Despite being in the midst of its rainy season, Panama is experiencing one of its driest periods on record. The lack of rainfall means that the Panama Canal—a vital conduit for global maritime trade—is facing severe challenges, with the implications extending beyond Panama’s borders to affect international trade and global supply chains.
Earlier this year, the global economy experienced an important milestone that, though it went largely unnoticed, scholars may look back on as a marker of the beginning of a new era, with economic but also geopolitical significance: For the first four months of 2023, Mexico surpassed China as the top trade partner of the United States.
Today at WPR, we’re covering Ukraine’s human rights record and U.S. engagement in Central Asia.
But first, here’s our take on today’s top story:
Armenia-Azerbaijan: An explosion at a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh killed at least 20 Armenians and injured nearly 300 more, all of whom were waiting for gasoline to flee the region. Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as Azerbaijan’s territory, is in the process of being reincorporated into Azerbaijan after a military offensive last week. (Washington Post)
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave, where Aliyev hinted at the prospect of creating a land corridor connecting the exclave—and, in turn, Turkey—to Azerbaijan proper via Armenia, which opposes the move. (Reuters)
For more background: Read the Daily Review from Sept. 20.
Our Take: The mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh is being described by most observers as ethnic cleansing, even though Armenians are not fleeing because Azerbaijan has forced them out of the region; Baku has in fact promised to ensure their safety and incorporate the area as an equal part of the country.
Instead, they are fleeing due to fears of potential reprisals. But those fears are not unfounded given the history of the conflict in the region, which includes atrocities by both sides in the initial fighting 30 years ago. More recently, Azerbaijan was also accused of atrocities during the brief war in 2020, and over the past several months it essentially cut off the region’s access to food and medicines, resulting in a dire humanitarian crisis that is exacerbating the situation now. Many Armenians also understandably seek to avoid being subjected to a human rights landscape in Azerbaijan that limits freedom of expression and political dissent.
