Macron Taps Centrist Bayrou as France’s Fourth Prime Minister This Year |
French President Emmanuel Macron named centrist and close ally François Bayrou, age seventy-three, as prime minister today in his latest bid to overcome political gridlock. Legislators ousted the former premier last week over disapproval of a budget plan. Macron held talks with parties across most of France’s political spectrum, save for those on the fringes, before landing on Bayrou as a pick. France’s dizzying pace of four prime ministers since January underscores the current challenges of governing in Europe as European leaders try to define a joint strategy amid Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and growing global trade tensions.
Bayrou’s first major task will be putting together a new budget. Negotiations ahead of his appointment included efforts to seek support from the country’s Socialist Party. He is due to announce his slate of ministers in the coming days. (Politico, Reuters, AP) |
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“Though Bayrou ended up being named to a job he has sought for years, it’s unclear how the seventy-three-year-old from southwestern France will be able to escape the same fate as his predecessor. France’s legislature remains fractured between three roughly equal blocks—left-wing, center-right and far-right—who have so far not shown little willingness to work together,” Politico’s Victor Goury-Laffont writes.
“Europe faces major challenges over the next five years, including the tasks of enlarging the [European Union] to include countries such as Ukraine and of undertaking institutional reforms. These ambitions will be hard to accomplish without enlightened leadership and a healthy dose of imagination,” CFR Senior Fellow Matthias Matthijs wrote for Foreign Affairs in June.
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Russia Launches Sweeping Attack on Ukrainian Energy Facilities |
The air attack came as Russian forces advanced toward the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief Mark Rutte warned yesterday that Russia is preparing for “long-term confrontation” with Europe and called for an increase in European countries’ military spending. His speech came as the United States unveiled a $500 million aid package for Ukraine yesterday. (WaPo, Reuters, AP)
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke at CFR about the role of U.S. and NATO support in the ongoing war. |
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Trump Invites Xi to Inauguration |
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other unspecified foreign leaders to attend his inauguration next month. Such an invitation is a break from precedent; the Wall Street Journal reported that Xi is not planning to attend but might send a senior official. (NPR, WSJ)
Japan: Tokyo city government employees will have the choice to work four days per week beginning in April 2025 as part of an effort to boost the country’s declining birth rate. It follows experiments by local governments across Japan. (FT)
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Complaints Over Testing Reportedly Stall Indian Submarine Program |
India’s plans to build six diesel-electric submarines is delayed by more than a year due to contractor complaints about improper testing at sea, two unnamed senior officials told Bloomberg. The program is part of India’s efforts to build up its capabilities as China expands its presence in the Indian Ocean. The Indian navy did not respond for comments. (Bloomberg)
Pakistan: A Pakistani court indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife yesterday in a new corruption case over the alleged improper purchase of jewelry in what is the former leader’s seventh indictment. (Dawn)
CFR expert Joshua Kurlantzick unpacks what the results of Asia’s major elections mean for democracy. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israel Says Its Forces Will Remain in Seized Syrian Territory |
Israel ordered its troops to prepare to remain in a formerly demilitarized buffer zone through the winter, saying they should do so until a new force can be established there. Group of Seven (G7) leaders are meeting virtually today to discuss Syria’s transition. Meanwhile, Russia made contact with Syrian rebels in hopes of keeping control of its bases in the country, the Russian news agency Interfax reported. (AFP, Reuters)
UAE/Italy: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is weighing whether to host a January investment summit for Gulf countries to channel funds toward Italy’s development projects in Africa, Bloomberg reported. Financial investments in African countries are part of Italy’s plan to address undocumented migration from the continent. (Bloomberg)
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss Syrian leaders plotting their transition to post-Assad rule, political turmoil in Georgia and Romania, the United Kingdom joining the Trans-Pacific trade deal, and more. |
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Children’s Mpox Jabs Due to Arrive in DRC Next Week |
No vaccinations have been available yet for children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Japan pledged in September to donate some three million doses, but they were delayed until now by a legal hurdle. (Reuters) For Think Global Health, Chloe Searchinger and Allison Krugman track mpox vaccine donations across the African continent.
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe is at risk of experiencing another dry season after an El Niño-induced drought that started earlier this year, which could worsen hunger for millions of people, the UN World Food Program said. In April, Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster over food shortages. (Reuters)
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Canada Weighs Export Tax on Commodities After Trump Tariff Threat |
Ottawa would consider taxing exports of products including crude oil, potash, and uranium, an unnamed source told the Wall Street Journal. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this week that Canada would retaliate against the United States if Trump imposes a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports. (WSJ)
Barbados: The island country hosted today the launch of a joint security alliance of more than a dozen Latin American and Caribbean governments to fight organized crime. It is supported by Interpol, the Organization of American States, and several development banks. (Reuters) |
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U.S. Announces Plans to Hike Tariffs on Clean Energy Products From China |
Tariffs on Chinese-made solar wafers and polysilicon will rise from 25 to 50 percent, and levies on some tungsten products will rise from zero to 25 percent beginning on January 1. The decision aims to “further blunt the harmful policies and practices by the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said. (AP)
Andrew Chatzky, Anshu Siripurapu, and Noah Berman explain how tariffs work and how they’ve been historically leveraged.
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NPR rifles through memory boxes of Afghan lives, once hidden away in a flurry during the Taliban’s takeover, which have now resurfaced as a digital museum. |
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