Biden to Promote Economic, Migration Initiatives at Summit of the Americas |
U.S. President Joe Biden arrives in Los Angeles today for a summit of Western Hemisphere leaders that is expected to focus on economic engagement, migration, and democracy. An unnamed White House official said Biden will announce plans to increase U.S. investments (Politico) in the region and to provide $300 million in funding to address food insecurity.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is skipping the summit in protest over the Biden administration’s decision to exclude the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted meetings (Twitter) yesterday with human rights defenders from those countries. On Friday, participants are expected to sign an agreement (WSJ) on migration in which countries will commit to hosting more migrants from across the region.
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“The Biden administration has belatedly put together a reasonable agenda for the meeting, including a new framework on economic cooperation and a declaration on migration. However, it will need to follow through soon and demonstrate a serious commitment to forging closer ties or risk further alienating a region that has become increasingly distant from and disillusioned with its northern neighbor,” the Inter-American Dialogue’s Michael Shifter and Bruno Binetti write for Foreign Affairs.
“There are a number of countries that are housing far more migrants today throughout Latin America and the Caribbean than is the United States. And it is a top priority for them to find better ways of integrating those folks into their societies, finding legal pathways, so that you can bring order to what is today a fairly disordered migration across the Americas,” Dan Restrepo of the Center for American Progress told NPR.
This In Brief lays out what’s at stake for Biden at the Summit of the Americas. |
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Japan Imposes Restrictions on Tourists |
Beginning Friday, visitors from overseas will be required (Nikkei) to wear masks, avoid closed spaces, and be chaperoned by a registered tour guide as the country opens its borders after more than two years.
China/Cambodia: Construction began (Nikkei) on a Chinese-funded expansion of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base. Both countries have denied reports that China’s military will use the base. |
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Begins Trip to India |
The three-day visit, which is expected to focus (Hindustan Times) on deepening trade ties, comes after Tehran joined Arab nations in rebuking what they saw as Islamophobic comments made by officials from India’s ruling party.
Afghanistan: Armed resistance to Taliban rule in the Panjshir Valley has included repeated assaults on Taliban positions and has prompted mass arrests of civilians, the Washington Post reports. A Taliban official denies there has been any fighting in the region. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
UN Report on Israel-Palestine Conflict Blames Israeli ‘Discrimination’ |
The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry looked at the root causes (Times of Israel) of the conflict and says “ending Israel’s occupation” is critical to stopping the violence. Israel’s foreign ministry called it “biased and one-sided.” This CFR webinar discusses challenges to Israeli and Palestinian coexistence.
Qatar: Doha selected ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Shell, and TotalEnergies as partners in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project that aims to boost (Reuters) the country’s LNG output by 64 percent by 2027.
For Foreign Affairs, Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’Sullivan discuss how governments will transform energy markets in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. |
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Cameroon’s Government Acknowledges Civilian Killings by Soldiers |
The nine victims included an eighteen-year-old girl. A government spokesperson admitted (AFP, Africanews) that it was a “disproportionate” and “hasty” response to a confrontation in the country’s English-speaking regions.
DRC/Belgium: Belgium’s king returned a ceremonial mask (AFP) to the Democratic Republic of Congo and decorated the last surviving Congolese veteran of World War II during a six-day visit to the country. |
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Russian-Turkish Talks on Ukrainian Grain Yield No Progress |
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Press, Human Rights Groups Urge Brazil to Expand Search for Missing Journalist |
British journalist Dom Phillips and his Brazilian traveling companion, Bruno Pereira, went missing (WaPo) in the Amazon on Sunday. They were reportedly threatened while documenting efforts by Indigenous groups to defend their land. |
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Some Republican Incumbents Survive Challenges From Pro-Trump Candidates |
Also in the primaries and other elections yesterday, San Francisco recalled (CNN) its progressive district attorney. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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