July 12, 2019



									Daily News Brief
									
								
									July 12, 2019
									
								
									Top of the Agenda
									
									
									Arrival of Russian Missile System in Turkey Raises Tensions
									
									
									Turkey received its first shipment (FT) of the Russian S-400 air defense system today, Ankara said, setting the stage for likely U.S. sanctions and heightening tensions with its NATO allies.

									 
									U.S.-Turkey relations have worsened as Turkey has sought closer ties with Russia in the wake of disagreements between Ankara and Washington over the Syrian civil war. The United States has warned that Turkey’s plans to acquire the Russian S-400 would bar it from receiving (CNN) U.S. F-35 fighter jets set for use by NATO countries out of concern for the jet’s sensitive technology. Under a 2017 law, Turkey will also face sanctions (WaPo) for expanding its ties with Russia’s defense industry.
									
									
									Analysis
									
									
									In Foreign Affairs, Aaron Stein traces the steps that led Turkey to turn its back on the United States and embrace Russia.

									 
									“For decades [Turkey] was a model of how a Muslim-majority country with a secular government could cooperate with the West. Now Mr. Erdogan is operating in a more ambiguous space: becoming more authoritarian while balancing the U.S. and Europe against Iran and Russia,” writes The Wall Street Journal.

									 
									“U.S. policy should be based on the fact that while Turkey is not an enemy of the United States, it is also not a friend. Washington can work with Ankara where it remains possible, work around the Turks where it is necessary, and work against them where it has to,” writes CFR’s Steven A. Cook.
									
									
									Pacific Rim
									
									
									UN to Investigate Philippines Drug War
									
									
									The UN Human Rights Council has voted to launch an investigation (NYT) into President Rodrigo Duterte’s antidrug strategy in the Philippines, where authorities have acknowledged killing more than 6,600 people since 2016. A recent report (Amnesty) found many of the deaths appeared to be extrajudicial executions.

									 
									North Korea: The country revealed new language in its constitution (Yonhap) yesterday that designates leader Kim Jong-un the official head of state, and emphasizes a new mandate for North Korea to increase international economic ties.

									 
									CFR’s Scott Snyder looks at what may be next after the Trump-Kim DMZ meeting.
									
									
									South and Central Asia
									
									
									Indian Police Raid Lawyers’ Organization
									
									
									Police raided the homes and offices (Reuters) of lawyers Anand Grover and Indira Jaising yesterday, saying their human rights-focused nonprofit was being investigated for violating laws on receiving foreign funding. The group, Lawyers Collective, has said it is being targeted for pursuing sensitive cases against India’s ruling BJP party.

									 
									Sri Lanka: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe survived a no-confidence vote (Reuters) brought by opposition lawmakers who accuse his government of failing to act ahead of this year’s Easter Sunday bombings, despite intelligence warnings.

									 
									In Foreign Affairs, Neil De Votte and Sumit Ganguly look at Sri Lanka’s bout of political instability.
									
									
									Middle East and North Africa
									
									
									Saudi Arabia to Ease Travel Restrictions For Women
									
									
									The country plans to modify its laws on foreign travel this year so that women and men over eighteen can leave the country without a male guardian’s permission, according to reports (WSJ).

									 
									In Foreign Affairs, Madawi Al-Rasheed looks at the rise in Saudi women fleeing the country after abuse from their male guardians.

									 
									Algeria: Slimane Chenine, representing a grouping of three Islamic parties, has been elected speaker of parliament (Al Jazeera), the first time an opposition lawmaker has held the position. He replaced an ally of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced to step down in April following mass protests.
									
									
									Sub-Saharan Africa
									
									
									Sudan Military Say Coup Thwarted
									
									
									The ruling military council said it put down a coup attempt (DW) launched by soldiers and officers opposed to the power-sharing agreement announced last week between the military and opposition protesters. Under the agreement, which has divided the opposition (Reuters), military and civilian representatives would share power while elections are being organized.

									 
									DRC: UNICEF says it has begun a mass measles vaccination campaign in response to an epidemic occurring alongside the country’s Ebola outbreak. It estimates almost 2,000 people have died of measles this year while 1,646 have died of Ebola since last August. 
									
									
									Europe
									
									
									German Court Rules on Islamic State Repatriation
									
									
									Germany must bring back (BBC) the wife and children of a German man who traveled to fight for the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria, under a court ruling. The family members had been living in a Syrian refugee camp, along with dozens of German wives of suspected fighters and their more than one hundred children.
									
									
									Americas
									
									
									Guatemala May Host Central American Asylum Seekers
									
									
									In an upcoming visit to the White House, Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales is set to discuss the possibility that his country could host asylum seekers from El Salvador and Honduras (WSJ) while their claims are being processed. Opponents of the plan have launched a legal challenge (Reuters), citing Guatemala’s high levels of violence and lack of resources.

									 
									Chile: A new law signed yesterday removes the statute of limitations (Reuters) on sex crimes involving children in the wake of a sex abuse crisis in the country’s Catholic Church. State investigators say they are looking into more than 150 cases of possible abuse or cover-up.
									
									
									United States
									
									
									Nationwide Immigration Raids Planned
									
									
									U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is planning to raid the homes of around 2,000 undocumented people beginning Sunday to enforce deportation orders, homeland security officials said (NYT). The raids had been delayed after resistance from immigration officials.
									
									
									Friday Editor’s Pick
									
									
									Marking the fifty year anniversary of the first moon landing, National Geographic delves into the history of the space race and the new era of private sector exploration.
									
									
									Council on Foreign Relations

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