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Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, alleged Russian interference in Moldova’s general election, and a step toward disengagement along the India-China border.
11th Time’s the Charm?
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East on Monday to push for restarting cease-fire negotiations in Gaza. This is Blinken’s 11th trip to the region since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel kicked off the yearlong war. Blinken’s first stop will be Israel. It is unclear what his other destinations may be, if any, but officials say they won’t include Lebanon.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, alleged Russian interference in Moldova’s general election, and a step toward disengagement along the India-China border.
11th Time’s the Charm?
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East on Monday to push for restarting cease-fire negotiations in Gaza. This is Blinken’s 11th trip to the region since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel kicked off the yearlong war. Blinken’s first stop will be Israel. It is unclear what his other destinations may be, if any, but officials say they won’t include Lebanon.
Washington has urged Israel to use its killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week as an opportunity to end the war in Gaza. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Hamas officials have vowed to continue the fight. Some analysts suggest that Netanyahu may be waiting out the end of U.S. President Joe Biden’s term, allowing Israel to take its chances with either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, the latter with whom Netanyahu has had close ties.
The Biden administration, though, does not appear to be waiting. Blinken said on Monday that his trip also aims to discuss hostage release efforts, a postwar reconstruction plan for Gaza, and the deployment of more humanitarian aid to the territory. Last week, the White House warned Israel that it must increase the amount of assistance allowed into Gaza within 30 days or risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding.
Despite some members of Biden’s own Democratic Party calling for the United States to stop sending arms to Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Monday that Washington will send the country an advanced anti-missile system. Biden last directed the deployment of a so-called THAAD battery to the Middle East last year to protect U.S. troops and interests in the region. The White House previously sent a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training purposes.
Blinken also hopes to formulate a diplomatic solution to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon during his trip. Last weekend, Austin urged Israel to scale back its operations in and around Beirut, saying the civilian casualty count was “far too high.” Yet on Sunday, Israel announced plans to attack the Iranian-backed militant group’s financial branch by targeting Al-Qard al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-affiliated institution that provides many of the same functions as a traditional bank but has been accused of also paying operatives and purchasing arms. Overnight Israeli strikes hit several targets allegedly linked to Al-Qard al-Hassan.
Blinken’s trip comes as Israel is preparing to target Iran in retaliation for its ballistic missile attack early this month. After strong urging, Israel appeared to acquiesce to U.S. pleas that it refrain from attacking Iranian nuclear or energy sites, actions that experts feared could lead to a dramatic escalation.
Yet new intelligence concerns could alter Israel’s decision. On Monday, Israeli police and Shin Bet authorities arrested seven Israelis for alleged espionage. Prosecutors accused the suspects of completing some 600 missions for Tehran, including gathering military intelligence and identifying potential human targets. And last Friday, top-secret U.S. intelligence documents dated from Oct. 15 and 16 appeared online that described Israeli preparations for a strike on Iran, including moving munitions as well as carrying out Israeli Air Force exercises involving air-to-surface missiles. The documents appeared to have markings indicating that they were only meant for the United States and its Five Eyes allies: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It is unclear how the information was leaked. The FBI declined to comment.
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The World This Week
Tuesday, Oct. 22: Slovakia hosts a trilateral summit with Hungary and Serbia in Komarno.
The three-day BRICS summit kicks off in Russia.
The European Parliament votes on a 35 billion euro (nearly $38 billion) loan for Ukraine.
Thursday, Oct. 24: France hosts an international ministerial conference to discuss the situation in Lebanon.
G-20 finance ministers convene in Washington while G-20 trade and investment ministers meet in Brazil.
Friday, Oct. 25: Kiribati holds a presidential election.
Saturday, Oct. 26: Georgia holds legislative elections.
The Australian state of Queensland holds a general election.
The weeklong annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank conclude.
Sunday, Oct. 27: A whirlwind of elections. Lithuania holds legislative election runoffs. Brazil holds its second round of municipal elections. Uruguay holds presidential and legislative elections. And Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, and Japan hold parliamentary elections.
Monday, Oct. 28: The Canadian province of Saskatchewan holds legislative elections.
Montenegro hosts the two-day EU-Western Balkan ministerial forum.
What We’re Following
Yes to future accession. Moldova narrowly voted in a referendum on Sunday to secure the country’s path toward European Union membership. According to the Central Electoral Commission on Monday, 50.46 percent of people voted “yes” to add a constitutional clause defining EU accession as a goal. The former Soviet state began formal accession talks in June after applying for membership following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Chisinau hopes to join the bloc by 2030.
In a presidential election alongside the referendum, pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu won just over 42 percent of the vote, short of the simple majority needed to win outright. She will face former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, who won 26 percent, in a runoff on Nov. 3.
Sandu reiterated claims on Monday that voter fraud and foreign interference tried to undermine the referendum and her campaign. She has repeatedly accused Russia of intensifying a “hybrid war” against Moldova to destabilize the country and hurt its EU ambitions. The European Commission also noted “unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies, aiming to destabilize the democratic processes” in Moldova. Moscow has denied these allegations.
Joint patrols. India announced on Monday that it had reached an arrangement with China regarding their shared disputed border—just one day before the two powerhouses meet in Russia for the annual BRICS summit. According to a senior Indian military officer who spoke to Reuters, the two militaries will patrol contested sites along the border on an agreed-on schedule, with both sides monitoring the Ladakh area.
“This is just a first step but it is a significant development and should assist in a reduction of tensions,” former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao wrote on X. “It was never in either country’s interest that tensions should have persisted in situations of such close confrontation, for so long.”
Both nations have sought to build infrastructure along the so-called Line of Actual Control, which stretches more than 2,100 miles. Tensions there peaked in June 2020, when Indian and Chinese forces clashed in the Galwan Valley, killing 20 Indian troops and four Chinese soldiers. Top Indian and Chinese commanders have since held several rounds of talks to discuss disengagement, with little luck. Monday’s pact is a “product of very patient and very persevering diplomacy,” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said, adding, “We have gone back to where the situation was in 2020.”
Mass power failure. Tropical Storm Oscar pummeled Cuba on Monday as the country grapples with a nationwide blackout. Last Friday, the island’s largest power plant shut down—leaving around 10 million people without electricity. Officials tried (and failed) to restart Cuba’s national power grid four times before successfully restoring electricity to parts of Havana on Monday. The incident was Cuba’s worst blackout since Hurricane Ian, a Category 3 storm, hit the country in 2022.
Repeated failures to fix the grid have highlighted the weak state of Cuba’s energy infrastructure at a time when heavy rainfall from Oscar risks severe flooding and potential mudslides. Local officials have announced emergency measures to curb electricity demand, such as suspending schools and canceling nonessential services. Yet experts worry that the incident may only worsen the country’s already concerning humanitarian and economic crises.
Odds and Ends
Authorities cleared a British chestnut-whacking winner of cheating allegations on Monday, bringing closure to a wild turn of events for the World Conker Championships. Last week, event organizers launched an investigation into whether David Jakins, better known as “King Conker,” used a steel chestnut hidden in his pocket to win the traditional English game. However, film and photo evidence as well as witness testimony concluded that it would have been “near impossible” for Jakins to have swapped the conkers unnoticed. “I’m so relieved to be cleared,” Jakins said. “It’s been a stressful week. We are gentlemen at the World Conker Championships, and we don’t cheat.”