billion deal with Washington to acquire long-range missiles for its navy. (Reuters)
CFR’s Natalie Caloca looks at Australia’s growing defense posture in the Indo-Pacific.
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Reuters: China, India Complete Border Pullback |
The countries wrapped up the withdrawal of troops from two locations on a disputed border yesterday, an unnamed Indian official told Reuters. Beijing did not immediately comment. China and India reached a major deal ahead of their both attending the BRICS summit over how to resolve differences over border patrolling last week, ending a four-year military standoff. (Reuters)
Bangladesh: UN Human Rights Envoy Volker Türk said on a visit to Dhaka that all killings during the recent mass protests should be investigated but warned against pursuing people based on their previous political affiliation. As the country’s interim government faces the aftermath of protests that ousted the previous one, they’ve got a slowing economy to deal with: government data earlier this week showed economic growth at its lowest in five quarters. (Dhaka Tribune, The Daily Star)
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Middle East and North Africa |
Lebanese Prime Minister ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About Cease-Fire Deal |
Prime Minister Najib Mikati told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed yesterday that a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah could be reached within “hours or days.” Israel’s public broadcaster published details of what it said was a draft truce drawn up by Washington, including a provision banning Hezbollah from having a presence south of the Litani River; U.S. CIA leader William J. Burns is in Cairo for talks today while White House envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk are in Israel. (Times of Israel, CNN)
CFR expert Steven A. Cook joins The President’s Inbox podcast to talk about the potential for wider Middle East war.
U.S./Syria: U.S. air strikes in Syria on Monday killed as many as thirty-five operatives of the self-declared Islamic State, U.S. Central Command said yesterday. The Pentagon said in July that attacks by the group in Iraq and Syria in 2024 were on track to double last year’s numbers. (NYT)
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Ethiopia Slaps on New Taxes as Part of IMF Program |
The government will introduce measures including a value-added tax on banking services, property taxes, and a tax on telecommunications to collect more than double its original revenue target for the 2024-2025 budget, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told lawmakers today. Ethiopia signed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) $3.4 billion bailout deal in July. (Bloomberg)
Mozambique: Police fatally shot at least ten people in the crackdown on demonstrations following the disputed October 24 results of Mozambique’s election, two medical groups said. European Union (EU) observers said there were some irregularities in the vote count and some alterations in results. (AP)
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UK’s Labor Government Unveils Broad Tax Increases as Part of First Budget |
The government aims to generate more than $50 billion through the measures announced yesterday, which include spiking and better enforcing taxes that businesses pay for employing people and levies on capital gains, inheritance, and private jets. United Kingdom (UK) Treasury head Rachel Reeves said the measures were needed to “rebuild” the country after the previous Conservative government left a “black hole” in public finances. (AP)
UK: Health authorities detected the UK’s first case of the mpox variant that is behind a deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries. The person had previously traveled to affected countries. Only a small handful of cases have been identified in Europe. (Politico)
For Think Global Health, CFR’s Chloe Searchinger and Allison Krugman monitor mpox vaccine deployment progress.
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Argentine President Sacks Foreign Minister Over Pro-Cuba UN Vote |
President Javier Milei dismissed Diana Mondino as foreign minister after she voted against the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba in a 2–187 UN General Assembly vote yesterday. Only the United States and Israel supported the embargo. Milei said that Argentina was “categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship” and that Argentina’s ambassador to Washington would take over the foreign ministry. (BBC)
Brazil/Venezuela: Caracas will recall its ambassador from Brazil over what it called “repeated interventionist and rude statements,” its foreign ministry said. Brazil is among countries that has not recognized President Nicolás Maduro as the victor of a disputed July election and recently blocked Venezuela’s entry into a list of BRICS partner countries. Brazil’s government did not immediately comment. (Reuters)
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Supreme Court Approves Dropping Some 1,600 From Virginia Voter Rolls |
The court in a 6–3 decision sided with the Virginia Republican governor’s measure aimed at removing noncitizens. The Justice Department sued to block it, saying some citizens were being removed and the measure violated a law that bars bulk removals from voter registries ninety days prior to an election. The Supreme Court ruling was seen as an early test of how the justices could act in disagreements pertaining to the election. (NPR, Bloomberg)
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