Brookings Foreign Policy - May 10, 2024 - Meeting Israelis’ demand for accountability -- Holding one’s nerve against Russian nuclear threats -- Xi’s visit exposes fault lines in European unity

 

May 10, 2024

Meeting Israelis’ demand for accountability   Amid growing frustration from Israelis demanding the return of hostages and a change in government, Marvin Kalb examines the lack of accountability that Israeli leadership has taken for the security and intelligence failures on October 7.   Read more

Holding one’s nerve against Russian nuclear threats   Russian President Vladimir Putin has rattled the nuclear saber several times since his invasion of Ukraine began, but using nuclear weapons would incur significant and unpredictable costs for Moscow, argues Steven Pifer.   Read more

Xi’s visit exposes fault lines in European unity   Despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s charm offensive during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe this week, Tara Varma writes that Xi is unlikely to change course and cool his relationship with Putin.   Read more

“Netanyahu believes an operation in Rafah is central to Israel’s overall goals- not merely in going after the remaining Hamas forces, but cutting off their ability to resupply via smuggling through the Egyptian border.”   May 8, 2024 | Natan Sachs, The New York Times

International affairs   Presidential power grabs. Writing in the Journal of Democracy, Sharan Grewal makes the case for why militaries support “self-coups,” when incumbent leaders seize even more power for themselves.   The threat of cyber warfare. In his new book, “Rethinking Cyber Warfare: The International Relations of Digital Disruption,” published this week, R. David Edelman examines the role that a major cyberattack would play in international relations.   Craving critical minerals. David G. Victor and Joisa Saraiva ask whether the world is replacing oil dependency with critical minerals, in a paper for the World Economic Forum.

Do US voters care about America’s role in the world?   As part of the Brookings Election ’24 initiative, Constanze Stelzenmüller joins The Current to discuss whether foreign policy issues matter to U.S. voters, and what’s at stake for the world in the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.   Listen to the podcast

Join us for an event   The insiders’ game: How elites make war and peace Monday, May 13, 2024, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM EDT In person and online   Two years into the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT In person and online   Ballots and bullets: Mexico’s 2024 elections Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT Online only

About Foreign Policy at Brookings   The Foreign Policy program is the leading center of policy-relevant scholarship advancing actionable solutions to the major challenges to international peace and security. Our scholars engage in in-depth, non-partisan research and analysis aimed at informing policymakers and the public debate and developing concrete ideas for addressing the world’s toughest problems.