But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |
Russia-China: Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up his two-day visit to China today. The trip included a state visit and talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, as well as a stop in the capital of China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang, which shares an extensive border with Russia. (AP) |
Our Take: In the West, Putin’s visit has been largely seen as the latest sign of the two countries’ deepening strategic partnership, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine. Beijing has provided cover for Moscow to avoid what could have been crippling Western sanctions, mostly by increasing trade and selling Russia dual-use components that can be used for military production. Beijing has also shrugged off Western requests to apply pressure on Moscow to end the war. |
But this week’s visit was also revealing of major shifts in the nature of the partnership. Observers of the Russia-China relationship in the 2010s often cited two factors in particular that many argued would prevent Moscow from deepening ties beyond pragmatic and opportunistic cooperation. The first was the view that Russia would be unwilling to play the role of junior partner in the relationship. Although less significant, the second was unease in Moscow about the number of Chinese migrant workers in Russia’s Far East, amid fears of potential Chinese encroachment. |
This visit by Putin underscored that neither of those factors are significant obstacles for Moscow anymore. In Beijing, it was more than clear that Putin has accepted Russia’s secondary role in what has become a deeply asymmetric relationship, one in which Moscow is fully dependent on Beijing. |
And his visit to Heilongjiang province, which shares historical ties with Russia, serves as a symbolic nod that Moscow no longer considers the imbrication of Chinese and Russian society a threat. If anything, Russia sees it as the way forward. As Alexander Gabuev wrote in a recent New York Times opinion piece, the two societies have never been more entwined. Putin’s visit serves as a symbolic confirmation that the deepening of their bilateral ties is more than just a temporary affair driven by pragmatism. |
It seems U.S. President Joe Biden is finally fed up with Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Last week, the Biden administration declared a pause on arms transfers to Israel to pressure it against proceeding with a planned assault on Rafah, a city to which hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians had fled as Israel conducted operations against Hamas elsewhere in Gaza. |
In some respects, this was only a matter of time. But while the actions of Israel’s government and military were making it hard for the U.S. to remain a staunch ally for some time now, Biden’s support to Israel remained unwavering, at least until a week ago. What changed? |
Columnist Paul Poast explains how Israel reached the limit of its relations with the United States: |
The U.S.-Israel relationship is special, but not indestructible. It has limits. Now, it seems Israel has finally found those limits. Read more. |
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“If I wanted to rape a woman, I wouldn’t choose a brain-damaged monkey.” Just over a year ago, Senegal’s recently installed PM, Ousmane Sonko, made this shocking comment in reference to Adji Sarr, who accused Sonko of rape in 2021. The case derailed Sonko’s presidential ambitions, triggered massive protests and contributed to a crisis that pushed the country to the breaking point earlier this year. |
Senegal’s democracy managed to survive. In March, Bassirou Diomaye Faye—a close ally and longtime friend of Sonko—was elected president and immediately named Sonko as prime minister. |
But in the outpouring of hope and support that has accompanied the accession of Senegal’s new government, the fact that Sonko’s comments from a year ago have been widely forgotten underscore one of its major shortcomings: women’s rights and gender equality. |
The outpouring of support for Senegal’s new government has overshadowed one of its major shortcomings: women’s rights and gender equality. Read more. |
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Portugal’s parliament dismissed a proposal by the far-right Chega party to charge President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa with treason for stating last month that the country had an obligation to lead the way on reparations for colonialism and the slave trade, which he said could take the form of debt forgiveness and funding for economic development for former colonies. |
This week, we asked: Should former slave-trading and colonial powers pay reparations to the states they once colonized? |
The results? 58% said “Yes, in the form of debt forgiveness and development assistance,” compared to 25% who said “No” and 17% who said “Yes, in the form of cash payments.” |
Authorities in Belarus announced yesterday that they had conducted raids and seized property belonging to 104 opposition activists who have fled the country. The move is just the latest in a yearslong crackdown on dissent that has seen more than 35,000 people arrested, with thousands beaten in custody, since 2020. Around half a million people have fled the country in that time. |
In February, President Alexander Lukashenko extinguished the last dying embers of the country’s democracy with tightly controlled elections that rooted out whatever was left of Belarus’ opposition. As Amanda Coakley wrote in March, Lukashenko’s moves since the election have been focused on centralizing even more power in his hands. |
| March 12, 2024 | With tightly controlled elections, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko extinguished the last dying embers of his country’s democracy. Read more. |
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In Malaysia, a man stormed a police station and killed two police officers earlier today in what is being investigated as a terror attack by Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian jihadist network linked to al-Qaida. |
Notorious for carrying out the 2002 Bali bombings, Jemaah Islamiyah had been largely dormant for around 15 years beginning in 2009, when the group denounced jihad following a crackdown by Indonesian authorities. Last year, reports that the group was recruiting and training new members led to a renewed crackdown in Indonesia, where the group is primarily based. |
As Michael Hart wrote last year, Indonesia—and neighboring states like Malaysia—must stay vigilant against these threats to avoid a repeat of past violence. |
July 13, 2023 | Two Islamist militant groups that have carried out terrorist attacks still maintain a nationwide presence in Indonesia. Read more. | |
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Officials from the Biden administration are traveling to Israel this weekend to discuss the war in Gaza, at a time when the U.S. and Israel are as far apart as ever on strategy. The Biden administration reportedly doubts that defeating Hamas is even possible, especially with Israel’s current strategy. |
As Samuel Ratner wrote in March, the Israeli military campaign has failed to eliminate Hamas’ capacity for violence, and despite Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims, “the unspeakable human cost of this war is not producing any sort of grand strategic victory for Israel.” |
Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had shot down a U.S. drone, as the group continues to launch attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas amid the war in Gaza. As Alexander Clarkson wrote in January, the attacks are a reminder that in most conflicts, economic advantages are not enough to override deeply embedded ideological worldviews. |
Read all of our latest coverage here. |
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