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Opinion: North Korea and Nobel Prizes
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While
two former U.S. Presidents – Jimmy Carter in 1994 and Bill Clinton in
2009 – had made historic visits to Pyongyang, meeting with Kim
Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il respectively, last weekend President Donald
Trump made history.
- Critics have tended
to disparage President Trump’s unconventional, theatrical, and
even ‘reality TV’ style of diplomacy, seeing it as lacking in
substance and overly-focused on personal, transactional
relationships.
- President Trump,
prior to his 2017 inauguration, received advice from President
Obama that North Korea constituted America’s and President
Trump’s most significant foreign policy challenge. So,
President Trump deserves credit, along with Chairman Kim,
President Moon, President Xi, and President Putin, for doing his
utmost to tackle and embrace this challenge head-on.
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ICYMI: Expert Brief: Iran Strikes Back
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Iran’s
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif confirmed Monday that Tehran has violated the limits imposed
on uranium enrichment that were a key part of the 2015 nuclear
deal.
The
U.S. withdrew its support for the deal last year. The Trump
Administration on Monday responded to the confirmation of increased
uranium enrichment, vowing ‘maximum pressure on the Iranian regime”.
A statement from the White House press secretary said “We must
restore the longstanding nonproliferation standard of no enrichment
for Iran. The United States and its allies will never allow
Iran to develop nuclear weapons.”
Experts
who have followed escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. over
the past several weeks have looked at the likelihood of retaliation
and what form it might take.
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Intel Brief: Sudan Protests Gain Momentum and
Are Met With More Bloodshed
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Pro-democracy
protesters in Sudan reemerged in full force to demand a transition to
a civilian-led government; demonstrations were met with widespread
violence.
- After Sudan’s
longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir was deposed in April, a
military government seized power, backed by external forces
including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- In an effort to quell
the protest movement’s momentum, the government has sought to
block civilians from accessing the internet, a common tactic
used by authoritarian regimes during times of civil unrest.
- More recently, both
the African Union and regional heavyweight Ethiopia have offered
to help mediate the growing crisis.
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The Headlines:
Pentagon disturbed by China's missile test in South China Sea; Israel
prepares for potential military conflict with Iran; Brazil's foreign
minister expects more trade deals; Venezuelan opposition lawmaker
charged in assassination attempt on Maduro; Women to head top EU
institutions for first time; Italian judge releases captain who broke
naval blockade; Fire kills 14 sailors aboard Russian sub; Turkey
issues warrants for 152 suspects with links to Gulen; Zelenskiy meets
with Trudeau in Toronto; Kiev withdraws invitation for elections
monitors; Beijing takes harder line toward Hong Kong protesters;
Rebel groups align in bid to take over Indonesia; 47 Israeli officers
wounded in protests; UAE aims to pull back from Yemen war; Internet
access restored in Indonesia...
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Pentagon
says China missile test in South China Sea 'disturbing':
On Tuesday the Pentagon said that a recent Chinese missile
test in the South China Sea was “disturbing” and went
against Chinese pledges that it would not militarize the
disputed region. The South China Sea is one of a number of
flashpoints in the increasingly tense U.S.-China relationship, which
also include a trade war, Taiwan and sanctions. China and the
U.S. have repeatedly traded sharp rhetoric in the past over
what Washington claims is Beijing’s militarization of the South
China Sea. Reuters
Israel
preparing for possible 'military conflagration' with Iran:
Israel is preparing for possible military intervention in any
escalation in the region as tensions between Iran and the United
States increase, the Israeli foreign minister Israel
Katz said on Tuesday. The undoing of the
2015 nuclear deal under U.S. diplomatic pressure, Iran’s targeting
and downing of a U.S. drone and its alleged role in the
attack of oil tankers in the Gulf have driven up tensions and
stirred worries of escalation. Israel has encouraged the
U.S. to continue with sanctions against it's Iran,
predicting that it's regional rival will eventually succumb to
the economic pressure and renegotiate a new nuclear deal.
Reuters
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EU:
Women to Head Top EU Institutions for First Time. The EU on Tuesday decided on the heads of
its key institutions, making history by putting forward two women for
the most important jobs at a moment when the bloc’s unity is being
tested as never before. European leaders nominated two
conservatives—German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as
Commission president and the French IMF chief Christine Lagarde as
head of the European Central Bank. Von der Leyen will
replace Jean-Claude Juncker as the bloc’s most prominent bureaucrat,
attending G-20 summit meetings and advancing EU interests in
negotiations with the United States, China, and other major
powers. The New York Times The Wall Street Journal The Guardian
Italy: Judge
Releases Captain Who Broke Naval Blockade.
After being arrested and placed on house arrest for entering an
Italian port that she was told not to enter, the captain of the
Sea-Watch migrant rescue boat, Carola Rackete, has been
released. She was arrested because she “forced her way into the
Italian port” but was released because the judges believe she broke
no laws and was carrying out her duty to “protect life and had not
committed any act of violence.” She is being sent back to her
home country of Germany, because Interior Minister Matteo Salvini
dubbed her “dangerous for national security.” He had
previously closed off Italian waters to migrant boats before Rackete
tried to dock. The Guardian
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Central and Eastern Europe
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Russia:
Fire Kills 14 Sailors Aboard Russian Sub. Fourteen submariners on a Russian defense
ministry research vessel on Monday were killed in a fire while
carrying out a survey of the sea floor off Russia's Arctic
coast. “A fire broke out on board a deep-water scientific
research vessel that was studying the marine environment of the world
ocean on behalf of the Russian navy. Work is underway to
establish the cause of the incident,” the defense ministry
said. The fire has been extinguished, and the submarine is now
at the Northern Fleet's base in Severomorsk on the Barents
Sea. The incident took place on the AS-12 deep-sea nuclear
submarine, Losharik. The Moscow Times BBC Bloomberg
Turkey:
Warrants Issued for 152 Suspects with Gulen Links. Turkish authorities on Tuesday ordered the
arrest of 152 people over suspected links to the network blamed by
Ankara for orchestrating a failed military coup. Prosecutors in
Istanbul, Konya, and Izmir provinces issued dozens of arrest warrants
for suspects including military personnel, some of whom are still on
active duty. Ankara has accused U.S.-based Muslim religious
leader Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the attempted coup in July
2016. He has denied involvement. Al-Jazeera
Ukraine:
Zelenskiy Meets with Trudeau in Toronto. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday met in Toronto at the
Ukraine Reform Conference, which drew representatives from 39
countries. “Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine against
Russian interference and aggression," Trudeau said.
Zelenskiy and Trudeau discussed trade and security in the region amid
tensions with Russia over the annexation of Crimea. CBC News RFE/RL The Hill Times
Ukraine:
Kiev Uninvites Election Observers in Protest of Russia. Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy on Tuesday
announced that parliament is withdrawing its invitation to monitors
from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to observe
elections later this month, in protest against Russia's reinstatement
in the body. "Any influence by Russia on Ukrainian
elections, by any means, is not acceptable… Russia will be agents of
a hybrid war rather than observers," Parubiy
said. Russian delegates had been stripped of their voting
rights in the pan-European rights body in 2014 after Moscow annexed
Crimea from Ukraine, but last week they were allowed to return over
objections from Kiev. France 24
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China:
Beijing Takes Harder Line Toward Hong Kong Protesters. China’s government signaled its fraying
patience with protesters in Hong Kong after they stormed the city’s
legislature, calling the violent turn a direct challenge to Beijing’s
authority and suggesting it would have to be
answered. Public statements from Beijing marked a shift in
Chinese leaders’ attitude toward the crisis in the semiautonomous
territory, indicating they may be forced to step in if events spiral
on. They stopped short of suggesting any need for
immediate intervention, however. The Wall Street Journal Al-Jazeera
Indonesia: West
Papuan Group Aims to Take Over Country. Three
rebel West Papuan armies have joined forces under the control of the
independence movement led by exiled leader Benny Wenda, who says they
are now “ready to take over our country.” It comes as
Indonesian authorities increase efforts in their search for five
soldiers and nine crew from a military helicopter which went missing
last Friday. West Papua, which shares an island with Papua
New Guinea, has been under Indonesian control since 1969 and is in
the grip of a long-running independence conflict. The armed
groups unified last month under the command of the United Liberation
Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)—the umbrella organization for three
independence groups. “Politically and militarily we are
united now. The international community can now see
without a doubt that we are ready to take over our country,” the
chair of the ULMWP said. The Guardian
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The Middle East and North Africa
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Israel:
47 Officers Wounded in Protests. Over a thousand Israelis protested in
several cities on Tuesday, two days after an off-duty police officer
shot and killed an Israeli teen of Ethiopian descent, reigniting
anger over law enforcement's treatment of the minority
community. 47 officers were wounded, and 60 protesters
were arrested. Haaretz The Jerusalem Post
UAE: Abu Dhabi
Pulling Back from Yemen War. The United
Arab Emirates is aiming to pull most of its forces out of the
Saudi-led campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, extricating itself
from a four-year war that has provoked congressional opposition and
has become a flashpoint with Iran in the region. In recent
weeks, Abu Dhabi has begun pulling tanks and attack helicopters out
of the country. It also has withdrawn hundreds of soldiers from
the Red Sea coast, including those close to the port city of Hodeidah
that serves as the country’s main gateway for humanitarian
aid. The UAE has been the most important partner in the
Saudi Arabia-led military alliance fighting against the Iran-aligned
Houthi rebels since March 2015. The Wall Street Journal
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Ethiopia:
Internet Access Being Restored. Ethiopia on Tuesday began restoring
internet access, 10 days after it was cut following the
assassinations of six top government officials. On June 22,
attackers shot and killed the Amhara governor and two other
officials. On the same night in Addis Ababa, the country’s
army chief and his close friend, a retired army general, were
assassinated inside his residence by his bodyguard. The
internet was shut down following the killings amid tightened security
and a wave of arrests. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the
killings were a coup attempt. The Washington Post
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