Daily News Brief

February 6, 2023

Top of the Agenda

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake followed by an equally powerful tremor and a series of strong aftershocks has killed (The Guardian) more than one thousand people in Turkey and at least 326 people in regime held-areas of Syria, Syrian and Turkish officials said. Syria’s White Helmets rescue group, which works in areas outside the government’s control, has counted nearly four hundred additional deaths. Thousands more have been wounded. 

The part of Turkey worst hit by the quake (CNN), near the southern city of Gaziantep, houses thousands of Syrian refugees. The number of casualties is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue, though freezing temperatures and imminent snow- and rainfall are expected to complicate efforts. Dozens of governments and international organizations have already pledged humanitarian assistance (Reuters).

Analysis

“[The disaster] is likely to pile further economic hardship onto a region already grappling with a devastating humanitarian crisis and the fallout of the Syrian civil war. The United States Geological Survey estimated on Monday that there was a high probability that damage from the initial earthquake could top $1 billion,” the New York Times’ Liz Alderman writes.

“Coming just months before critical presidential and parliamentary elections and in the midst of a deepening economic crisis, the earthquake poses huge challenges to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The failures of a previous government to provide timely and adequate assistance following a 7.4 earthquake in 1999 that claimed at least 20,000 lives had helped catapult the AKP to power in 2002,” Al-Monitor’s Ezgi Akin, Adam Lucente, and Amberin Zaman write.

Pacific Rim

China accused the United States (FT) of “indiscriminate use of military force” against a “civilian unmanned airship” after U.S. forces shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over U.S. airspace. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned trip to Beijing over the incident.

In the Washington Post, CFR’s Sebastian Mallaby writes that the suspected spy balloon shows Beijing’s ability to blunder.

Hong Kong: A court has begun hearing (SCMP) the largest trial yet to use a national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Forty-seven activists and opposition politicians are accused of subversion.

South and Central Asia

Demonstrators in multiple cities accused India’s government (Indian Express) of pumping public money into the Adani Group, which has suffered a large sell-off after facing allegations of fraud.

Pakistan: Former President Pervez Musharraf died of a long illness (BBC) at the age of seventy-nine. Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup and then served as president between 2001 and 2008, is known for supporting the U.S. war on terrorism despite domestic opposition.

Middle East and North Africa

Iran has pardoned detainees (WaPo) in the past on the February 11 anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution. It is unclear to what extent participants in the ongoing anti-government protests will be included in this pardon, which excludes those convicted of certain crimes.

For Foreign Affairs, Vali Nasr writes that months of protest in Iran have forged an even more intransigent regime.

Israel/Ukraine: The Ukrainian government asked that Israel publicly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and approve a $500 million loan to Kyiv ahead of a visit by Israel’s foreign minister this week, Axios reported.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Last month, the UN mission in the country hosted an activist (AFP) who accused the military junta’s Russian mercenary partners of serious rights violations. 

Kenya: A court ruled that a lawsuit accusing Meta, Facebook’s parent company, of poor working conditions can proceed in Kenya’s judiciary (AP). 

Europe

The European Union (EU) ban on diesel and other refined oil products took effect yesterday (VOA). It comes alongside a Group of Seven (G7) price cap on sales of Russian diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline.

Americas

Canada said it sent the plane (Reuters) at the request of the Haitian government to support efforts to disrupt worsening gang activity. 

China/Colombia: China claimed ownership (WaPo) of an “unmanned aircraft” seen flying over Latin America in recent days. Colombia’s military said it had detected a balloon-like object (Reuters) but that the device did not represent a threat to national security.

United States

The judge ruled that a federal law prohibiting marijuana users from owning guns is unconstitutional (AP).

This Backgrounder looks at how U.S. gun laws compare globally.

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