Daily News Brief
June 1, 2020
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Top of the Agenda
World Looks On As U.S. Consumed By Protests Against Racial Injustice
Cities across the United States were rocked by historic civil unrest as protests in the wake of a white police officer’s killing of George Floyd, a black man, continued to shake the nation and reverberate across the world (NPR).

Peaceful demonstrations took place amid the coronavirus pandemic that has already triggered lockdowns and economic pain. More than half the nation’s governors activated the National Guard (WaPo) to try and quell the protests, which in some cases escalated into looting and property damage; many cities imposed curfews. Police responded aggressively (NYT) in a number of reported incidents, and journalists were arrested, pepper-sprayed, and shot with rubber bullets. Amid the crisis, President Donald J. Trump tweeted calls (WaPo) for law and order, at one point saying the United States would declare Antifa, short for anti-fascists, a terror organization, though it is unclear how he could do that as Antifa is not an organized group.
Analysis
“The United States is and appears to the world divided, diminished, & distracted. Hard to believe we will not be challenged somewhere somehow by someone wanting to take advantage of these circumstances. To add a 4th ‘D,’ these are truly dangerous times,” tweets CFR President Richard N. Haass.

“The protests are not necessarily about Floyd’s killing in particular, but about the savagery and carnage that his death represents: The nearly unchecked ability of the state to act with impunity in the oppression of black bodies and the taking of black life,” Charles M. Blow writes in the New York Times.

“But the timing of the current unrest in the United States could not be better for China’s purposes: It is not China’s rise that is scary, the authorities are saying between the lines, but the United States’ decline,” Anna Fifield writes in the Washington Post.

Pacific Rim
Seoul Unveils ‘Korean New Deal’ Recovery Plan
The government announced a plan to invest (Korea Times) 76 trillion won ($62 billion) over the next five years to aid the economy’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The “Korean New Deal” will invest in digitization, clean energy, and improvements to the social safety net.

Hong Kong: City ministers defended China’s new national security law (SCMP) and downplayed the effect of President Trump’s decision to revoke Hong Kong’s special status.

CFR’s Jerome A. Cohen explains what to know about China’s new national security legislation.

South and Central Asia
China, India Mobilize Along Border
The Chinese and Indian armies are moving heavy equipment and weaponry (Times of India) to bases near their disputed border, Indian military sources said. India’s defense minister said the two sides were in talks to reduce tensions.

Afghanistan: A journalist and a bus driver were killed in Kabul (Al Jazeera) in an attack targeting employees of a television station. The self-proclaimed Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which wounded four others.

Middle East and North Africa
OPEC, Russia Nearing Deal on Further Production Cuts
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia are moving toward a compromise on whether to extend oil production cuts (Reuters) by another one or two months, sources told Reuters. The countries will likely hold an online meeting Thursday.

Israel: Police killed an unarmed, autistic Palestinian man (Haaretz) in East Jerusalem, sparking protests in Jerusalem and Jaffa.

Sub-Saharan Africa
Dozens Killed in Burkina Faso
At least fifty people were killed in a wave of violence (Al Jazeera) over the weekend blamed on armed groups. At least ten people were killed in an attack on an aid convoy Saturday, which followed attacks on a livestock market earlier that day and on a convoy of shopkeepers a day earlier.

Zimbabwe: The government summoned its U.S. ambassador (AFP) after U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien claimed China and Zimbabwe were using social media to “sow discord” in the United States.

Europe
France, Germany, UK Criticize U.S. Termination of Iran Sanction Waivers
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement saying they “deeply regret” the U.S. decision (RFE/RL) to end sanctions waivers for work at some Iranian nuclear sites. The countries said the projects helped ensure that Iran’s nuclear program was being used for peaceful purposes.

Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban called a proposed European Union economic recovery plan (Politico) “absurd” and said it would unduly benefit rich countries.

Americas
Argentina Moves Closer to Debt Deal
The government and its bondholders moved closer to a deal (Buenos Aires Times) to restructure $65 billion worth of debt ahead of a Tuesday deadline, which could be extended further. Argentina entered its ninth default last month.

Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro joined a rally where his supporters called for the closure of the Supreme Court (Reuters). The court is investigating Bolsonaro for his alleged interference in police affairs and has opened an inquiry into his supporters’ alleged social media intimidation campaign.

Global
Trump Postpones G7 Summit, Considers Expanding Group
President Trump said he was postponing the annual Group of Seven (G7) summit (NYT) until September. Trump said he also wanted to invite Australia, India, Russia, and South Korea, calling the G7 an “outdated” group of countries.

This Council Special Report lays out recommendations for U.S. foreign policy after the pandemic.
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