Framing The World, Edizione CVI

Framing The World, CVI Edition

In the latest issue of FtW we deal with the joint visit of Von der Leyen and Macron to China, and, subsequently, with that of the Brazilian President Lula. In Africa, however, we describe the old and new tensions that occurred in Sudan. All this and more in the 106th issue of Framing the World!

HUMAN RIGHTS

ECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

NORTH AMERICA

LATIN AMERICA

ASIA AND THE FAR EAST

WESTERN EUROPE AND EUROPEAN UNION

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA)

TERRORISM AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

HUMAN RIGHTS

Iran, Police to use cameras to identify unveiled women. Since Mahsa Amini’s death last year, many women have refused to wear their veils as a sign of protest. For this reason, the Iranian police announced the introduction of surveillance cameras with the aim of ensuring the compliance with the rules on dress code in public. The hijab has been mandatory since 1979 and it is considered by the authorities as “one of the foundations of Iranian civilization”. Through the use of cameras, it will be possible for the police to identify unveiled women, who will then receive a notification about the legal consequences of the crime committed. After that, they will be reported and punished by the law. Also, complaints will be made about women who are not covered up in vehicles.

(Chiara Giovannoni)

US abortion pill access in doubt after judge suspends approval. One year after the overturning of the Roe v. Wade sentence, the decision comes back to the Supreme Court. In Texas, a far-right federal judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, suspended the approval of mifepristone, banning the abortive medication at a national level. The sentence has been issued after a petition brought to the attention of the judge by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which had previously been involved in the actions that led to the struck down of Roe v. Wade sentence. Shortly after, another federal judge, Thomas O. Rice, issued a conflicting ruling, ordering the Food and Drug Administration to refrain from taking the pill out of the market. Kacsmaryk’s sentence might delete the right to abortion medications also in states with legal access to abortion.

(Chiara Giovannoni)

Israel, violent attack on Palestinians in Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in the Old City of Jerusalem, was the subject of a violent attack by Israeli security forces on the evening of 5 April. The authorities raided shortly after the end of the evening prayer, throwing deafening grenades and beating the Palestinian faithful present for Ramadan. During the first attack, which took place on the night of 4-5 April, at least 450 Palestinians were arrested, many of whom were beaten. Some of them, including minors, showed signs of beatings and injuries. In addition, Israeli forces prevented personnel from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society from rescuing the wounded inside the mosque by opening fire on the ambulances. The attacks sparked protests in several Palestinian towns and villages, while Israeli forces responded with air strikes against the Gaza Strip.

(Sofia Ena)

Sofia Ena and Chiara Giovannoni

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Somalia: UN Secretary Guterres warns of security and drought. The concomitance of human and natural emergencies in Somalia is causing one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises on the planet. The United Nations has confirmed this recently, pointing out that almost half of the population, about 8.5 million people, need humanitarian assistance. These figures prompted Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit Mogadishu to request massive international support. The drought in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, combined with the chronic situation of internal conflicts of Islamic origin, has brought the population to its knees. Nearly 5 million people experience acute food insecurity, 3.8 million are internally displaced, 1.8 million children are severely malnourished and 8 million do not have adequate access to water.

(Giulio Ciofini)

Ghana: Accra gives the green light to malaria vaccine. The Ghanaian government became the first in Africa to approve the malaria vaccine developed by Oxford University in the UK. It is the R21/Matrix-M vaccine, the first that has exceeded the 75% efficacy target established by the WHO and has been approved for use in children aged between 5 and 36 months, the band with the highest mortality rate. The news marks a critical moment in the fight against infectious disease that, according to the latest report, is responsible for the death of about 619,000 people in 2021, most of whom are children in the area of sub-Saharan Africa in particular in Nigeria, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

(Giulio Ciofini)

Sudan, fighting and clashes in the country. In the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country, fighting has started. The clashes are between paramilitary groups, who claim to have taken control of the airport and the presidential palace, and the regular military forces, who, however, have denied taking the head of state's palace. Rivalries between the two generals behind the 2021 coup have been going on for weeks and have now flared up violently in the country. The UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, called on soldiers and paramilitaries to cease fighting 'immediately'. Also from the EU, which mentions alarming reports coming out of the African country, comes the call for an immediate halt to the violence.

(Andrea Ghilardi)

Giulio Ciofini e Andrea Ghilardi

NORTH AMERICA

United States of America: what the Pentagon’s leaked documents tell us (part 1). In April a number of images of classified Pentagon documents started circulating on social media and gained more and more interest among American and international citizens. People are asking how it is possible that those leaked documents, shared online in January, were only discovered by the U.S. government in April. A U.S. official said that "no one in the U.S. government knew" they were leaked, but at the question of "why" they didn't, a senior administration official said that they "cannot answer that just yet" and that they "would all like to understand how that happened". John Cohen, former acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security stated that "federal government agencies do not proactively monitor online forums looking for threat-related activity".

United States of America: what the Pentagon’s leaked documents tell us (part 2). Some of the classified leaked documents analyze the situation on the Ukrainian military preparedness and resilience, giving a pessimistic view on Ukraine's chances of gaining significant successes when a counteroffensive is likely launched in a couple of months. Even if Ukrainian authorities are publicly saying they won't impact relations with the U.S., Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the matter. Most importantly, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN that Kyiv has already changed some military plans as a consequence of the leaks and some media speculate about the possibility the much-anticipated counteroffensive was delayed for the same reason.

Lorenzo Graziani

LATIN AMERICA

Venezuela, Memorandum of Understanding with Iran in the energy field. Iranian Energy Minister Javad Owji traveled to Caracas last Thursday to hold talks on energy cooperation - specifically on gas and oil - between the two countries. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the two respective energy ministers, was also signed by the Venezuelan vice-president Delcy Rodríguez, given the strategic importance of the agreement. The object of the same includes downstream and upstream activities, i.e. the extraction, production and refining of crude oil and natural gas, with investments and exchange of technology regarding the development of Venezuelan refineries and petrochemical complexes. In addition to ensuring an increase in trade in energy resources between the two countries, this memorandum should be contextualized within wider geopolitical dynamics that will need to be monitored.

Brazil, Lula flies to China: new "Third Worldism"? The Brazilian president arrived in Beijing with a large delegation of officials and entrepreneurs, a symbol of the strong Sino-Brazilian relations in the commercial sphere. The two states signed about 20 economic agreements during Lula's tenure, aimed at strengthening Brazil's role within the BRICS, whose members are the "emerging" economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Xi Jinping and Lula discussed the mediation role that the BRICS could have, especially in Brazil, regarding the progress of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine: in fact, if Brazil has condemned the Russian invasion at the UN, it has always refused to donate arms to Ukraine in order not to undermine its neutrality and impartiality. Lula's trip to China, after a recent meeting with Biden, is of great concern to the United States, which sees its commercial presence in Latin America reduced due to Chinese influence.

Sara Oldani

ASIA AND THE FAR EAST

Vietnam, independent journalist sentenced to six years in prison. On 12 April, a court in Hanoi sentenced Nguyen Lan Thang, a Vietnamese independent journalist, to six years in prison for violating Article 117 of the Criminal Code: “making, storing, distributing, or disseminating information, documents, and items against the State”. Since 2018, according to Human Rights Watch, Vietnamese authorities have convicted at least 163 people for exercising their right to freedom of expression or association under “vague or overbroad laws that criminalize protesting or criticizing the government”. A week before the ruling, during a visit to Hanoi, a delegation of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights called for the "immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, including NGO leaders, journalists and environmental activists".

(Lorenzo Franceschetti)

EU, the difficult diplomatic mission to China. On 6 April 2023, French President Macron and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen joined Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a series of bilateral and trilateral meetings. Since China has a strategic role in the current geopolitical framework, the EU is trying to find a new balance in their relationship, especially considering the recent relations between China and Russia. During the meetings, issues related to China’s role in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and economic and industrial relations with the EU were discussed. It was discussed to avoid decoupling as well as the US and the need to implement a risk reduction plan, underlining the EU’s desire to maintain economic and industrial relations with the country and to minimise the risks for European partners. In addition, during the post-meeting press conference, Von der Leyen said that he encouraged Xi Jinping to contact the Ukrainian president, declaring himself available for a future interview with Zelensky. The leaders stressed the need to find a political solution to the crisis, calling for moderation and the need to protect civilians from indiscriminate attacks, avoiding the use of nuclear weapons.

(Sofia Ena)

Lorenzo Franceschetti and Sofia Ena

WESTERN EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Italy, migratory flows: state of emergency declared. On 11 April, following proposals by the Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies Musumeci and the Minister of the Interior Piantedosi, a six-month state of emergency was declared by the Government, covering the entire Italian territory, due to the increase in the numbers of migratory flows along the Mediterranean routes. Between January and April 2023, more than 31,000 migrants arrived in Italy, more than four times as many as in the same period last year. The state of emergency provides for the allocation of 5 million euro, which will be used to 'build new facilities, adequate both for reception needs and for the recognition and repatriation of migrants who do not meet the requirements for staying in the national territory'. Further information on the management of the funds is now awaited. The last state of emergency for migrants was introduced by Berlusconi in 2011.

(Bianca Franzini)

Finland, the centre-right won. In the elections on 2 April, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was defeated by Petteri Orpo, leader of the centre-right National Coalition Party. During the election campaign, Petteri Orpo, whose ideas differ greatly from those of Sanna Marin, promised to lighten the public sector, reduce the debt and support the economy. As had been predicted by several polls, the result was uncertain right up to the last minute and the victory was a narrow one; not least because of this, the negotiations for the formation of the new government could be very complex. The elections were held just before Finland's formal admission to NATO.

(Bianca Franzini)

Brussels, the 10th EU-US energy council. The 10th EU-US Energy Council was held in Brussels on 4 April, during which various issues related to energy security and the green transition to sustainable energy sources were discussed. These included the energy outlook for the coming winter, reducing Russia’ energy dependence, and the importance of accelerating decarbonisation through clean energy technologies and energy savings. The debate then focused on nuclear power, which is becoming a shared commitment between the EU and the US. Pressure from a group of countries has led the European Commission to welcome the next generation of nuclear power and to announce that it will provide guidelines for the development of a European industry of small modular reactors. In addition, the two parties reiterated their shared commitment to achieve zero net emissions by 2050 and limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, also aligning on reducing methane emissions.

(Sofia Ena)

France, Macron and French constitutional assembly approve pension bill: On the morning of April 15, the unpopular pension reform of the French government of Emmanuel Macron was enacted into law just hours after the French Constitutional Court approved its key provisions, including the disputed raising of the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 by deeming the legislation to be in accordance with the French constitution. In fact, on Thursday, March 16, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had announced that she was resorting to Constitutional Article 49 paragraph 3, promulgating the reform having to go through a vote of the National Assembly. The "presidentialist" action of Macron's government caused strong dissent that degenerated into months of violent demonstrations and protests throughout France. The French president himself during a speech on the "recall of European sovereignty" he gave in The Hague last week was interrupted by some protesters and accused of being undemocratic as well as "the president of violence and hypocrisy."

(Francesca Pasqualino)

Bianca Franzini, Francesca Pasqualino and Sofia Ena

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA

Bucharest Conference, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine common front to threats of Russian expansionism: On Thursday, April 13, the first conference on security in the Black Sea region under the auspices of the Crimea International Platform was convened in Bucharest by Romanian and Ukrainian foreign and defense ministers. The trilateral Romania-Ukraine-Moldova meeting to sign cooperation and security agreements in the area took place at the same venue. Indeed, the Black Sea region is crucial for NATO's collective defense and future European security. Reason why Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called for demilitarizing the Black Sea and making it a "NATO sea," however, getting a negative reaction from the Kremlin, as Russia is one of the six recognized Black Sea states. In fact, for the neutral international order to be restored in the region, Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine and Kiev's recovery of the territories now occupied, including Crimea, is necessary.

Hungary, the Russian-founded international bank quit. Hungary has decided to pull out of the former Comecon: It is an international investment bank that was founded by the Soviet Union in 1970, and then moved its headquarters to Budapest in 2019, where it was granted broad diplomatic immunity. However, it has become "impossible" for Hungarian Prime Minister Orban to continue operating and securing the Russian bank's activities after the United States blacklisted the institution and its leaders, considering them a risk to European and international security as well as a front for Russian intelligence. Other Central and Eastern European countries including Bulgaria and Romania withdrew from former comecon membership soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Francesca Pasqualino

MIDDLE-EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA)

Israel, tension rises: during the first half of April, the country experienced an escalation of violence. Israel experienced several bombings and a direct military attack. In an attack in Tel Aviv, a young Italian tourist, Alessandro Parini, was also killed. While the country suffers one of its most internally divisive moments in recent years, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups have been bombing Israel from their positions in Gaza and Southern Lebanon. In particular, the attacks from the territory of its northern Arab neighbour risked triggering an Israeli reaction against the cedar country in order to dismantle Hamas and its Shia ally Hezbollah. The Israeli military reaction was then limited to Hamas targets, thus avoiding directly hitting the targets of the Shia terrorist group.

(Michele Magistretti)

Syria to reopen its embassy in Tunisia. The normalization process between Bashar al-Assad's regime and its Arab neighbors has also landed in Tunisia. Already on April 3, the Tunisian President Kais Saied had given instructions for sending a new ambassador to Damascus, after 10 years of rupture of diplomatic ties. Bilateral relations broke down in 2012, following the decision taken by then President Marzouki to condemn the harsh reaction of the Syrian regime against the demonstrators of the Arab Spring. The re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries must be contextualized within a framework favorable to the Syrian regime, especially following the earthquake in Syria-Turkey and the important international aid (especially Arab) to the Syrian state. The first official visits of al-Assad to Oman and the United Arab Emirates have paved the way for the end of the isolation of the Syrian regime: Saudi Arabia began negotiations last month to resume consular services and in May it is expected an Arab League summit in Riyadh to discuss the Syrian question.

(Sara Oldani)

Tunisia, tensions with Washington. Since 2017 Washington has been funding a program to keep the border between Tunisia and Libya safe. Following the authoritarian grip of the Kais Saied regime, the Americans announced the intention of halving the funds. A not negligible element to consider, since American aid covers about 10% of Tunis' military expenses. Tunisia shares a 500 km long border with Libya in the southern sector. Being mostly desert territory, the border is porous and difficult to control. For this reason, after the fall of Gaddafi the Tunisian government started building a security barrier, which has not yet been completed. The American decision could further slow down this process, with destabilizing effects for the North African country.

(Francesco Lorenzini)

Sara Oldani, Michele Magistretti e Francesco Lorenzini

TERRORISM AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Nagorno-Karabakh, clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the border between the two countries. The death toll of the fighting, which took place in the area of the Lachin corridor, which connects Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, is currently 7 soldiers - 4 among the Armenian ranks and 3 among the Azeris. The dynamics that led to the clash are unclear, and at the moment the only information comes from the exchange of mutual accusations between Yerevan and Baku. According to Armenian sources, it was the Azerbaijani army that opened fire at an Armenian military engineering team, which was engaged in engineering work near the village of Tegh; on the contrary, the Azerbaijani version claims that it was the Armenian military that provoked the Azerbaijani forces stationed in the Lachin district with heavy fire. At the beginning of March, also in the Lachin area, five people were killed in an armed clash between members of the Azerbaijani army and Armenian police officers.

(Davide Shahhosseini)

Egypt, according to US intelligence sources Cairo is planning to provide military support to Moscow. Among the confidential documents of the US Department of Defence, made public online by what appears to be the largest leak of documents since Wikileaks, one of them would confirm the Egyptian plan to supply Russia with over 40,000 rockets. According to the Washington Post, which obtained and published the document in question, the 'leaks' mention a conversation between Egyptian President Al Sisi and senior army officials, in which the former stated his intention to increase the production of Sakr-45 rockets, which are compatible with the rocket launchers used by Russian forces.

(Davide Shahhosseini)

Burkina Faso, French media expelled from the country. Five days after the end of France 24 broadcasting in Burkina Faso, the military junta led by Captain Traoré expelled the correspondents of two major French newspapers, "Le Monde" and "Liberation" on Saturday. The editorial offices of the newspapers involved have denounced the deterioration of press freedom in the Sahelian country. This decision represents another evidence of the tense relationship between Paris and Ouagadougou.

(Francesco Lorenzini)

Mali, Guterres warns the military junta. In a quarterly report presented to the UN Security Council, Antonio Guterres underlined the delay on the roadmap of the transition process in Mali. The UN Secretary General urged the ruling military junta in Bamako to speed things up in order to allow the power handover to civilian authorities, scheduled for early 2024. Guterres also expressed his concern about the impasse in peace talks between the government and Tuareg nomadic tribes in the North, included in the framework of the Algiers Agreement of 2015.

(Francesco Lorenzini)

Davide Shahhosseini and Francesco Lorenzini

Framing The World is a project conceived and created by the collaboration between members of the team of Mondo Internazionale associates.

Alessandra Tamponi: Asia and the Far East

Andrea Ghilardi: Sub-Saharan Africa

Bianca Franzini: Western Europe and the European Union

Davide Shahhosseini: Terrorism and International Security

Elisa Maggiore: Latin America

Francesco Lorenzini: Middle East and North Africa, Terrorism and International Security

Francesca Pasqualino: Western Europe and the European Union, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia

Francesco Rossi: Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia

Giulio Cofini: Sub-Saharan Africa

Leonardo Aldeghi: Economics and International Finance

Lorenzo Franceschetti: Human Rights

Lorenzo Graziani: North America

Ludovica Costantini: Latin America

Michele Magistretti: Middle-East and North Africa

Rocco Salvadori: Asia and the Far East

Sara Oldani: Middle-East and North-Africa