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Weekly Wrap-Up

Biden’s ‘Democracy Agenda’ Gets a Stress Test

Judah Grunstein Friday, July 30, 2021

Is the U.S.-China rivalry an ideological contest pitting democracy against authoritarianism, or is it a battle for global primacy involving hard-boiled power politics? The events in Tunisia this week, and Washington’s reaction to them, underscore the tensions involved in any attempt to answer that question.

The Movement to End Transnational Repression

Prachi Vidwans Friday, July 30, 2021

Repressive governments have long targeted exiled dissidents and opposition figures overseas, but they have done so more brazenly in recent years. In response, human rights advocates are launching a movement to build norms around transnational repression at the national and international levels.

Africa Watch

For Nigeria, National Security Once Again Trumps the Rule of Law

Chris Olaoluwa Ogunmodede Friday, July 30, 2021

Recent efforts to apprehend two campaigners for ethnic self-determination highlight the troubling habits of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, as well as a pattern of Nigeria making demands of its smaller neighbors and getting its way, even at the expense of international norms and diplomatic protocol.

Europe Decoder

Europe Still Has No Plan for How to Deal With Lukashenko

Dave Keating Thursday, July 29, 2021

Months after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko hijacked a plane in order to arrest a Belarusian dissident, and weeks into a crisis in which he is encouraging migrants to cross Belarus’ shared border with the EU as retaliation for Western sanctions, Brussels still has no plan for how to deescalate tensions with Minsk.

China Note

China’s ‘Wolf Warrior’ Approach Is Filtering Down to the General Public

Rachel Cheung Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Beijing’s increasingly uncompromising posture toward policy disagreements with foreign powers was on display in the latest round of U.S.-China high-level diplomacy. But the sharp, aggressive tone used by Chinese officials is now also filtering down to the Chinese public on the streets of Zhengzhou and elsewhere.

Middle East Memo

Tunisia’s Democrats Need U.S. Support Now More Than Ever

Thanassis Cambanis Monday, July 26, 2021

Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament Sunday night and followed that up with a raft of edicts concentrating judicial, legislative and executive power in his own hands. His coup could still be reversed, if enough Tunisian constituencies rally against renewed dictatorship—and if they receive international backing.

Weekly Wrap-Up

The Pegasus Project ‘Revelations’ Are Part of a Bigger Problem

Judah Grunstein Friday, July 23, 2021

Explosive revelations this week from the Pegasus Project detailed the widespread use of surveillance software by governments to spy on their own citizens, but also on foreign journalists and even heads of government. But in many ways, the Pegasus Project’s revelations are not really revelations at all.

Africa Watch

Africa’s Vaccine Scarcity Puts the Lie to Multilateralism

Chris Olaoluwa Ogunmodede Friday, July 23, 2021

Low and middle-income countries in Africa were assured by the “international community” that vaccines would be made available to their citizens. Away from the triumphalism of global summitry and public pledges, however, the rhetoric of internationalism did not match the reality of vaccine nationalism and geopolitics.

Q&A

Israeli Foreign Policy Gets a Makeover Under Bennett

The Editors Thursday, July 22, 2021

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been in office for just over a month, but he is moving quickly to set a new tone on foreign policy. On the Trend Lines podcast this week, Michael Koplow joined WPR’s Elliot Waldman to talk about Netanyahu’s legacy the Bennett government’s early foreign policy moves.

Europe Decoder

Europe Is Losing Its Patience on the U.S. Travel Ban

Dave Keating Thursday, July 22, 2021

Last week, the European Union surpassed the United States when it comes to the share of its population that is vaccinated against COVID-19. Despite this record, the Biden administration has kept in place the U.S. ban on Europeans entering the U.S. for non-essential travel, which has now been in place for a year and a half.

China Note

The U.S. Is Running Out of Options on Hong Kong

Rachel Cheung Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Washington imposed new sanctions on seven Hong Kong government officials last week, the latest addition to a list of 24 officials who have been blacklisted by the U.S. over their roles in undermining the city’s autonomy. But sanctions have done little to stop or even slow the dismantling of Hong Kong’s democratic institutions.

Middle East Memo

To Rebuild, Mosul Must Come to Grips With Its ISIS Past

Thanassis Cambanis Monday, July 19, 2021

Restoring Mosul will require clearing the wreckage that mars the entire city. But it will also require a narrative that accounts for the city’s deep opposition to ISIS and the wells of support for the caliphate, as virtually every family and clan has members who fought against the group as well as members who joined.

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