Welcome to CFR’s Daily News Brief. Today we’re covering the global reaction to Pope Francis’s death, as well as...
How a Russia-announced truce in Ukraine quickly strained
Tunisia’s mass trial of dissidents Continuing talks on Iran’s nuclear program
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World leaders and crowds across the globe are paying homage to Pope Francis, who died this morning in the Vatican. He was eighty-eight. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, he was also the first non-European pope since 741 CE and the first ever from Latin America. He leaves behind a Catholic Church that has increased its attention toward regions such as Africa and Asia, where it has seen the most growth.
During his twelve-year papacy, Francis was a leading global voice in opposition to war, the mistreatment of refugees, and nuclear proliferation. He underscored this in his final message delivered on Easter, in which he called for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen, and for the liberation of prisoners of war and political prisoners. A conclave to choose the next Pope is expected to begin within fifteen to twenty days.
The world reacts. Crowds gathered at the Vatican after Francis’s passing, while leaders from countries across the world—majority-Catholic and not—issued tributes. -
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised Franics as “a great man and a great pastor,” who called the world to build “a more just and equitable society.”
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Francis “advanced a worldview of inclusion, equality and care for marginalized individuals and groups, as well as responsible and sustainable custody of the natural environment.”
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who met with Francis on Sunday, said his “heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.”
The Pope in world politics. Francis leaned into the global access of the Catholic Church and the moral power of the papacy to speak out about—and step into—world affairs. - He facilitated a backchannel between the United States and Cuba when they negotiated their opening in 2015.
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He published a lengthy document urging climate action in the run-up to the 2015 conference that yielded the Paris Agreement.
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He has long called for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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He went farther than the Catholic Church’s previous position on nuclear weapons, saying not only their use but also their possession should be “condemned.”
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In February, he wrote an open letter to U.S. bishops calling government plans for mass deportations a “major crisis” and saying that faithful Catholics should reject discriminatory narratives against migrants.
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“This pope has effectively transformed the Catholic Church in relation to the world, to the great rejoicing of many and to the dismay of a few. First, the idea of the globe as ours, as shared, and as home, puts nothing that happens in that planetary home outside the concerns of the Catholic community. He wants a church that is engaged with the world’s pain, a church that calls out suffering wherever it happens.” |
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Ukraine is the single biggest loser of U.S. foreign aid following recent cuts, with $1.4 billion curtailed. Ukrainians and humanitarian assistance workers on the ground have felt the speed and severity of the cuts, Anya Hirschfeld writes for Think Global Health. |
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Strained Easter truce in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a hastily announced Easter truce in Ukraine over the weekend. Russia announced the unilateral truce on Saturday, and Ukraine said it would follow suit and only strike in defense. Despite reports of violations, Kyiv called for the extension of the truce for thirty days. Washington welcomed the idea, but Moscow did not agree. Russia and Ukraine also carried out their largest prisoner exchange of the war on Saturday.
U.S.-Iran talks move forward. Washington and Tehran agreed to proceed with more nuclear negotiations after a Saturday meeting that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said reached an “understanding on a series of principles and goals;” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said they “made very good progress.” The two sides are slated to meet for “expert level” technical talks on Wednesday and additional talks next Saturday.
Dismissals of Pentagon advisors. Three former senior advisors to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that they were not told why they were fired last week. Unnamed U.S. officials had previously told news outlets that the three men were being investigated as part of a leak probe; the three men’s statement called accusations by anonymous officials “baseless.” Hegseth’s chief of staff also left his role last week. The Pentagon did not respond to a Politico request for comment.
Supreme Court hold on expulsions. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered on Saturday that a round of migrant removals scheduled to occur under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act could not immediately proceed amid challenges at lower courts. Some Venezuelan migrants had already been loaded onto buses, their lawyers wrote. The Donald Trump administration filed a legal challenge to the decision, but did not immediately proceed with the expulsions.
Tunisian trial of dissidents. A Tunisian court handed forty dissidents and opposition members jail sentences of between thirteen and sixty-six years on broad conspiracy charges, state media reported. Many were tried in absentia after fleeing the country. It was the largest mass trial of President Kais Saied’s critics since he began ruling by decree in 2021. Human rights groups have described it as an effort to clamp down on dissent.
Pakistan-UAE ties. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan began a visit to Pakistan yesterday that is set to focus on economic ties and regional security. The two countries have moved to improve bilateral relations in recent months and earlier in April announced that Pakistanis are now eligible for a five-year visa to the UAE.
Reported State Department cuts. A draft executive order obtained by multiple news outlets proposed closing the State Department Bureau for African Affairs as well as several embassies on the continent. It would also cut offices responsible for climate change, refugee issues, and democracy and human rights. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the document “fake,” while an unnamed former U.S. official told the Financial Times it was “legit, but still a draft.”
Bukele’s proposed prisoner swap. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele suggested a “humanitarian agreement” in a social media post that would exchange 252 Venezuelans in Salvadoran prison for 252 Venezuelan political prisoners. Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office called Bukele’s statements “cynical” but asked for details about the Venezuelan detainees in Salvadoran custody. Those detainees had been expelled from the United States in recent weeks.
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The Kilmar Ábrego García case is among several legal battles that have introduced a showdown between the White House and the courts over migrant expulsions. CFR’s Phil McCausland and CFR expert Matthew Waxman discuss the implications in this Q&A. |
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Today, French President Emmanuel Macron begins a five-day trip to Madagascar, Mauritius, and French territories in the Indian Ocean.
Today, U.S. Vice President JD Vance begins a visit to India. - Today, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund begin their Spring Meetings in Washington.
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Tomorrow, Myanmar’s post-earthquake ceasefire is set to expire.
Tomorrow, countries around the world observe Earth Day.
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Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters |
Tunisia’s post-Arab Spring success has now decisively unraveled. Any future democratic renewal in the country will depend on an entirely new movement, Sarah E. Yerkes and Sabina Henneberg write for Foreign Affairs. |
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