U.S. Co-chairs Panama Conference on Western Hemisphere Migration |
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Panama to co-chair a meeting (Al Jazeera) on migration with counterparts from twenty Western Hemisphere countries. They will aim to adopt a joint declaration (State Dept.) and rally increased support from international aid agencies.
The number of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in March was the highest (AFP) in over twenty years, with many migrants coming from El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras. More than one-fifth of the world’s forcibly displaced people are in the Americas, according to the United Nations. Today’s conference comes as the Joe Biden administration prepares to end Title 42, a pandemic-related policy that permitted over 1.7 million migrant expulsions at the U.S.-Mexico border.
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“Perhaps the most effective way to address pressure for irregular migration—whether in short spikes or long waves—has been the least discussed in Washington: creating predictable, legal migration channels from [Central America’s] Northern Triangle,” the Center for Global Development’s Michael Clemens writes for Foreign Affairs.
“Beyond long-term drivers of migration, there are important ways of dealing with specific triggers that drive people to move who otherwise might not do so. Some triggers have to do with public security, since personal safety is often a compounding reason for migration. Mitigating the effects of climate change matters too,” the Migration Policy Institute’s Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee write.
This Backgrounder looks at how the United States patrols its borders. |
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China, Solomon Islands Sign Security Pact |
Beijing said the pact complemented existing security cooperation, while Washington said it would destabilize the Pacific Island region. U.S. officials will visit (SCMP) the Solomon Islands this week.
Timor-Leste: With over 60 percent of votes counted, former President Jose Ramos-Horta is projected to win (AP) Timor-Lester’s presidential election. |
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Sri Lankan Police Kill Anti-government Protester |
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Officials Travel to Mideast to De-escalate Jerusalem Tensions |
Senior State Department officials will seek to de-escalate tensions in Jerusalem during talks with officials from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority, Axios reported.
In this webinar, CFR’s Steven A. Cook, Marc Gopin, and Zaha Hassan discuss how to navigate challenges to Israeli and Palestinian coexistence.
Yemen: An eight-member presidential council led by politician Rashad al-Alimi was sworn in (Al Jazeera) yesterday. President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigned earlier this month. |
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African Startups Drew Record $5.2 Billion in Venture Capital Funding in 2021 |
African startups raised more (Reuters) last year than in the previous seven years combined, with financial technology companies receiving the most funding, according to the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.
South Africa: Political party Economic Freedom Fighters held protests (Al Jazeera) along the country’s border with Eswatini to raise awareness about the repression of pro-democracy protests there. |
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Russia Bombards Mariupol, Issues New Surrender Ultimatum |
Russian forces continued to bombard (WaPo) the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and pledged that Ukrainian fighters who did not surrender by this morning would be killed. The United Nations said five million people have now fled Ukraine.
CFR lays out everything to know about the war in Ukraine.
France: President Emmanuel Macron and his opponent in Sunday’s runoff election, Marine Le Pen, hold their final debate (AFP) today. |
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Guatemala’s Attorney General Seeks Second Term Amid Corruption Allegations |
The U.S. government suspended cooperation (AP) with Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras Argueta’s office and revoked her visa amid accusations that her office blocked corruption investigations. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has defended her. |
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Biden Restores Parts of Law Requiring Environmental Assessments of Federal Projects |
The Biden administration announced it is restoring parts of the fifty-year-old National Environmental Policy Act that had been removed (NYT) by President Donald Trump. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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