OPEC+ Meets Amid Pressure to Boost Global Oil Output

Before today’s meeting of OPEC+, which consists of Russia and other oil-producing countries allied with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), members of the group signaled that they won’t concede to Western pressure to boost oil production (NYT) amid supply concerns caused by the war in Ukraine. To lower oil prices, U.S. President Joe Biden is considering releasing as many as one million barrels of oil from a strategic reserve per day over six months.

In Ukraine, a convoy of forty-five buses headed to the besieged port city of Mariupol after Moscow and Kyiv agreed on a fresh attempt (RFE/RL) to create an evacuation corridor. Several similar agreements previously collapsed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in India (AFP), which has been reluctant to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine despite Western pressure to do so.

Analysis

“Without a UN Security Council resolution to make sanctions implementation obligatory, the sanctions coalition [against Russia] is dependent on mutual goodwill, shared sacrifice, and common purpose. But such cohesion is highly vulnerable to the sorts of hardships that ramping up sanctions will require,” Columbia University’s Richard Nephew writes for Foreign Affairs.

“Far from being in an unenviable bind, New Delhi now looks well placed to leverage its position in the middle for its own benefit in the short and long term,” the Asia Society Policy Institute’s C. Raja Mohan writes for Foreign Policy.

CFR provides comprehensive coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Pacific Rim

China Signs Military Cooperation Pact With Cambodia

A spokesperson for China’s defense ministry announced the pact (AFP) without providing details about the agreement. China is expanding its military ties in the region and also inked a new security deal (AFP) with the Solomon Islands today.

For Foreign Affairs, Patricia M. Kim discusses China’s search for allies.

Hong Kong: The city’s leader, Carrie Lam, criticized two British judges (SCMP) for resigning from a Hong Kong court over concerns that their participation could be viewed as endorsing an administration that “has departed from values of political freedom and freedom of expression.” Lam said the judges were not required to support the executive branch.

South and Central Asia

Pakistan Lawmakers to Debate No-Confidence Motion for PM Khan

Pakistan’s legislature will begin debating (Dawn) the motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan today. The country’s interior minister said voting will occur on April 3.

Afghanistan: The United Nations is holding a pledging conference that aims to raise more than $4.4 billion in aid for Afghanistan today, though officials fear pledges could fall short (Guardian) of that target due to the Taliban’s increasing repression.

Middle East and North Africa

Tunisian President Dissolves Parliament

President Kais Saied dissolved the legislature (NYT) after lawmakers voted to block emergency powers he granted himself last year. Critics have described Saied’s power grab as a coup.

CFR’s Steven A. Cook writes that the West described Tunisia as a success story for too long.

Saudi Arabia/Turkey: A Turkish prosecutor asked to suspend (Al Jazeera) the trial in absentia of twenty-six Saudis linked to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and transfer the case to Saudi authorities. The move comes as Turkey tries to ease tensions with Saudi Arabia.

Sub-Saharan Africa

South African Government Survives No-Confidence Vote

The government survived (Mail & Guardian) because the ruling African National Congress party used its numbers in Parliament to secure a majority of one hundred votes.

Kenya: Amnesty International said Kenyan police unlawfully killed 167 people (BBC) last year, including some who were jailed for violating pandemic restrictions.

This Backgrounder compares police forces around the world.

Europe

Armenian, Azerbaijani Leaders to Meet

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Brussels (AP) next week to lay the groundwork for peace negotiations to end their countries’ decades-long conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Americas

El Salvador Boosts Jail Sentences After Spate of Killings

New laws passed yesterday stipulate that convicted gang leaders will be sentenced (Reuters) to forty to forty-five years in jail, up from six to nine years previously. Lower-level gang members could be jailed for up to thirty years instead of a maximum of five years.

Peru: Authorities said they will not release (AP) jailed former President Alberto Fujimori until the Inter-American Court of Human Rights examines his case. He is serving a twenty-five-year sentence for murder and corruption charges.

United States

Biden Administration Reportedly Planning to Lift Pandemic Border Restrictions in May

Unnamed U.S. officials told NBC that the Biden administration plans to lift a border policy known as Title 42 on May 23. The rule prevents many immigrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to claim asylum.

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