North Korea Diplomacy | Russia's Counter-Sanctions Bill | Venezuela Expulsions

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. May 23, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Asian Envoys Visit U.S. Ahead of Trump-Kim Summit Top officials from China, Japan, and South Korea are in Washington this week to discuss an upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit, in which President Donald J. Trump is expected to push for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program. President Trump, while meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in (NYT) yesterday, suggested he may be open to phased denuclearization by North Korea following a threat by Pyongyang to call off the summit. Today, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, are also expected to discuss the issue (Korea Herald/ANN) with U.S. officials. Their visits come shortly after foreign journalists arrived in North Korea to witness the dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site (ABC). ANALYSIS "China has been trying to have it both ways with North Korea for a long time, on two issues: China wants North Korea to be weak, but not so weak that it would collapse, and incorrigible enough to keep the US occupied, but not so dangerous that it actually starts a war," Yvonne Chiu writes for CNN. "Thanks to American power and leverage in the region, in addition to Kim Jong Un's obsession with survival, the United States retains the capability to deter Pyongyang from rash actions," Daniel DePetris writes for the Hill. "How Seoul and Tokyo would see each other militarily in the absence of a sustained North Korean threat remains to be seen. Despite their longstanding cooperation with the United States since the end of the Korean War, these two countries cannot yet claim full confidence in one another," writes CFR's Sheila A. Smith. PACIFIC RIM Myanmar Militants Massacred Hindus, Says Rights Group The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army killed up to ninety-nine Hindu men, women, and children in Myanmar's Rakhine State in at least one massacre last year, according to a new Amnesty International report. The report follows allegations of crimes by Myanmar's security forces against the Rohingya ethnic minority, also in Rakhine. This CFR Backgrounder looks at the Rohingya humanitarian crisis. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Eleven Killed in India Protests Over Copper Mining Police in Tamil Nadu fired on demonstrators calling for the closure of a copper plant they say is polluting the area (Hindustan Times), killing ten people yesterday and one man today. AFGHANISTAN: More than 108,000 Afghans have been displaced so far this year (Tolo) from conflict and natural disasters, according to the United Nations. This CFR panel examined the United States' longest war. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Israel Claims First Combat Use of F-35 Fighter Jet Israel has used the F-35 fighter jet (Haaretz), made by Lockheed Martin and considered the world's most expensive weapons system (CNN), twice in attacks in the Middle East, according to Israeli Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin. UAE: The foreign minister denied a report that the United Arab Emirates attempted to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election (Reuters). The statement comes after the New York Times reported that an envoy representing the Emirati and Saudi crown princes met President Trump's son in 2016 to offer to help them win the election. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Kenya Cracks Down on Unauthorized Foreign Workers The interior minister said foreign workers have sixty days to verify their immigration status or face jail (East African). The Kenyan government says only thirty-four thousand of roughly a hundred thousand foreign workers have proper authorization (Africa News). ZIMBABWE: UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson welcomed an announcement by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa that his country may seek to rejoin the Commonwealth (Herald), calling it "fantastic news." In Foreign Affairs, John Rapley discusses Zimbabwe under Mnangagwa. EUROPE Russian Lawmakers Back Counter-Sanctions Bill The lower chamber of parliament approved a bill that would allow Moscow to ban trade of certain goods (RFE/RL) with countries that "implement unfriendly moves" toward Russia. The bill is expected to be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin. TURKEY: The country faces a currency crisis (Bloomberg) as its currency, the lira, reached a new record low against the U.S. dollar today. Investors are calling on Ankara to raise interest rates (FT) despite President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opposition to such a move. AMERICAS Venezuela Expels Top U.S. Diplomats President Nicolas Maduro ordered the U.S. chargé d'affaires in the country and his deputy (Politico) to leave within forty-eight hours and accused them of being CIA agents. Maduro said the U.S. diplomats pressured Venezuelan opposition members to boycott a Sunday election. CFR's Shannon K. O'Neil discusses Venezuela's growing refugee crisis. PANAMA: President Juan Carlos Varela said new evidence from Israeli agents (BBC) shows that a 1994 plane crash in Panama that killed prominent Jewish businessmen was a terrorist operation. UNITED STATES Congress Approves Bill to Roll Back Bank Rules U.S. House lawmakers voted 258–159 to lift rules on banks with less than $250 billion in assets, regulations enacted in the wake of the global financial crisis (NYT) as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law. The Trump administration is expected to announce Thursday that oversight of commercial firearms exports (Reuters) will be transferred from the State Department to the Commerce Department, a move aimed at making it easier for U.S. gunmakers to sell small arms abroad.         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 23, 2018 at 10:07PM