U.S., South Korea Test-Fire Missiles in Response to North Korean Launches
The United States and South Korea test-fired eight ballistic missiles (Yonhap) from South Korea into the sea in response to North Korea’s ramped-up missile testing this year, including its test-firing of eight missiles yesterday.
U.S. officials said the launches demonstrated the ability of Washington and Seoul to “respond quickly to crisis events” (WaPo). They followed a U.S.-South Korean naval exercise last week, the countries’ first joint drill in over four years. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has pledged to take a harder stance toward Pyongyang than his predecessor and said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should be the one to restart nuclear talks that have been stalled since 2019. Kim has called for sanctions relief for talks to begin.
Analysis
“Not sure what this [U.S. and South Korean launch] accomplishes. I seriously doubt it demonstrates some new capability. It certainly isn’t going to deter future North Korean tests/launches,” the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Eric Brewer tweets.
“Within the region, the United States and South Korea should revitalize a comprehensive counter-missile strategy that would entail detecting and defending against North Korea’s missiles and launchers, disrupting the capabilities that allow North Korea to repeatedly fire its missiles, and destroying the missiles and launchers themselves,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Katrin Fraser Katz and Victor Cha write for Foreign Affairs.
Kazakh Voters Back Proposed Constitutional Reforms
Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission said nearly 80 percent of voters backed measures (RFE/RL) that would decentralize decision-making. Yesterday’s referendum followed mass protests in January that ended former President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s decades-long grip on power.
India: At least five Arab nations lodged formal complaints (Al Jazeera) against India for reported Islamophobic comments made by officials from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Middle East and North Africa
Saudi Arabia Raises Oil Price for Buyers in Asia, Europe
Riyadh raised the price (Dow Jones Newswires) of its benchmark crude oil by $2.10 per barrel for Asian buyers and $2.20 for Northern European ones. The move comes despite a decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to increase global oil supply.
Gunmen targeted worshippers (CNN) at a Catholic church in Nigeria’s southwestern city of Owo. A local official said at least twenty-eight people were killed.
UK/Rwanda: London said it could send asylum seekers facing removal from the United Kingdom (UK) back to their home countries if they do not wish to be resettled in Rwanda, the Guardian reported.
Europe
Russia Strikes Kyiv for First Time in Over a Month
UK: Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a no-confidence vote (Bloomberg) today amid public outrage over his participation in parties during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Americas
Report: Biden to Exclude Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela From Americas Summit
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had said he would not attend (Reuters) the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, which begins today, if U.S. President Joe Biden did not invite envoys from those countries. Other leaders also threatened boycotts if some countries were excluded.
