Sweden’s Ruling Party Announces Support for Joining NATO |
Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats announced their support (Bloomberg) for joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), reversing their longtime opposition to participation in a military alliance. Both Sweden’s and Finland’s parliaments are discussing membership bids (The Guardian), with formal applications expected within days. Russia’s deputy foreign minister warned that Swedish and Finnish membership in NATO would bring “far-reaching consequences.”
The Social Democrats said they will express “unilateral reservations” against the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Sweden’s territory if its application is approved. NATO enlargement requires unanimous approval from its members, and Turkey has demanded (Reuters) Sweden and Finland drop support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey classifies as a terrorist organization, and lift export bans. Finnish and Swedish officials have met with Turkey’s foreign minister about the concerns.
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“If Finland and Sweden join the alliance, as they look poised to do, they will bring substantial new military capabilities, including advanced air and submarine capabilities, that will alter the security architecture of northern Europe and help deter further Russian aggression,” former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt writes for Foreign Affairs.
“Finland and Sweden are right to have concluded from the tragic war being waged in Ukraine that they need more security. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is dangerous and unpredictable not because of NATO, but because of the way he has chosen to govern Russia,” the Economist writes.
This Backgrounder looks at NATO. |
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China’s Economic Activity Plummets Amid COVID-19 Containment Measures |
In April, China’s retail sales fell 11 percent (Nikkei) compared to April 2021, and industrial production fell nearly 3 percent from the previous month. Most of Shanghai, one of the country’s financial centers, has been locked down since March. The city said it aims to return to normal activity next month. North Korea: Days after reporting what it called the country’s first COVID-19 case, North Korean state media said 1.2 million people are experiencing fever symptoms (AP) and that the military has been ordered to respond to the outbreak.
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Global Wheat Prices Jump After India Bans Exports |
New Delhi said it introduced the ban on wheat exports to protect its food security (FT) as the war in Ukraine reduces global supplies of the crop. India is the world’s second-largest wheat producer and originally vowed not to ban exports over the war. Malaysia/Myanmar: Representatives from Myanmar’s shadow government met with Malaysian diplomats (Reuters) in Washington on Saturday. It was the group’s first open meeting with another Southeast Asian country.
This Backgrounder looks at Myanmar’s troubled history. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Early Lebanese Election Results Show Losses for Hezbollah’s Allies |
Hezbollah and its allies risk losing their majority (Reuters) in Parliament after yesterday’s elections, Lebanon’s first since its economy collapsed in 2019 and an explosion decimated Beirut’s port in 2020.
UAE: U.S. officials including Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are visiting (The National) the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pay respects after the death of the country’s president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and to meet his successor.
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Former Somali President Chosen for Second Term |
In an election held yesterday, lawmakers chose (AFP) Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was president from 2012 to 2017, to serve a second term. He is the first Somali president to be elected twice.
Ethiopia: Fighters from the Tigray region reportedly killed seven thousand civilians (Bloomberg) in the Amhara region in June–December 2021, according to a study by local universities and a regional statistics office. |
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Germany’s Ruling Party Defeated in Most Populous State’s Elections |
The Social Democrats earned 26.7 percent of votes (Politico) in North Rhine-Westphalia, where they have won at least 30 percent in every election since the end of World War II. The Christian Democrats triumphed, securing 35.7 percent of votes. |
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Venezuelan Government Aims to Sell Shares in State Companies |
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Weekend of Mass Shootings Includes ‘Racially Motivated’ Attack in Buffalo |
Local and federal officials are investigating (LA Times) the Saturday killings of ten people at a Buffalo supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood as “racially motivated violent extremism.” Yesterday, two people were killed (AP) in shootings at a Houston flea market, and multiple others were shot at a Southern California church.
At this virtual event, CFR’s Farah Pandith, Cornell William Brooks, Jonathan Greenblatt, and Susan Neiman discuss how to counter white supremacist violence in the United States. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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