Poland, Slovakia Become First NATO Countries to Pledge Fighter Jets for Ukraine |
Poland and Slovakia announced plans (Time) to send around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets each to assist Ukraine’s war effort, becoming the first North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to supply warplanes after the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom declined requests to do so. The announcement comes as Ukraine prepares for a spring offensive against invading Russian forces.
Meanwhile, customs data obtained by Politico showed that Chinese companies sent Russian entities one thousand assault rifles and other equipment that could be used for military purposes between June and December 2022. It is unclear how the items were used. Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit Moscow (NYT) next week for talks that a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said will seek an end to the war.
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“Unfortunately, the incremental pace with which arms have been provided [to Ukraine from Western backers], and the very public deliberations over which arms to provide and when, has given the Russian military time to adjust and learn,” the Center for European Policy Analysis’s Sam Greene and Alina Polyakova write for Foreign Affairs.
“[Xi’s] trip will be about deepening ties to Russia that benefit Beijing, not about any real peace brokering,” the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Alexander Gabuev tweets. “The real content of the trip will be discussions about deepening of China-Russia military ties, increase of Chinese chips and tech exports to Russia, increase of Chinese oil & gas imports from Russia.”
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France’s Macron Pushes Through Pension Reform Despite Protests |
French President Emmanuel Macron used executive powers to approve a bill (AFP) that raises the country’s retirement age from sixty-two to sixty-four. The legal mechanism he employed allows lawmakers to hold a no-confidence vote that could see them strike down the measure and force the cabinet to resign. |
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New Evidence Suggests COVID-19’s Origins Linked to Wuhan Market |
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Kazakhstan to Hold Parliamentary Elections in What President Calls Post-riot ‘Reset’ |
The vote will take place on Sunday, two years ahead of schedule. President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev brought the elections forward (Bloomberg) as part of his response to deadly anti-government protests that broke out in January 2022.
Myanmar: At least twenty-two people were shot dead (Reuters) at close range at a Buddhist monastery last week, a doctor’s report said. Opponents of Myanmar’s military government have accused the army of massacring the victims. A government spokesperson said its forces clashed with rebels in the area but that no civilians were killed.
CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick discusses the doubts surrounding the Myanmar junta’s plan to hold elections and legitimize its rule.
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Senate Advances Bill to Repeal Decades-Old Authorizations for Iraq Wars |
A Senate committee approved legislation (NPR) that would repeal the authorizations for the Gulf and Iraq Wars, paving the way for a vote next week. The vote will coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. For Project Syndicate, CFR President Richard Haass writes that the U.S. government is still seeking consensus on the legacy of the Iraq War.
Algeria: In a cabinet shake-up (Bloomberg), President Abdelmadjid Tebboune replaced the country’s foreign minister and appointed its third finance minister in a year.
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Burundi Declares Polio Outbreak |
Health authorities said the country is experiencing (WHO) its first outbreak of circulating poliovirus type two in more than thirty years. It is the most prevalent kind of polio in Africa, with cases reported in fourteen countries last year.
Senegal: Police in Dakar clashed with protesters (Reuters) supporting opposition politician Ousmane Sonko ahead of his trial for libel. Sonko has denounced the trial as politically motivated. |
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Brazil’s Lula Says He Plans to Reestablish Bloc of South American Nations |
During a meeting with Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he wants to reestablish (MercoPress) the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR, a cooperation group that became defunct in 2019. This In Brief explains what Lula’s return means for Brazil.
Peru: Police fired live ammunition at civilians and fleeing protesters during anti-government demonstrations in December and January, a New York Times investigation found. |
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U.S. Banks Rescue Regional Lender First Republic |
Eleven of the biggest U.S. banks deposited $30 billion (NYT) into First Republic Bank to bring it back from the brink of collapse. The infusion of funds was part of a plan spearheaded by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. |
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In this Reuters report, five men who took up arms to get out of prison provide an inside look at the lives of mercenaries in Russia’s notorious Wagner Group. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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