Board of Peace takes shape… Top officials from around twenty countries signed onto Trump’s so-called Board of Peace in Davos today. They included several Muslim-majority and Central Asian countries as well as Argentina and Paraguay. Israel is joining the board but did not attend the ceremony. Bulgaria and Hungary were the only EU countries to join, and no other permanent member of the UN Security Council beyond the United States has confirmed membership. Trump today said he envisioned the board playing a role in conflicts beyond Gaza but that it would work “in conjunction with the United Nations.”
…and announces Gaza plans. At the same ceremony, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner said the next phase of the Gaza truce would focus on providing aid, funding for reconstruction, and demilitarizing Hamas. According to a slide in Kushner’s presentation, Hamas members who cooperate will receive “amnesty and reintegration, or safe passage.” Joining the Davos ceremony by video, the newly minted head of Gaza’s technocratic governing committee, Ali Shaath, said the enclave’s Rafah border crossing would reopen in the coming days.
Detainee transfer from Syria. The U.S. military yesterday began transferring detainees linked to the self-declared Islamic State from Syria to Iraq, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The announcement said 150 detainees had already been transported to Iraqi-controlled facilities, with up to 7,000 in total eligible for transfers. The move comes after dozens of detainees escaped from a Syrian prison in recent days during clashes between government forces and Kurdish rebels.
Abe’s killer sentenced. A Japanese court sentenced the killer of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to life in prison today. The rare political assassination in 2022 shocked the country. The killer, Yamagami Tetsuya, said he believed Abe supported a church against which he held a grudge. Abe was not a member, but had attended an event there.
Trade deal delay. EU lawmakers voted yesterday to send a completed Mercosur trade deal to the bloc’s top court for a judicial review, potentially delaying its full adoption by up to two years. Merz criticized the decision—prompted by questions over whether the deal complies with EU treaties—saying it “misjudges the geopolitical situation.” EU leadership could decide to enact the deal provisionally before the ruling comes out.
Colombia-Ecuador trade escalation. Ecuador will apply 30 percent tariffs on Colombian goods beginning February 1 due to Colombia’s failure to fight drug trafficking, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced yesterday on social media. His government later said that electricity and oil logistics—significant components of bilateral trade—would be exempt. Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on social media that Colombia fought drug trafficking on “sea, land, and air” and would respond to Ecuador according to “principles of reciprocity.”
Chinese lending to Africa. Chinese loans to the continent fell in 2024 to $2.1 billion, nearly half the 2023 total of $3.9 billion, according to data released yesterday by Boston University. It was the first decline in Chinese lending to Africa since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. An “era of billion-dollar projects” is receding, the researchers wrote, with Beijing becoming more stringent on the commercial viability of loans.
Toll of Iran protests. Iran estimates that more than three thousand people have died in recent demonstrations, its government said yesterday in its first official death toll. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said yesterday that it had verified almost five thousand deaths, though other estimates are far greater. In recent days the World Economic Forum in Davos rescinded its invitation to Iran’s foreign minister due to the widespread killings.
