Venezuela's Early Election | Repatriating Rohingya | Signs of U.S.-China Trade Thaw

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. May 18, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Maduro Looks to Tighten Grip in Venezuela Amid Crisis President Nicolas Maduro is seeking to extend his mandate by another six years (Reuters) in a snap election this Sunday that has been denounced as illegitimate by countries across the Americas and Europe. Maduro will run against former Governor Henri Falcon, who broke with the main opposition coalition (AP), which is boycotting the vote, as well as evangelist Javier Bertucci, though Maduro is widely expected to win. The early election comes as a years-long economic and humanitarian crisis continues to rock the country, which has seen an exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees. Canada has blocked Venezuelan expatriates (CBC) from voting at the country's embassy and consulates. ANALYSIS "Since announcing it would hold a 2018 presidential election, Maduro's government has severely limited who can appear on the ballot. Four of the five most prominent opposition leaders have been either jailed or barred from office—a main reason for the boycott," Marco Aponte-Moreno writes for the Conversation. "Falcon [may see] his candidacy as an opportunity to boost his standing among opposition supporters and, following the election, become a more prominent leader in resistance to the Maduro government," Felix Seijas Rodriguez writes for Americas Quarterly. "The situation in Venezuela could also be an opportunity for Russia and China to expand their emerging strategic partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere. Both countries are increasingly using their military ties to counter U.S. influence around the world," Brian Fonseca writes for Foreign Policy. PACIFIC RIM China Drops Antidumping Probe Over U.S. Sorghum China's Commerce Ministry said the probe, which would curb U.S. sorghum imports (Reuters), would have "widespread impact on consumer living costs" and was not in the public interest. The move comes after two days of U.S.-China trade talks in Washington. CFR's Brad W. Setser discussed the U.S. bilateral trade deficit with China. NORTH KOREA: Amid new uncertainty over a June summit between the U.S. and North Korean leaders, President Donald J. Trump still appeared open to negotiations with Pyongyang but said it will face "total decimation" (WSJ) if it does not agree to abandon its nuclear weapons. This CFR Backgrounder examines North Korea's military capabilities. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Myanmar Asks Bangladesh to Repatriate Some Rohingya Myanmar requested 1,101 Rohingya refugees from a list prepared by Bangladesh of roughly eight thousand Rohingya to be returned to the country. Myanmar has said that repatriated refugees will be given national verification cards (Dhaka Tribune) that will allow them to find work. Kate Cronin-Furman discusses the Rohingya crisis and the meaning of genocide in this CFR interview. UZBEKISTAN: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (RFE/RL) on the final day of his U.S. trip, the first visit by an Uzbek head of state to Washington since 2002. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Assad Meets With Putin in Sochi Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a surprise visit to the Russian city (TASS) to discuss terrorism, a political settlement to the Syrian crisis, and rebuilding the Syrian economy with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin told his Syrian counterpart he expects "foreign armed forces" to withdraw from Syria (NYT) following a political settlement, though it was unclear to which forces he was referring. IRAN: The European Commission's president said the body should protect European companies doing business with Iran from U.S. sanctions and that it will revive a so-called blocking statute (Al Jazeera) created to bypass the U.S. embargo on Cuba. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA HRW Reports Abuses Ahead of Burundi Referendum Security forces and members of the Burundian ruling party's youth league intimidated, beat, raped, and killed suspected political opponents in the months leading up to a controversial referendum on presidential term limits held yesterday, according to Human Rights Watch. DRC: The World Health Organization is holding an emergency meeting today (WHO) to discuss an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the international body raised the national and regional risk level to "very high." EUROPE Russian Ex-spy Released From UK Hospital A former Russian spy poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok (BBC) in the city of Salisbury in March has been discharged. His daughter was also harmed in the attack, which Britain says was carried out by Russia; she was released last month. AMERICAS Ecuador Reduces Security for Wikileaks' Assange President Lenin Moreno ordered additional security (Guardian) at Ecuador's London embassy to be immediately removed, the government said yesterday. The move comes a day after media reported Ecuador paid an international security company millions of dollars to protect Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has lived in the embassy for nearly six years. UNITED STATES Florida Police Shoot Gunman at Trump Hotel A man who fired shots in the lobby (Miami Herald) of the Trump National Doral Miami resort early Friday was shot by police and taken to a nearby hospital. One police officer was reportedly injured in the incident. The Senate voted 54–45 to confirm the Trump administration's nominee to lead the CIA (WaPo), Gina Haspel, after lawmakers raised questions over her role in the agency's use of torture following the 9/11 attacks. In Foreign Affairs, Daniel Baer discusses Haspel's nomination and the torture question. GLOBAL Crude Oil Trades for More Than $80 The price of brent crude reached $80.50 yesterday (FT), its highest price since 2014, spurred by fears over an economic collapse in Venezuela and renewed sanctions on Iran.         Council on Foreign Relations — 58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 CFR does not share email addresses with third parties. Forward This Email | Subscribe to CFR Newsletters | Unsubscribe - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  

From: dailybrief@e.cfr.org

Date: May 18, 2018 at 10:03PM