Framing The World, CVIII Edition

Framing The World, CVIII Edition

In the next issue of FtW we cover. All this and more in the 108th 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, surge in executions. Since late April, Iranian authorities have executed at least 60 individuals, many of whom following unfair trials or convicted on charges such as drug-related offenses and 'blasphemy,' which should never carry the death penalty according to international law. On May 19, three more protesters arrested during the demonstrations for the death of Mahsa Amini in November, were executed after enduring torture and being coerced into giving false self-incriminating statements. “Iranian authorities are apparently using executions as a show of force against its own people, who are demanding fundamental change,” said Tara Sepehri Far, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The international community should unequivocally condemn this terrifying trend and press Iranian officials to halt these executions”.

(Lorenzo Franceschetti)

Slovakia, Parliament ready to vote on the law that will make gender change impossible. The Slovak Parliament is preparing to vote on Bill No. 301/1995, known as the Birth Number Act. This act requires transgender individuals to possess the 'correct' set of chromosomes in order to have their gender legally recognized. Every Slovak citizen receives a ten-digit identifier at birth, which contains information about the date of birth and gender. To obtain legal recognition of their gender, it will be necessary to modify the numeric code, an impossible task for the majority of transgender people due to the mismatch of their chromosomes with their gender identity. Rado Sloboda, the Director of Amnesty International Slovakia, has called on Slovak parliamentarians to “reject this bill which jeopardizes the rights of transgender people and places the Slovak Republic in breach of its obligations under international human rights law”.

(Lorenzo Franceschetti)

Sofia Ena and Lorenzo Franceschetti

ECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

Washington, a solution in sight? The Treasury Department has warned that the U.S. government could reach its debt ceiling as early as next June 1, thus preventing the federal government from funding all its expenditures (welfare, public employee salaries, interest on government bonds, among the others) and leading it to a default that would be potentially disastrous for the U.S. economy and beyond. As is often the case in Washington, however, such a tight deadline has fueled a sense of urgency that has pushed the parties to negotiate their differences. Negotiations are ongoing between the Republican leadership in the House, the Democratic leadership in the Senate and various White House staff members, while President Biden, busy with the G7 in Japan, has canceled visits to Papua New Guinea and Australia to return to Washington early this week and preside over the negotiations. The parties say they are optimistic and an agreement as early as over this weekend cannot be ruled out.

US, inflation is still falling. For the tenth consecutive month, the consumer price index in the U.S. fell on a monthly basis to 4.9 % year-on-year, below forecasts (5%) and at the lowest since April 2021. Both the CPI index and its core component, which excludes volatile items such as food and energy, were up 0.4 % month-on-month, while the "core" dropped, slightly, to an annual +5.5%. The slow but steady return of inflation to lower levels, albeit aided by declines in energy prices, may convince the Federal Reserve not to raise interest rates further at its next meeting in June.

India, technology incentives. Foxconn, Apple's well-known Taiwanese supplier, will invest $500 million to open new manufacturing facilities in southern India ( state of Telangana), where 25,000 workers will produce AirPods. The investment follows a meeting between Apple CEO Tim Cook and Prime Minister Modi by about a month and responds both to the goals of the Indian government, which last Wednesday unveiled $2.1 billion in manufacturing relocation incentives for tech companies (via a 5% cashback on the price of goods produced in the country), and to the diversification needs of Apple, which is exposed to geopolitical tensions via its dependence on manufacturing in China. In addition, according to Bloomberg, Dell, Hp, Asus, and Apple itself, could take advantage of these measures to produce laptops and PCs, while it is difficult for these incentives to be extended to Chinese brands such as Lenovo, given the tensions between Delhi and Beijing.

U.S., rising debts. U.S. consumer debt, buoyed by rising prices, hit a new record in the first quarter, rising $148 billion over the past three months to more than $17 trillion, and $2.9 above pre-pandemic figures. The figure surprised analysts because for the first time in 20 years, the first quarter of the new year registers an increase over the last quarter of the previous year, a period that historically marks the peak of debt incurred by consumers (usually to pay for Christmas spending) and then registers a decrease with the month of January, when spending is more limited. The figure thus signals the impact of inflation on consumers, who are "forced" to accumulate credit card debts to cope with sharply rising prices, and is even more significant considering that new home mortgages fell by 35% on a quarterly basis and 64% on a yearly basis.

UK, surprise growth. Against all forecasts, the UK economy grew last quarter, despite March proving to be a difficult month for the British economy due to strikes in the education, transport and health sectors, mainly due to the strength of the industrial sector, which more than made up for the difficult time experienced by services. The positive figure, albeit slightly (+0.1%), also surprised the Bank of England, which canceled its forecast of an annual GDP contraction (-0.5%) and now estimates a modest growth (+0.25%). However, the UK still lags behind other developed economies, last among G7 members for post-pandemic growth and still having to make up 0.5 % of gdp from 2019, whereas the other countries have already reached and surpassed those levels.

Leonardo Aldeghi

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Mali, the UN accuses the ruling junta of serious human rights violations. In early May, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a very harsh report against the government of Mali. The document accuses the Malian armed forces of having massacred as many as 500 civilians in March 2022 at the locality of Moura, in the central region of Mopti. The carnage allegedly took place during an anti-jihadist operation in which Wagner's paramilitary troops also participated. The report was accompanied by the unanimous condemnation of Western governments, especially France which broke off diplomatic relations with Bamako in 2022. Furthermore, relations between the military junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita and the United Nations are becoming increasingly tense: the continuation of the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission – present in Mali since 2013 – is now hanging by a thread.

Burkina Faso, the government rejects allegations of serious human rights violations. On May 4th, the head of the military junta in Burkina Faso - Captain Ibrahim Traoré - denied the accusations made against the Burkinabé armed forces with respect to the events in Karma, a small village on the northern border with Mali. On 20th April 136 civilians were killed in Karma by a group of men who - according to the testimonies of survivors - wore the uniforms of the Burkinabé national army. Traoré also denounced the work of an unspecified "coalition against Burkina Faso", reiterating his government's intention to strengthen relations with strategic partners such as Turkey and the Russian Federation.

Nigeria, serious clashes between pastoralists and farmers. In Plateau State in central Nigeria, the border area between the predominantly Muslim north of the state and the predominantly Christian south, there have been clashes between herders and local farmers. Ethnic and religious violence is not new in the region. Recent clashes in the district of Mangu left 85 people dead and many injured. In addition, several houses were destroyed and many people are now displaced. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also said that 'thousands of people have moved onto the streets' following the attacks. It is unclear what triggered this latest violence.

(Andrea Ghilardi)

Francesco Lorenzini e Andrea Ghilardi

NORTH AMERICA

United States of America, Sullivan in Vienna to “pop the balloon”. During the high-level meetings on the 10th and 11th of May in Vienna, the White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, and China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, had "wide-ranging discussions", as described by the White House, to move beyond the spy balloon accident. As stated by an anonymous US administration official, both sides recognised that the February accident was "unfortunate" and were looking to "reestablish standard, normal channels of communications". Although Sullivan and Wang did not discuss about the possibility of rescheduling the visit to Beijing by the US Secretary of State, cancelled by Blinken after the spy balloon accident, they talked about key issues in the US-China relationship, like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Taiwan, signing the creation of a new line of communications between the two superpowers.

United States of America, Biden joins the Ukrainian training program. The UK, together with the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, decided to organize a joint international program to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other modern fighter jets. With a huge u-turn that took even Western allies by surprise, the US has decided to support the program when Joe Biden has presented his decision to the fellow leaders in Japan, where the G7 summit is taking place. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, responded tweeting "I welcome the historic decision of the United States to support an international fighter jet coalition". This switch of policy has been welcomed also by the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who said that the joint effort "will get Ukraine the combat air capability it needs".

Lorenzo Graziani

LATIN AMERICA

Ecuador, muerte cruzada for President Lasso. It’s from yesterday the news of the signing by the Ecuadorian President of the muerte cruzada to avoid impeachment. This measure, provided for by article 148 of the Constitution, provides for the dissolution of the national assembly and new presidential and legislative elections. Over the next six months, he will continue to govern through a series of decree laws until the vote is reached.

(Ludovica Costantini)

Chile, the right-wing wins in Key Constitutional vote. The Chilean far-right has won an important victory on deciding the rewriting of the Constitution, present in the country since the era of Pinochet, and this victory has been defined as an ‘’earthquake’’ in Chilean politics.

Despite the 2021 elections were won by the left-wing candidate, Boris, Kat triumphed over this important referendum.

The proposal for rewriting the Chilean Constitution has been going on since 2020 but now it has stopped its journey, after the victory of the Republicans this month.

This means that the Right-wing could try to prohibit abortion and other important themes that are the object of political division in Chilean political life.

(Francesco Andrea Rossi)

Mexico, multiple volcanic eruptions exploded near Mexico City. One of the biggest volcanoes in the whole country, the Popocatepetl, has started its activities this week, threatening 22 million people, and because of the ash that was released approximately 11 villages were forced to evacuate.

The Volcano is a reason for concern also among the scientists, as they are currently monitoring every single move of the volcano.

Moreover, it is located 72 kilometers south of Mexico City, and it is considered a threat for the cosmopolitan capital, which already suffers because of the earthquakes which it is often dealing with.

(Francesco Andrea Rossi)

Ludovica Costantini and Francesco Andrea Rossi

ASIA AND THE FAR EAST

Thailand, the elections highlight the desire for a change of direction. On May 14, the Thai population was called to the polls for its general elections. The elections saw a turnout of over 75% of the population and the victory of opposition parties against conservative parties or parties supported by the military junta. The overall winner is the Move Forward party, led by Pita Limjaroenrat, which secured 152 of the 500 available seats, followed by the Pheu Thai party, led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, former Thai prime minister exiled following the 2006 coup, with 141 seats. The victory of Move Forward, a party born following the dissolution of the Future Forward party and the protests of 2020, is a significant moment for Thailand which expresses the desire for a change of direction concerning the policies implemented to date by the military. The United Thai Nation Party, led by the current prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stops at 30 seats. Following the victory of his party, the Move Forward leader said he was ready to form the new government and opened up the possibility of a coalition with Pheu Thai and other minor parties, the goal being to reach the 376 votes needed to form the new government, an undertaking that could prove difficult due to the role that the Senate, elected by and therefore loyal to the military junta, could play. In fact, according to the Thai constitution of 2017, the prime minister must obtain a majority among the 750 members of the bicameral parliament, therefore the doubt remains as to what support Move Forward, which proposes policies aimed at weakening military power in the country, can find among the members of the senate.

(Alessandra Tamponi)

South Korea, significant aid package heading for Kiev. South Korea and Ukraine have formalized a strategic partnership through a generous aid package. Following Ukraine's first lady diplomatic visit to Seoul, the two countries signed an agreement pledging $130 million in financial assistance to Ukraine through a combination of grants and low-interest loans. While South Korea's advanced military technology could provide lethal support to help Ukraine stand up to Russian aggression, Seoul's hands remain tied due to sensitivities around South Korea-Russia relations. However, South Korea's president suggested that the country may go beyond humanitarian aid if Ukraine descends into a large-scale humanitarian crisis or human rights emergency that the international community finds unacceptable. The new pact signals South Korea's desire to strengthen strategic ties with Ukraine despite any possible backlash from its neighbors. With this agreement, Ukraine has gained a new potential security partner in East Asia, while South Korea has taken another step toward becoming a leader on human rights and governance on the global stage.

(Rocco Salvadori)

China, the summit with the countries of Central Asia takes place in Xi'an. Between May 18 and 20, China hosted representatives and leaders from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan in Xi'an. The summit is the first of its form and represents China's response to the 5+1 summit. The purpose of the summit, which takes place at the same time as the meeting of the G7 countries in Japan, is to strengthen political and economic relations between China and Central Asia, the region in fact plays a strategic role for the BRI and for foreign policy Chinese, which aims to reduce American influence in the region. During the summit, President Xi met, individually and otherwise, with presidents from the five countries, and during his speech on May 19, he took the opportunity to present China's foreign policy strategy for Central Asia, representative of the role global that China aims to cover and full of themes dear to Xi, including the goal of a shared future built on mutual assistance, common development, universal security and friendship. President Xi also stated that the world needs a stable, harmonious and interconnected Central Asia, underlining the region's geostrategic trade-wise role in the connectivity of Eurasia. At the end of the summit, the six countries signed the Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit, and more than 100 bilateral and non-bilateral agreements were also signed, covering various sectors.

(Alessandra Tamponi)

Alessandra Tamponi and Rocco Salvadori

WESTERN EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

EU-US Health Task Force: Fighting Cancer and Defending Women's Sexual Rights. The EU-US dialogue on health took place in Brussels between the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, and the US Secretary of State for the Department of Health, Xavier Becerra. The joint plan will focus on collaboration in the fight against cancer, particularly in the case of pediatric and lung tumors, as well as preparing for future pandemics and protecting the rights of women and girls, which is a new aspect of this initiative. A document from the Council of Europe highlights the gaps and deficiencies in responding to women's health needs and sexual and reproductive rights, including limited financial resources for examinations and studies on diseases, difficulties in accessing effective and modern contraceptive methods due to costs, lack of information, and discriminatory policies. During the meeting, it was also announced that the treaty on future pandemics will be finalized by May of the following year.

(Sofia Ena)

The EU imposes new package of sanctions against Chinese industries supplying Russia. Strasbourg has announced the eleventh package of sanctions in the context of the war in Ukraine, introducing a new element: China is also targeted. The European Commission has reportedly proposed to sanction certain Chinese companies for their support to the Russian war machine during the aggression in Ukraine. Seven Chinese companies have been condemned for selling military equipment to Russia. Some of these companies had already been subject to similar measures by the United States. The decision could create tensions with Beijing, which has promptly responded, stating, "We will respond and protect ourselves."

(Sofia Ena)

Council of Europe, summit in Reykjavik. The 46 member states of the Council of Europe, the leading human rights organisation in Europe, met in Iceland for their first summit in 18 years. The meeting focused on the support for Ukraine, including ensuring accountability for international crimes committed by Russia, and in particular on the establishment of a register of the damage caused to Ukraine by Moscow's aggression. The register could include a claims commission and a compensation fund; it will also be useful for recording information on claims for damages caused to individuals and the Ukrainian State since the beginning of the invasion. Ursula von der Leyen stressed the importance of "joining forces to protect democracy", stating that the attack by Russia is "an attack on the founding principles of the Council of Europe".

(Bianca Franzini)

Portugal, euthanasia law passes. On 16 May, the Catholic and conservative centre-right President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa enacted a law decriminalising euthanasia for the terminally ill. Portugal is the sixth country in Europe to allow euthanasia. Rebelo de Sousa had previously rejected the law three times and said he was 'forced' to sign this bill this time, also given polls showing that the majority of Portuguese are in favour of euthanasia. The new law authorises euthanasia in cases where average assisted suicide is not feasible; psychological support has been made compulsory and a two-month interval between the acceptance of a request and the procedure has been introduced.

(Bianca Franzini)

EU-UK, new sanctions against Iranian Revolutionary Guard: The UK and EU on Monday tightened restrictions on Tehran for alleged ongoing human rights violations. James Cleverly, UK prime minister, announced a travel ban and asset freeze on four IRGC individuals who "under whose leadership IRGC forces opened fire on unarmed protesters resulting in numerous deaths, including children." These four include Iranian Deputy Attorney General Ahmad Fazelian, whom the British Foreign Office said was responsible for an unjust justice system that used the death penalty for political purposes.The EU is following suit by imposing 27 nations seven rounds of sanctions on Iran since Mahsa Amini's death, and the European Parliament itself has called on the EU to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity. Iran responded accordingly with its own tit-for-tat sanctions toward the UK and EU, as well as warning the EU saying it would be an attack on the country's national security.

Bianca Franzini, Francesca Pasqualino and Sofia Ena

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA

Western Balkans, europol arrests those responsible for largest drug trafficking in the region:

On Thursday, May 11, after an investigation into encrypted phones, europol made coordinated excursions to Serbia and the Netherlands to target cartel leadership and distribution infrastructure, resulting in the arrest of 23 people. The criminal organization, Europol says, is behind multi-ton cocaine shipments that were coming directly from Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, or transiting West Africa. Serbia is in fact part of the so-called Balkan route, used by criminal groups to smuggle drugs, weapons and people to Western Europe.

Many countries, including France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, coordinated with Serbia in what Europol said was the "Balkan Cartel" operational task force, enabling the dismantling of the "main criminal drug trafficking organization in the Balkans."

Greece, elections 2023: Sunday, May 21 is general election day for Greece. In order to govern a party will have to get at least 46 percent of the vote otherwise negotiations will open to try to form a coalition government. In view of this result and thus the need to make alliances, however, it is not clear how things will go. Syriza, an exponent of the left-wing opposition party, has said that it is aiming to form a progressive coalition with the Socialists, but that may not be enough.

However, even the last alternative seems complicated, and in case it does not come to fruition it will go to the second round of elections in July, where, however, a new electoral system will be applied. In fact, Mitsotakis exponent of the New Democracy, the government in force until now, is aiming for a second term, but according to many newspapers he is already aiming for the second round, which, with the strengthened proportional system, could give him a better chance of being able to govern alone, the latter has also announced that he wants to maintain the hard line on the migrant issue and thus the extension of the wall built along the entire border separating Greece from Turkey by 2026.

Francesca Pasqualino

MIDDLE-EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA)

Turkey, Erdoğan the invincible (?): The first round of the presidential and parliamentary elections certified great resilience on the part of the 'Sultan'. The incumbent president achieved 49.5% of the vote, while the united opposition candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, stopped at around 45%. The ultranationalist candidate, Sinan Oğan, got a decent 5% and is trying to negotiate with the opposition for possible support for Kılıçdaroğlu. The coalition government retains its parliamentary majority, although losing some seats. Identity politics prevailed on economic issues. The candidate of the opposition shows his weakness against the more charismatic Islamist leader. The widespread control of much of the media certainly benefited the ruling coalition. Moreover, the real 'veto player' in domestic politics turns out to be the right-wing nationalists, who, although divided into the three camps, gather around 25% of the votes.

(Michele Magistretti)

Libya, Bashagha is ousted: the House of Representatives based in Tobruk, Cyrenaica, voted to depose the premier of the National Stability Government, Fathi Bashagha. In his place, a minister from the same government was chosen as interim prime minister. This decision seems to entail a gradual reshuffling of the internal political balance. It is probable to assume a partial rapprochement between the country's two political poles: the western one, headed by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dabaiba, and the eastern one, whose leading figures are General Khalifa Haftar and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh. However, the path to recomposing the internal fractures that have been tormenting the North African country for a decade remains long and fraught with obstacles.

(Michele Magistretti)

Tunisia, anti-Semitic attack in Djerba. The death toll from the attack on the island of Djerba on 9th May counts three dead and eight injured. A former member of the Tunisian security forces - known to the authorities for his radical Islamist leanings - attacked a group of Jewish pilgrims visiting the Ghriba Synagogue, the most important Jewish holy site in northern Africa. In fact, the island of Djerba hosted a large Sephardic Jewish community for centuries. The vast majority of the Jewish population then left Tunisia after 1948 and the rise of the Arab Israeli conflict. Already in 2002 the synagogue had been the subject of an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda which caused 19 deaths.

(Francesco Lorenzini)

Michele Magistretti and Francesco Lorenzini

TERRORISM AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Belarus, border controls reintroduced on the border with Russia. For the first time in 28 years, Belarus has re-established controls along the 1,000-kilometre border separating it from Russia. According to the Belarusian Foreign Minister, Sergei Aleinik, the border controls are supposed to be functional to the entry into force of an agreement concluded in recent months between Minsk and Moscow on the mutual recognition of international visas: the agreement stipulates that non-Russian and Belarusian persons holding a visa from one of the two countries can freely enter the other. However, numerous human rights associations, including Viasna, consider the agreement to be an imposition by the Kremlin aimed at preventing a new exodus of Russian citizens to the neighbouring country, in an attempt by the latter to escape a new mobilisation.

(Davide Shahhosseini)

Lesotho, government imposes curfew to counter widespread violence. The discovery of the dead body of journalist Ralikonelo Joki, found on Tuesday with gunshot wounds, prompted the authorities to resort to a curfew - from 10pm to 4am - in an attempt to curb the number of murders recorded in recent months. According to the latest report of the World Population Review, Lesotho is the third country in the world with the highest annual murder rate, after El Salvador and Jamaica: there are 43.5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. In order to counter the widespread violence throughout the country, the government even went so far as to suspend the issuing of new firearms licences last January.

(Davide Shahhosseini)

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

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