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EU Migration Debate | Helsinki to Host Trump, Putin | South Sudan Peace Deal

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Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. June 28, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA European Leaders Search for Migration Fix German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s political future is on the line as European leaders meet in Brussels today to discuss how to handle an ongoing migration crisis. Merkel, under pressure from her conservative interior minister, said the EU summit is not likely to produce a conclusive solution (DW) on outstanding issues, such as the asylum application process and the resettlement of migrants across the bloc. Heightened pressure, sparked in part by Italy’s new government refusing to allow migrant rescue ships to dock (Guardian), comes despite EU statistics showing that the number of migrants crossing illegally into Europe has dropped 96 percent (BBC) since the crisis peaked in late 2015. Both Italy and France have backed a proposal to set up processing centers for asylum seekers (Al Jazeera) in North Africa. ANALYSIS “The lack of an EU-wide safe and legal route to protection through resettlement has long been the missing piece in the EU’s migration management efforts, and there is good evidence of how to make resettlement work well,” writes the International Rescue Committee’s David Miliband for EU Observer. “Merkel’s big ‘if’ is whether Italy’s coalition government will even consider negotiations, given the Lega’s stance against any returns and Five Star criticism of German hegemony in European affairs,” Josef Janning writes for the European Council on Foreign Relations. “As far-right politicians reach positions of power in several countries, their influence is coming to bear. Their aim, rather than to make a perceived problem go away, is to deliberately stoke a sense of crisis and panic, to frame this form of migration as an existential threat to Europe,” Daniel Trilling writes for the Guardian. EUROPE Helsinki to Host Trump-Putin Summit U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will meet in Finland (WaPo) on July 16, the White House said today. The announcement comes as National Security Advisor John Bolton visits Moscow this week for meetings with Putin and Kremlin officials. In Axios, CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich discussed the stakes of the Bolton-Putin meeting. PACIFIC RIM China Stocks Sink Amid Trade War Alarm The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed yesterday (Bloomberg) at its lowest point since March 2016 as the yuan fell for the eleventh straight day (SCMP) over fears of an escalating trade war with the United States. CFR’s Elizabeth C. Economy and Brad W. Setser discussed the U.S.-China trade dispute. MALAYSIA: Police seized $275 million in assets (FT) from properties linked to former Prime Minister Najib Razak in an ongoing corruption probe into the state development fund 1MDB. Najib said many of the items were gifts (Star), including from foreign dignitaries. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Indian State Census Prompts Immigration Debate The northeastern state of Assam will soon publish the results of a citizenship census, a project seen as a bid to identify unauthorized Muslim immigrants (Nikkei) from Bangladesh. The move is expected to have political and sectarian repercussions ahead of the country’s general elections. AFGHANISTAN: An explosion killed at least eight people (Tolo) during a youth peace rally in central Logar Province. No group has claimed the attack. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA U.S. Begins to Roll Back Iran Sanctions Relief The Treasury Department canceled licenses (AP) for U.S.-controlled foreign firms to trade in commercial airplane parts, carpets, pistachios, and caviar with Iran, ordering companies to stop such business by August or face penalties. A similar announcement targeting other industries, including oil, is expected in the coming weeks. In Foreign Affairs, Ariane M. Tabatabai discusses how Iran could respond to the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. SYRIA: Warplanes bombed three hospitals (WaPo) in towns near the Jordanian border, according to a UK-based monitoring group, as the Syrian government, backed by Russian airpower, continued efforts to retake opposition-held territory in several southern provinces. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA South Sudan Rivals Sign Peace Deal President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed an agreement in Khartoum committing to a permanent cease-fire (Sudan Tribune) and to resolving outstanding governance issues. The agreement calls for the release of political prisoners (Al Jazeera) and the formation of a unity government within four months. In this CFR conference call, Katherine Almquist Knopf discussed ending South Sudan’s civil war. BURUNDI: Some opponents of a recent referendum that allows President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a fourth term are believed to have been abducted and executed (UN News), a UN human rights panel reported. AMERICAS Coral Reef off Belize No Longer Endangered The Belize Barrier Reef, the northern hemisphere’s largest coral reef, was removed from a list (NYT) of endangered world heritage sites. A UN official said Belize’s government had “made a transformational shift” in the last two years toward adding protections for the reef. VENEZUELA: Attorney General Tarek Saab announced arrest warrants (LAHT) for eleven employees of the state oil company PDVSA for embezzlement and conspiracy that led to losses of some $14 million. UNITED STATES Supreme Court Justice Kennedy to Retire U.S. President Trump is expected to nominate a conservative justice (WaPo) to replace Anthony Kennedy, often viewed as the court’s swing vote, potentially paving the way (NYT) for a more right-leaning court. Two major automobile trade groups warned the Trump administration against imposing tariffs on vehicle imports, saying such a move would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs (Reuters) and jeopardize the development of autonomous vehicles.         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: June 28, 2018 at 10:04PM