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| Top of the Agenda Amazon Nations Gather in Brazil to Talk Shared Rain Forest Protection Policy The eight nations of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization are discussing joint goals for rain forest protection (AP) during a two-day summit that begins today in the Brazilian city of Belém. While several member countries have announced domestic rain forest protection goals, the forty-five-year-old bloc has only held three summits to date, the most recent being in 2009. Brazilian officials said they hope revived political coordination can improve conservation results, while some twenty thousand Indigenous people have held parallel events outside the summit to push for a bigger voice in forest governance. The summit declaration is expected to include announcements on fighting cross-border organized crime and protest what Amazon countries see as unfair trade barriers in the name of environmental protection, Folha de S.Paulo reported. Tomorrow, Amazon countries will meet with (Reuters) envoys from Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo—three other major rain forest nations—and are expected to announce a joint declaration on global forest protection. |
| Analysis “Cross-border cooperation in the Amazon has historically been scant, undermined by low trust, ideological differences and the lack of government presence. But budding environmental consciousness and widespread recognition of the Amazon’s importance in arresting climate change has invigorated the drive for a paradigm shift,” the Associated Press’s David Biller and Fabiano Maisonnave write. “Pressure for an immediate reduction in the production of fossil fuels, the prime cause of greenhouse gas emissions, will be a priority for civil society organizations at the gathering known as Amazon Dialogues and the subsequent summit,” Sumaúma’s Claudia Antunes writes. “So far, however, Colombian President Gustavo Petro is a lone voice among national leaders in proposing a moratorium on new oil and gas contracts in the Amazon Biome.” This Backgrounder by CFR’s Diana Roy looks at what Amazon countries are doing to protect the rain forest. |
| Pacific Rim Chinese, Russian Officials Hold Call After Saudi-Led Talks on Ukraine Beijing will “uphold an independent and impartial stance” on the war and “actively promote” peace efforts (NYT), a Chinese readout of the call said. The conversation comes after Saudi Arabia hosted a weekend of peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine that China attended with some forty other countries; Russia was not invited. China/Japan/U.S.: A Japanese security official said Tokyo has not identified leaks (Nikkei) of classified defense information in a cyberattack after the Washington Post reported yesterday that in 2020, Washington discovered a major Chinese hack of Japanese military intelligence systems that put U.S.-Japanese security cooperation at risk. |
| South and Central Asia Reuters: India Limits Chinese Parts in Drones As India works to grow its arsenal, it has blocked domestic manufacturers from using Chinese components in military drones over concerns about security vulnerabilities, according to military documents and interviews with unnamed Indian security officials, Reuters reported. India’s defense ministry has not publicly commented on the matter. Myanmar: An independent UN probe [PDF] of Myanmar’s human rights situation between July 2022 and June 2023 found that combat-related war crimes have become increasingly frequent and brazen, including bombings of civilians, killings of civilian and combatant detainees, and large-scale burnings of civilian buildings. |
| Middle East and North Africa More Than Three Thousand U.S. Military Personnel Sail Into Suez Canal The force is part of a U.S. effort to deter Iran (Al-Monitor) from seizing commercial ships in the Persian Gulf area. The military buildup includes aircraft, helicopters, and amphibious landing equipment. Palestinian territories: Security forces in the Gaza Strip prevented planned protests (NYT) against Hamas from taking place today. Organizers said the protests were in response to Hamas’s tight political control and poor living conditions. Several hundred Gazans participated in demonstrations last week in what was a rare large gathering given restrictions on freedom of expression. |
| Sub-Saharan Africa Senior U.S. State Department Official Holds Talks With Niger Coup Leaders U.S. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with officials (Reuters) from Niger’s military junta yesterday to discuss a negotiated solution to their recent seizure of power. Nuland was not able to meet with coup leader Abdourahamane Tchiani or deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, while Tchiani met yesterday with junta officials from neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington supports efforts by the Economic Community of West African States to restore constitutional order in Niger; the bloc is preparing to hold a summit on the issue on Thursday. This In Brief by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo details how the Niger coup could destabilize the entire region. Mali: The country’s military and foreign security partners are using “systematic” sexual violence against women, a UN sanctions report seen by Reuters said. Those foreign partners are presumed to be members of the Russian private military company Wagner Group. This In Brief by William Rampe explores Wagner’s activities in Africa. |
| Europe Ukraine Detains Woman in Probe of Alleged Plot to Kill Zelenskyy Ukrainian security services say they are investigating (ABC) an apparent plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit last week to a city near the war’s frontline. Law enforcement officials said the woman had allegedly been caught passing information about Zelenskyy’s whereabouts to Russian forces. Italy: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet will seek parliamentary approval (FT) for a 40 percent one-time windfall tax on banks’ profits in order to provide relief for families experiencing high interest rates. |
| Americas Thousands Protest Against Rising Violence in Haiti The demonstrations in the capital, Port-au-Prince, come as the country awaits a decision (AP) by the UN Security Council about the potential deployment of a foreign military force. Kenya has proposed leading one, and the United States said last week that it would put forward a resolution to authorize the force. This Backgrounder by CFR’s Diana Roy explains Haiti’s struggle to develop. |
| United States Biden to Announce New Monument That Will Ban Uranium Mining During a visit to Arizona today, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to announce the creation of a national monument near Grand Canyon National Park that will protect Indigenous land and ban the possibility of uranium mining (AP) in the area. The monument would preserve more than 1,500 square miles of land. |
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