The final U.S. military forces departed Afghanistan (TOLOnews) yesterday, finalizing a drawdown process that brought a twenty-year war to a close and left Afghanistan under the Taliban’s control. U.S. President Joe Biden is set to address the United States about the war’s end today. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that from now on, U.S. engagement in Afghanistan will focus on diplomacy (State Dept.). Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries also completed troop withdrawals in recent days.
 
With Kabul’s airport closed after the U.S. departure, intense diplomatic engagement is underway to facilitate its reopening. The Taliban have made public assurances that Afghans who wish to leave the country can do so, and the UN Security Council passed a resolution (UN News) yesterday urging the group to facilitate safe passages. Surging prices and packed lines at banks underscored the potential for the country’s economic collapse (FT) as countries and international organizations weigh how to approach financial ties with a Taliban-led Afghanistan. 

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry held talks with Japanese officials on emissions pledges (SCMP) in Tokyo today and will travel to Tianjin, China, next. It is part of an effort to encourage China and Japan to build on recent commitments ahead of November’s UN climate summit. Kerry is expected to push China to stop financing coal-fired power plants abroad.
 
Japan: The Ministry of Defense requested record military spending (Kyodo) of around $49 billion for fiscal year 2022, the tenth consecutive year that defense spending would rise.
 
CFR’s Sheila A. Smith examines how Japan is upgrading its military. 

The countries’ navies will participate in joint drills (Reuters) in the Caspian Sea in November, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense said the country will loan the Palestinian Authority (Al Jazeera) some $155 million following what appeared to be the first high-level talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials since 2014. The talks came after President Biden urged Israel to take measures to improve living conditions for Palestinians.
 
This Backgrounder explains U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
 
Turkey/UAE: The leaders of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held a phone conversation (Bloomberg) aimed at easing long-standing tensions. The countries have backed opposing sides in conflicts in Libya and Syria for years, but Emirati officials have voiced the need to improve regional ties as the United States reduces its involvement in the Middle East.

A session of South Sudan’s parliament began (BBC), with members of a former rebel party serving as representatives. Forming an inclusive legislature was required by the country’s 2018 peace deal.
 
South Africa: Health authorities said they are tracking a new coronavirus variant (Guardian) that contains mutations found in variants that the World Health Organization classifies as “variants of concern.”
 
For Foreign Affairs, Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker write that vaccine inequity could yield new COVID-19 variants.

The European Union recommended that member nations impose health requirements (NYT), such as quarantining and testing, for unvaccinated visitors from the United States due to the country’s COVID-19 cases. The same recommendation was made about travelers from several other countries, including Israel and Lebanon.
 
Russia: Moscow and Washington will hold their next round (Reuters) of nuclear strategic stability talks in September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Panama’s legislature became the first in Central America to approve the legalization of medical cannabis (Reuters). The bill now awaits the president’s signature.
 
South America: Prolonged drought has caused low water levels in South American rivers, disrupting transit and threatening beef exports (MercoPress) from countries including Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The problem is exacerbated by the scarcity of containers and ports in the United States, Asia, and Europe. 

At least four people died and ten were injured (WaPo) in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which caused heavy flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi. Some one million people were still without electricity this morning.