World slams US ceasefire veto at UN Security Council on Israel’s Gaza war
The United States has once again vetoed a draft UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Israel’s war on Gaza, prompting shock and anger. The move on Tuesday was the third US veto of a UNSC resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said the US veto marked “another black page in the history of the Security Council”. He accused the US of trying to play for time so that Israel could complete its “inhumane plans” for Gaza, namely to squeeze the Palestinians out of the territory and completely “cleanse” the enclave. Source: Aljazeera
What is the U.S. Doing in a Disputed Triangle on the Jordan/Syria/Iraq Border?
The existence of US base Tower 22 in Jordan remains an unspoken secret, even after a drone attack killed three Americans. U.S. and Iranian exchanges after the Tower 22 incident show that both sides are trying to avoid escalation. The Biden administration is considering withdrawing resources from Syria, potentially reducing the ability of militia groups to penetrate U.S. air defenses. Source: Athanasiadis, Stimson
What is the Future of China’s Belt and Road Initiative?
Western observers believe China’s downsizing of projects is a failure of President Xi’s BRI design. But for Beijing, success and failure are a long-term political investment, not just an economic account. China will steadily expand its well-established African and Central Asian bases, with Southeast Asia remaining its focus due to geographical and cultural proximity. The BRI will remain a bright spot in Chinese diplomacy as long as President Xi is in power. Source: Geopolitical Intelligence Services
India: Beyond MSPs and protests, some basic facts about Indian farmers
The MSP debate is just the tip of a much deeper problem: Indian agriculture has been grossly unremunerative for most farmers for a long time. There is a huge disconnect between farm and market. On one hand, there are excess buffer stocks of food grain in the warehouses, while on the other, consumers often face a scarcity of staple vegetables like onions. There is barely any political will to address the enormous ecological challenges being experienced on the ground. Source : Indian Express
Pakistan is out of friends and out of money
A botched election and an economic crisis show how low it has fallen. For decades the generals have ruled nuclear-armed Pakistan directly or via a stage-managed democracy featuring a recurring cast of corrupt dynastic parties (and the occasional political disrupter) How long can the country’s relentless decline continue before it triggers a revolution, outside intervention or—hope against hope—political renewal? Source: Economist
Europe caught between Putin and Trump
The Munich Security Conference saw Alexei Navalny’s death and Ukrainian forces withdrawal from eastern Donbas, raising concerns about Russia’s triumph in Ukraine and the US’s inability to protect Europe. Meanwhile, fears of a potential US leader questioning NATO and treating allies skeptically prompts a push for “Trump-proofing” European defense. Even if Biden is reelected, Europeans realize that the era of strong transatlantic presidents may be coming to an end. Source: Politico