China Note How the Case of a Hong Kong Bookseller Has Soured China’s Ties With Sweden Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 A court in China this week sentenced a Chinese-born Swedish bookseller to 10 years in prison for “illegally providing intelligence” to overseas parties. Gui Minhai’s case underscored the lengths Beijing is willing to go to silence criticism, even from abroad, and soured ties between China and Sweden.
Can the U.S.-South Korea Alliance Weather Another Trump ‘Shakedown’? Elliot Waldman Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 President Donald Trump is again pressuring South Korea to increase its contribution to the costs of stationing U.S. troops in the country. The two sides have yet to find common ground after six rounds of negotiations, heightening fears of a lasting standoff that could undermine relations with a key U.S. ally.
Africa Watch Expanding Locust Swarms Threaten Food Security Across East Africa Andrew Green Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 Swarms of desert locusts that have razed pastures and croplands across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya continue to spread throughout East Africa, despite weeks of aerial pesticide spraying. The food security of up to 20 million people is jeopardized, in a region where 12 million already face food shortages.
China Note Media Retaliation Points to America’s Growing Unease Over Reciprocity With China Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 When China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters from the country this week, it justified it as a response to an op-ed in the Journal that Beijing deemed racist. But the day before, the State Department placed new restrictions on the activities of Chinese state media outlets in the United States.
Q&A The Dangers of Assoumani’s ‘Creeping Authoritarianism’ in Comoros The Editors Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 Legislative elections in Comoros last month were dominated by President Azali Assoumani’s party. As a result, the legislature has become “no more than a rubber stamp” for Assoumani’s agenda, says Simon Massey. In an interview, he discusses the difficult path ahead for the opposition in Comoros.
Africa Watch Will Sudan’s Bashir Finally Go on Trial for Genocide at the ICC? Andrew Green Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 Sudan’s transitional government appears prepared to hand former President Omar al-Bashir over to the International Criminal Court to be tried for war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur. It could be an unexpected boon for the beleaguered ICC—if Sudan’s military doesn’t renege on the arrangement.
China Note How China’s Coronavirus Epidemic Could Threaten Xi’s Legitimacy Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 The death of Chinese doctor Li Wenliang triggered a level of public anger toward the government that is rare in China. The fierce outcry over his death raises the possibility that the epidemic could have a lasting impact on the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping.
Africa Watch Malawi Prepares for a Rerun After Its Flawed Election Was Annulled Andrew Green Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 Malawi’s Constitutional Court, citing irregularities such as visibly altered return sheets, unanimously annulled the results of last May’s disputed presidential election and called for a rerun within 150 days. President Peter Mutharika, declared the winner of the vote, has vowed to appeal the decision.
China Note Will U.S. Travel Restrictions Do More Harm Than Good Against the Coronavirus? Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 China this week accused the U.S. of fomenting public hysteria over the Wuhan coronavirus. The two countries have so far managed to share information on countering the outbreak despite political tensions in their relationship, but draconian U.S. travel restrictions could hamper that cooperation.
Africa Watch In Burundi, Nkurunziza Won’t Run Again, But Is He Really Giving Up Power? Andrew Green Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 Burundi’s ruling party has selected Evariste Ndayishimiye, a close ally of President Pierre Nkurunziza, to stand in May’s presidential election, fueling concerns that a crackdown on government critics will continue. With Nkurunziza squelching the opposition, Ndayishimiye is all but certain to win.
China Note Why America’s Global Campaign Against Huawei Is Failing Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020 The EU has recommended its member states only limit, not ban, “high-risk” 5G vendors like Huawei in their telecommunications infrastructure. The decision came after the U.K. announced it would not ban Huawei from its 5G network, a serious blow to the U.S. pressure campaign against China’s telecom giant.
Africa Watch The ‘Luanda Leaks’ Expose Isabel dos Santos’ Ill-Gotten Gains in Angola Andrew Green Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 Angolan prosecutors accused Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of Angola’s former longtime president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, of embezzlement and money laundering this week following the leak of a cache of documents that give the lie to claims that the richest woman in Africa is a self-made billionaire.
