Council on Foreign Relations
Daily News Brief
March 18, 2022
Top of the Agenda
Biden to Warn Xi Against Supporting Russia in Ukraine
In a phone call today, U.S. President Joe Biden plans to warn Chinese President Xi Jinping that supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine would lead to U.S. retaliation (FT). The call will be their first since November. 

On Sunday, unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times that Russia had asked China for direct military support in Ukraine; Chinese officials denied the allegation. China’s ambassador to the United States later wrote in the Washington Post that China backs peace talks to end the conflict, but he did not condemn Russia for the war. In Ukraine today, Russian missiles struck an airport (Reuters) near Lviv, where hundreds of thousands of people have gone to escape fighting in other cities.
Analysis
“Xi’s public declaration [of a ‘no limits’ partnership with Russia in February], coupled with Beijing’s continued diplomatic support for Moscow, has undermined China’s reputation and provoked renewed concerns over its global ambitions,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Jude Blanchette writes for Foreign Affairs.
 
“The odds of China providing direct military support to Russia still seem low, for a few reasons. China also has two ongoing crises: omicron and the economy. Taking on a third seems bold,” Foreign Policy’s James Palmer writes.
 
On The President’s Inbox podcast, the Brookings Institution’s Patricia M. Kim unpacks the emerging China-Russia alliance.
Model Diplomacy: Defending Ukraine
In this new pop-up case, students learn the risks of military intervention and inaction as they take on the roles of U.S. officials weighing responses to the war in Ukraine.

Pacific Rim
Indian, Japanese Leaders to Meet
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Nikkei) in New Delhi this weekend. The leaders are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine. Kishida will visit Cambodia afterward.
 
Timor-Leste: The country holds a presidential election (Nikkei) tomorrow, its fifth since gaining independence in 2002.

South and Central Asia
UN Security Council Votes to Renew Mission in Afghanistan
Without using the word “Taliban,” the Security Council adopted a resolution (AFP) to allow the United Nations to continue its humanitarian, political, and human rights work in Afghanistan.
 
Pakistan: A senior lawmaker from Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party said at least two dozen party members plan to vote against Khan (Bloomberg) in an upcoming no-confidence vote, signaling that it will be difficult for him to hold onto power.

Middle East and North Africa
Monitor: Iran Shifted Some Enriched Uranium to Medical Use
Iran is converting a third of its highly enriched uranium for use in medical isotopes (Bloomberg), the UN nuclear watchdog reported. The converted uranium cannot be used in weapons, a fact that could help reduce tensions as world powers hold talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal.
 
Tunisia: A powerful union said it opposes some proposals in the government’s bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and demanded to be included in negotiations (Reuters).

Sub-Saharan Africa
Monitor: 187 Wounded in Latest Sudan Anti-coup Protest
The Sudan Doctors Committee said riot police used tear gas on protesters yesterday during the latest of near-daily demonstrations (AP) in the wake of Sudan’s October coup.
 
For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin looks at Sudan’s anti-coup protests.
 
Togo: Google announced that its internet cable between Portugal and several African countries is set to reach Africa (Quartz) this month, landing in Togo.

Europe
Macron Pledges More State Intervention in Economy if Reelected
At a campaign event, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would increase state involvement (Politico) across sectors such as energy, agriculture, and biotechnology in an effort to rebuild portions of the economy that had been weakened by globalization.

Americas
Argentine Senate Approves Renegotiation of $45 Billion IMF Deal
The vote clears the way for the deal’s approval (Bloomberg) by the IMF’s board of directors following two years of negotiations between the IMF and Argentina’s Ministry of Economy.
 
This Backgrounder looks at Argentina’s struggle for stability.
 
Peru: The country’s top court reinstated a pardon (Reuters) for former President Alberto Fujimori, who was jailed in 2007 for human rights violations and pardoned after ten years. That pardon was overturned months later.

United States
House Votes to Strip Russia of Preferential Trade Status
After the House of Representatives voted 424-8 to approve the measure (NYT), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he will work to move it through the Senate quickly. The suspension would allow higher U.S. tariffs on Russian goods.
Friday Editor’s Pick
Associated Press journalists, the only foreign media present in Ukraine’s Mariupol, chronicle the city’s fall into chaos and despair.
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