Week 132 (13-19/12/2021)

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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed a keen interest in partnering with Indonesia. | Picture: Courtesy of Agus Suparto/Indonesia's Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

A year after Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) normalized their bilateral relations, Naftali Bennett became the first Israeli prime minister to visit the federal constitutional monarchy (13/12). Bennett met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the monarchy’s de facto leader, to talk about strengthening economic and commercial ties between the two countries. He also encouraged Sheikh Mohammed to take a tougher stance on Iran’s nuclear program.

In a progressive move, Saudi Arabia held an international conference on philosophy where students were allowed to engage in conversations with free thinkers, including leading American philosopher Michael Sandel (14/12). The conference, held at the King Fahad National Library, Riyadh, saw Sandel initiated debate on Saudi government’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and whether one should hand over a relative who’s committed murder or not. The event can be considered unusual and potentially subversive in a country where the tradition to question the status quo, religion, or politics is almost nonexistent.

The government of Kenya’s order to ban unvaccinated people from accessing in person services in state offices has been suspended by a high court (14/12). The rule came after businessman Enock Aura filed a petition calling the order unconstitutional and discriminatory. The ruling will remain in force until January 4 next year when the case will be heard and a decision is made.

Congolese rumba has finally been granted a protection status from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) following campaigns by the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Congo-Brazzaville (15/12). Both countries occupy what was once the ancient kingdom of Kongo, where the genre of music and dance is said to be originated. The word “rumba” is derived from the Kikongo word “Nkumba”, which means navel. In the 20th century, rumba became the emblematic of the anti-colonial fight.

ASIA

United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed (13/12) a keen interest in partnering with Indonesia, especially in infrastructure, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. In a meeting, Blinken congratulated Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Indonesia’s Group of 20 (G20) presidency as well as expressed support for its Indo-Pacific leadership role. In addition, they also discussed human rights, the pandemic, and the climate crisis. Blinken’s visit to Indonesia is part of his 4-day tour to Southeast Asia region, the first trip since President Joe Biden took office in January. After Indonesia, he will visit Malaysia and Thailand. 

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal Twitter account was hacked (13/12), posting messages that “India has officially accepted bitcoin as legal tender. The government has officially bought 500 BTC” and would be “distributing them to all residents of the country”. The Indian PM’s office has immediately secured the account and urged that “in the brief period that the account was compromised, any Tweet shared must be ignored”. The incidence came just a month after Modi’s government said that it was preparing to introduce a bill that would “prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India”, but which would also allow for “certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses”. 

Lithuania said (15/12) it has closed its embassy and pulled its last diplomat out of Beijing, China. Previously Beijing expelled the Lithuanian ambassador and withdrew its ambassador for the Baltic country after the Lithuanian government allowed self-ruled Taiwan to open an office in Vilnius. Meanwhile, Lithuanian foreign ministry said that Lithuania is “ready to continue the dialogue with China and restore the functions of the embassy to their full extent once a mutually beneficial agreement is reached”. 

As crisis brews in Afghanistan, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has pledged (19/12) to set up a humanitarian trust fund for the Taliban-ruled country. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, who held the OIC summit, said that Afghanistan is heading for chaos unless action is taken immediately. According to a resolution released after the summit, the Islamic Development Bank would lead the effort to free up assistance by the first quarter of 2022. The organization also urged the Taliban to abide by “obligations under international human rights covenants”. Meanwhile, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who also attended the summit, argued that his government “has the right to be officially recognized” and that “the current Afghanistan government is cooperating with every foreign organization”. The OIC meeting did not give the new Taliban government any formal international recognition and Muttaqi was excluded from the official photograph taken during the event.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA 

Australia has signed a defense agreement with South Korea which is worth nearly USD 717 million (13/12). The signing of the deal was witnessed by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morison and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Canberra. Under the agreement, South Korean defense company Hanwha will provide the Australian army with artillery, vehicles, and radar supplies. According to South Korea, Australia has similar values in terms of geopolitical views and hopes to expand bilateral cooperation. In addition, Australia and South Korea also agreed on a work plan for clean energy and mineral technology. 

Australia has granted fiscal support of FJD 130 million to Fiji (15/12). The deal was signed by Fijian Economy Minister and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Australian High Commissioner John Feakes, and joined by Australian Minister for International Development and Pacific Zed Seselja virtually. The support from Australia has greatly helped Fiji in overcoming the ongoing fiscal pressures and has delivered changes that lead to economic recovery and resilience. In addition, Australia has also assisted Fiji to launch a vaccine rollout. 

The Cook Islands will get a loan of USD 80 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to boost the economy (17/12). Prime Minister Mark Brown said that half the number is being processed to immediately meet the country’s needs, whereas the remainder will be withdrawn if required over the next three years. Since the impact of COVID-19 has created anxiety for long-term economic growths, the loan from the ADB will help overcoming the economic downturn as well as implementing new economic measures such as easing labor shortages and supporting business growth. 

The Cabinet of the Cook Islands has approved new regulations for people entering the country once the border reopens in mid-January (18/12). Prime Minister Mark Brown said there will be three different groups of visitors, and each has its own set of rules. Group 1 (tourists) must have a complete vaccination without exception. Group 2 (holders of permits for working or residing) must have been vaccinated too, but there are two exceptions, namely for children under 12 years old and those over 12 years old who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons. Group 3 (Cook Islands citizens and permanent residents) may enter the country regardless of their vaccination status, but those who are not vaccinated will be subject to public health controls. The general conditions that must be met by all three groups before entering the Cook Islands are filling out the TMO online form 96 hours before departure, presenting a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of departure, and having to transit in New Zealand for at least 10 days before entering the Cook Islands.

EUROPE 

Inger Støjberg, Denmark’s former immigration minister, has been found guilty of breaching his duties by illegally separating several young refugee couples and sentenced to 60 days in jail (13/12). She was responsible for some of the country’s toughest immigration policies, including permitting police to take refugees’ jewelry and cash. As the verdict is final, Støjberg cannot appeal for her case. The Parliament is now considering whether she is “unworthy” to be a member of parliament (MP).  

Eight years after France first intervened to eradicate jihadist insurgents from northern Mali, the French troops finally handed over their base in Timbuktu to the Malian military on Tuesday (14/12). The move marked the beginning of the end of French military mission in the West African country. Prior to leaving Timbuktu, Paris has handed over their bases in Kidal and Tessal.  

During a European Union (EU) summit on Thursday (16/12), Baltic and Central European leaders warned that Russia was attacking the bloc on multiple fronts. For this reason, the EU leaders have to unite behind new economic sanctions on Russia. Currently, Ukraine is the main flashpoint between the West and Russia, with the EU and the United States (US) accusing Russia of preparing to invade Ukraine. Moscow denied the accusation, saying it only acted based on defensiveness.  

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal talks in Vienna, Austria has come to a pause after the Iranian negotiator requested to go back home for consultation (17/12). France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) expressed their hope for Iran to resume the discussions quickly and at a faster pace. The Europeans added, “As we have said, there are weeks not months before the deal’s core non-proliferation benefits are lost. We are rapidly reaching the end of the road for this negotiation.”

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 

La Niña impacts crop health in Southern Argentina and Brazil (16/12). Crops are experiencing drought and lack of reproduction in the early stages of planting. There has been no response from the governments regarding this situation. 

The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda as well as chairman of the Caribbean Community, Gaston Browne, asked the United States (US) to help economic recovery in the Caribbean. Browne said on Friday (17/12) that the US has a strong position in international financial institutions. If the US does not help Caribbean countries, Browne opens up for aid from China. 

Brazil’s Federal Police said on Friday (17/12) President Bolsonaro was directly involved in spreading disinformation on the voting system. Bolsonaro claims fraud in Brazil’s electronic system during the 2018 election. However, he did not provide supporting evidence to the claim. 

Hundreds of Haitian migrants are held on Mexico’s southern border (18/12). Officials prohibit migrants to cross because they are not equipped with humanitarian visas. Mexico estimates that 130,000 migrants have applied for the visas.

THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 

The United States (US) Congress passed The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act on Thursday (16/12). The bill requires companies to prove that products manufactured in Xinjiang, China, are produced without forced labor. The bill is now in President Biden to be signed.  

Canada re-tighten borders to prevent local transmission of the Omicron variant. The government announced on Friday (17/12) that travelers who spent less than 72 hours outside Canada must bring a negative PCR test result when returning. Canada also lifted travel bans on 10 African countries that were initially suspected as the source of the variant. 

The US is preparing to provide defense assistance to Ukraine. The US is preparing USD 756 million in aid throughout 2022. The US National Security Adviser said on Saturday (18/12) that any further steps will be decided by President Biden. 

Provinces in Canada have tightened regulations regarding Covid-19 (18/12). Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Manitoba limit crowds and capacity to 50%. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia is focusing on testing and tracing vulnerable people.