Council on Foreign Relations - Daily News Brief - August 23, 2024 - India's Modi holds talks with Ukraine's Zelenskyy, Harris says She will strengthen U.S. Global Leadership,,,

 

Daily News Brief August 23, 2024

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Top of the Agenda India’s Modi Holds ‘Constructive’ Talks on War With Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed prospects for ending the war in Ukraine with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, saying before the visit that India supports “dialogue and diplomacy.” The visit is the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. India’s foreign minister said the meeting was “very detailed, very open,” and “very constructive.”  In preparation for another potential peace summit on the war this year, Zelenskyy has tried to strengthen relations with countries in the Global South. India is a close economic partner of Russia; Modi visited Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Zelenskyy called Modi’s embrace of Putin “a devastating blow to peace efforts.” (Reuters, The Hindu, AP)

Analysis “India’s bias towards Russia, in retrospect, likely prevented New Delhi from going full steam on its engagement with central and eastern Europe. This is why the prime minister’s ongoing visit [to Kyiv] marks a significant departure [for New Delhi],” the Asia Policy Society Institute’s C. Raja Mohan writes for the Indian Express. “Putin and Zelenskyy were willing to consider extraordinary compromises to end the war [in March 2022]. So if and when Kyiv and Moscow return to the negotiating table, they’ll find it littered with ideas that could yet prove useful in building a durable peace,” the RAND Corporation’s Samuel Charap and Johns Hopkins University’s Sergey Radchenko write in Foreign Affairs.

U.S. Campaign 2024 Harris Says She Will ‘Strengthen, Not Abdicate’ U.S. Global Leadership at DNC Vice President Kamala Harris’s acceptance speech for the presidential nomination included her most extensive comments yet on foreign policy. She pledged to “not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump,” ensure the United States “wins the competition for the twenty-first century” with China, and “create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border.” In the Middle East, she said she would continue to work to end the war “such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.” (NYT)   This CFR guide tracks leading foreign policy issues for both presidential candidates.

Pacific Rim Thailand Detects Mpox Case, Tightens Surveillance Health authorities confirmed the strain of mpox detected in Thailand is the one which has spread through African countries and prompted a global health emergency declaration, Bloomberg reported yesterday. The country became the first in Asia to detect the new mutated strain. Thailand plans to tighten airport screenings, and travelers from countries with outbreaks will be required to register with the health ministry. (Bloomberg)   Kiribati: The government is suspending diplomatic visits to the country until next year as it concludes a parliamentary and presidential election process, a foreign ministry spokesperson said yesterday. The election has been a focus of international attention as Kiribati switched its allegiance from Taipei to Beijing in 2019. (AP)

South and Central Asia UAE Become Second Country After China to Accept Credentials of Taliban Ambassador The United Arab Emirates said it aims to build “bridges” to help the people of Afghanistan through both reconstruction projects and “regional de-escalation and stability,” an unnamed Emirati official said. (AFP)    This In-Brief by CFR’s Clara Fong and Noël James discusses how the Taliban’s rule has spurred a push to combat gender-based oppression. Nepal: Nepal lifted a ban on TikTok yesterday after nearly nine months, saying the platform had agreed to take actions to support the country’s tourism, digital literacy efforts, and public education sectors. The country’s communications minister said all platforms are required to follow the same regulations and cannot “allow content that disrupts social harmony.” (Kathmandu Post)

Middle East and North Africa UN Confirms Polio Case in Gaza, Warns of Regional Spread The disease would not “make the distinction between Palestinian and Israeli children,” a UN aid official said; the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) aim to carry out a vaccination campaign and have called for a humanitarian pause in Gaza to be able to do so. (FT) Yemen: The Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed an attack earlier in the week that damaged a tanker in the Red Sea, which a European Union (EU) naval mission later rescued those on board. It was the most damaging attack on a commercial ship there in over two months. (FT)

The World Next Week CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins are joined by Deborah Amos, Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence at Princeton University, on this special episode to discuss good reads they recommend, books they are looking forward to reading, and other entertainment they are enjoying this summer. Listen

Sub-Saharan Africa DRC Loads First Shipment of U.S.-Bound Copper From G7-Backed Export Hub The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Lobito corridor is backed by the Group of Seven’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. It includes the Lobito Atlantic Railway, which has reduced the time for copper shipments to reach Western markets. (Mining.com, Bloomberg) Mozambique: The government unveiled a roadmap for a nationwide early warning system for weather-related hazards that is due to be complete by 2027. (Africanews)

Europe NATO Air Base in Germany Raises Security Level Due to Warning of ‘Potential Threat’ Staff who are not essential to missions were sent home from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) air base near the German border with the Netherlands, the alliance said yesterday. It did not elaborate on the nature of the threat. (AP)

Americas Venezuela’s Supreme Court Backs Maduro in Election Dispute The court, which is full of allies to President Nicolás Maduro, backed his claim that he won the country’s July 28 presidential election despite the lack of evidence that Maduro garnered enough votes. Opposition candidate Edmundo González, who has presented partial data suggesting he won the vote, said “an attempt to judicialize the results doesn’t change the truth.” (NYT, AP)   This blog post by CFR expert Will Freeman outlines how the Latin American left could negotiate with Maduro.   U.S./Mexico: The U.S. ambassador to Mexico issued a statement voicing concerns about President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposed judicial reform that would directly elect Supreme Court judges, calling it a “major risk” to democracy. (Reuters)

Global Layered Climate Policy Interventions Are More Effective Than Single Rules, Study Finds A study of up to 1,500 climate change policies around the world led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found that a layered approach to lowering emissions is more effective than just one policy alone. Examples include a combination of subsidies and regulation and pricing mechanisms, instead of only a single ban on combustion engine cars. It used artificial intelligence and statistical techniques to look at approaches in countries including the United States, China, and Norway. (Science, FT)

Friday Editor’s Pick The New York Times details what it would take to rebuild the Gaza Strip and who might bear the costs.

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