Weekly Wrap-Up The End of Roe v. Wade, Chile’s Constitutional Reforms and More Judah Grunstein Saturday, June 25, 2022 In a bombshell decision, the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling that in 1973 guaranteed a woman’s constitutional right to choose to have an abortion. For all its legal implications, however, yesterday’s ruling will neither end abortion in the U.S. nor end the political battle over it.
Africa Watch African Publics Are Less Keen on the Commonwealth Than Their Leaders Chris Olaoluwa Ogunmodede Friday, June 24, 2022 Rwanda is hosting this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, the first in Africa since 2007. But despite Rwanda’s excitement at the prospect of hosting the meeting and the stops it pulled out for it, many Africans are becoming more doubtful about the purpose of the Commonwealth and its relevance in today’s world.
Europe Decoder Ukraine’s EU Membership Path Could Be a Road to Nowhere Dave Keating Thursday, June 23, 2022 EU leaders have approved candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova to join the union, marking the first significant step toward EU membership for the two countries. But the move has renewed a debate within the EU over expansion, amid fears that giving EU membership to Ukraine could shift the bloc’s balance of power eastward.
China Note China’s ‘Zero COVID’ Measures Are Taking a Toll on Gig Workers Rui Zhong Wednesday, June 22, 2022 For millions of Chinese citizens, delivery drivers have been key to adapting to Beijing’s “zero COVID” coronavirus strategy. Amid rolling lockdowns and travel restrictions, e-commerce couriers have served as lifelines to communities under lockdowns. But the unfavorable conditions they work under are taking a heavy toll.
Middle East Memo Biden’s Saudi Reversal Reflects His Confused Middle East Policy Thanassis Cambanis Tuesday, June 21, 2022 U.S. President Joe Biden pledged as a candidate to reorient U.S. foreign policy by putting more emphasis on human rights in Washington’s relations with foreign governments. But his “reset” of Middle East policy is proving to be confused and scattershot, and increasingly looks like a continuation of those of his predecessor.
Weekly Wrap-Up Macron Makes Amends in Kyiv, Erdogan Cracks Down in Ankara and More Judah Grunstein Saturday, June 18, 2022 The conflict in Ukraine has become a war of attrition in which cohesion will play a decisive role. In that context, the kinds of internecine feuding and petty score-keeping on display in Europe prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kyiv this week doesn’t bode well.
Africa Watch Belgium’s King Followed the European Script for His Congo Visit Chris Olaoluwa Ogunmodede Friday, June 17, 2022 King Philippe of Belgium completed a “landmark” visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday that was characterized by Brussels as an attempt to grapple with its colonial past in Congo. But the trip, like many involving visiting European dignitaries, follows a familiar pattern heavy on form and light on substance.
Europe Decoder The EU Fires Back Against Boris Johnson on Northern Ireland Dave Keating Thursday, June 16, 2022 The European Commission has launched legal action against the U.K. following a bill tabled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that would undo agreements in the Brexit divorce deal both parties signed. The latest escalation in the dispute between London and Brussels could lead to a cancelation of the 2020 EU-U.K. free trade deal.
China Note The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial Strikes a Parallel Chord in China Rui Zhong Wednesday, June 15, 2022 Chinese victims of sexual harassment might not see overt similarities between their experiences and that of Amber Heard. However, the swift backlash Heard faced, including allegations of lying in order to win public sympathy and, with it, employment opportunities, bears a chilling resemblance to that of many Chinese women.
Niger Doubles Down on Its Security Partnership With France Chris Olaoluwa Ogunmodede Wednesday, June 15, 2022 Back in February, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum raised eyebrows by declaring that Niger would welcome French and European troops being withdrawn from Mali. But the move has drawn considerable opposition from those who argue that the presence of European troops could make Niger a bigger target of extremist violence.
Middle East Memo Sadr Could Break Iraq’s Political System—for Better and Worse Thanassis Cambanis Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Lawmakers from Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s bloc have resigned en masse from parliament. While the move is ostensibly meant to end eight months of political paralysis, it has put Iraq on the verge of perhaps the greatest political uncertainty it has faced since the first post-Saddam multiparty elections in 2005.
Weekly Wrap-Up Biden’s Summit of the Americas Fiasco, U.S. Firearms’ Global Impact and More Judah Grunstein Saturday, June 11, 2022 This week’s Summit of the Americas, hosted by President Joe Biden in Los Angeles, would have been a challenging affair under the best of circumstances, given the wide-ranging crises the hemisphere faces. But poor planning by the Biden team and the region’s changing political landscape combined to make the summit a diplomatic fiasco.
