Hearings begin today (Guardian) at the International Court of Justice in The Hague that center on Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims. It is the first international legal challenge (Reuters) of Myanmar’s 2017 military crackdown on its Rohingya minority.
 
The suit, brought by Gambia, alleges that the military clearance of hundreds of thousands of people amounts to genocide and calls for provisional measures to protect the Rohingya. Thousands of Rohingya were killed (BBC) and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh as a result of what Myanmar said were legitimate counterterrorism operations. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former political prisoner, appeared at the opening of hearings today and is set to defend Myanmar tomorrow.

A Washington Post report containing internal inspections and memos about the eighteen-year U.S. war in Afghanistan found that officials repeatedly hid “unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable” and misled the public over three presidential administrations.
 
This CFR timeline looks at the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
 
India: A bill introduced in India’s legislature that would grant citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three countries has prompted nationwide protests (Reuters). A U.S. federal panel on religion has recommended sanctions (Reuters) against principal leadership should the bill pass.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Kanchan Chandra looks at the roots of Hindu nationalism’s triumph in India.

Manila announced that after December 31, it will not extend (Rappler) a regime of martial law in place in the Southern Philippines since mid-2017, saying extremist groups there have weakened.

Qatar sent its prime minister to a Gulf Cooperation Council summit (Reuters) beginning in Saudi Arabia today in what may signal a thaw in regional tensions. Qatar has been the target of a political and economic boycott by other Gulf nations and Egypt since 2017.

The Nobel Committee criticized Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for refusing to take press questions (WaPo) upon his official receipt of the peace prize today. Ahmed has helped spur historic progress in Ethiopian diplomacy, but also presided over ongoing ethnic conflict.
 
Rwanda: Qatar Airways will buy a 60 percent stake (Reuters) in a new $1.3 billion international airport outside the capital Kigali, the Rwanda Development Board announced on Twitter.

At talks in Paris, the two countries officially committed (BBC) to a “full and comprehensive” cease-fire in eastern Ukraine and the release of all “conflict-related detainees” by the end of 2019.
 
Europe: The European Union began drafting legislation to impose financial sanctions (WSJ) on individuals involved in human rights abuses.

France is launching a partnership (Reuters) with nine Brazilian states to preserve the Amazon Rainforest, a leader of the Brazilian coalition announced. The measure bypasses Brazil’s federal government after spats between the two countries’ leaders earlier this year.
 
Mexico: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner travel to Mexico City today for final negotiations (Politico) on a possible trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

A report by the Justice Department’s inspector general found that political bias did not influence (Politico) the opening of an FBI investigation of possible links between Russia and President Donald J. Trump’s campaign, as Trump has often alleged.

Terms expire today for two of the three remaining judges on the World Trade Organization’s dispute-resolution court, leaving it unable to issue a binding ruling (Axios). Recent U.S. administrations have blocked new appointments to the court’s Apellate Body.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the World Trade Organization.