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10.11.2024 Weekly News Digest


Weekly News Digest for October 11th, 2024

Compiled by Grey Cohen, Ryan Simmons, Tobyn Smith, Lydia Wong, Nila Karunakaran, Joey Quinn, Trinity De Lima, Layla Jeeth, Mary Wahn

Edited by John Wilson, Trinity De Lima, Sara Anis Ali, Grey Cohen, Ryan Simmons



Asia and the Pacific 

Two Chinese Nationals Killed in Pakistan Terrorist Attack


Late Sunday night, a terrorist attack in Karachi, Pakistan, left two Chinese nationals dead and at least ten others wounded. In a statement, a Pakistani separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the late-night bombing, revealing it “targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” outside the country’s largest airport. This act was intended to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation by targeting members of the Chinese-funded enterprise Port Qasim Generation Co Ltd, which aims to build two more coal power plants near Karachi. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack as a “heinous act” and offered his condolences to the Chinese people, asserting that “Pakistan stands committed to safeguarding [its] Chinese friends.” A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson expressed China’s shock and condemnation, emphasizing that China has adamantly requested Pakistan pursue every effort to rescue the injured and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The BLA aims to liberate Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province and home to the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, from Pakistan. The sharp increase in recent separatist acts, expose Pakistan’s current challenges in governing Balochistan. 

The explosion on October 7th follows an armed assault on the Chinese consulate in November 2018, a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of three Chinese educators in April 2022, and several coordinated attacks on August 27th, killing more than 70 people, mostly civilians. The BLA has warned that “even more intense and widespread” attacks are coming in light of its recent alliance with the Pakistani Taliban. The terrorist group followed through with its promise of successive violence in a gunned attack on Thursday, leaving 21 miners dead in the Pashto-speaking regions of Balochistan. 

Despite bilateral reassurance that terrorists’ attempts to undermine the China-Pakistan alliance will not succeed, the attack in Karachi raises significant concerns about the safety of foreign investments in Chinese-funded development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, specifically Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. This comes a week before Islamabad is to host a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security group established by China and Russia to counter Western alliances. With the Chinese embassy now on high alert, it has reminded its citizens and Chinese enterprises in Pakistan to be vigilant and take safety precautions. To date, the summit will proceed as planned from October 15-16, with heightened security in response to questions raised about Pakistan’s ability to secure high-profile events and protect prominent foreigners. The meeting will address the future of Pakistan as leaders from member states gather to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, and, crucially, the threat of terrorism.



Central America and the Caribbean

The Dominican Republic’s Mass Deportation of Haitians


In the first week of October, the Dominican Republic reported the deportation of nearly 11,000 Haitians, escalating tensions between the neighbor-countries. This mass deportation was framed as a response to an “excess” of immigrants, driven by crisis conditions in Haiti due to gang violence and poverty. Human rights groups estimate over half a million Haitians now reside in the Dominican Republic. Haitian officials have criticized the deportations as “a strategy of ethnic cleansing,” prompting calls for intervention from the Organization of American States (OAS) and highlighting the larger humanitarian crisis at hand.


The consequences of these deportations extend beyond immediate humanitarian concerns and pose significant risks to regional stability. As deportees return to an already-struggling Haiti, the influx puts additional strain on the country’s fragile infrastructure. Analysts warn that this could exacerbate ongoing turmoil fueled by a lack of governance and rampant violence. At the same time, the Dominican Republic is grappling with its own economic challenges, claiming that the surge of Haitian migrants overwhelms public services. Critics argue that the government’s response is disproportionately driven by racial discrimination. 


For the United States, this humanitarian crisis complicates its foreign policy objectives in the Caribbean. This situation requires a careful balance, as increasing migration from Haiti and the Dominican Republic poses additional challenges for U.S. policymakers. This unstable period demands compassion and a commitment to addressing the root cause of these humanitarian issues, emphasizing the broader themes of migration and human rights.



Europe

EU Delays Electronic Border Control System 


European diplomats announced that they have delayed the highly anticipated electronic passport border system after fears it would overwhelm the technology infrastructure of Europe. The system would create a digital ‘passport’ for all EU citizens, whilst non-EU citizens would have to register their fingerprints and answer questions about their intent to stay. A German spokesperson said that Germany, France, and Netherlands were not ready to implement the system, citing that “necessary stability and functionality of the EES central system to be provided by the EU agency EU-Lisa is not yet in place”. 


The electronic passport plan would give everyone entering and exiting the EU a digital passport with a proposed ‘EU Digital Travel’ app that aims to enhance efficiency with the border control process and prevent forged documents coming in and out of the member-nation bloc. The EU argues that this will cut border crossing times and ensure the border patrol prioritizes issues such as illegal immigration and crossings. However, critics, such as the European Digital Rights network (EDRi), were concerned that the EU is rushing this process and forgoing crucial privacy and data safeguards in the process, even suggesting this runs the risk of misuse of personal information and data gathering. The EU, however, responded, stating that the digital passport would be voluntary, and you can still bring printed versions of the documents. 



Middle East and North Africa

Saudi Arabia Denied Membership to the United Nations Human Rights Council


On October 9th, Saudi Arabia faced a significant diplomatic setback when it failed to gain the votes required to become a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Members of the UN General Assembly awarded the five open seats to other countries, denying Saudi Arabia’s bid. News experts cited Saudi Arabia’s history with human rights violations, referring to allegations that the country’s border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian refugees at Al Raqw, alongside its long history of using the death penalty and failing to protect journalists. Saudi Arabia’s bid for this human rights office is a part of a larger plan to reframe their global image.


 In 2016, Saudi Arabia enacted “Project 2030,” a plan to spend billions on infrastructure and entertainment. However, according to Human Right Watch, Project 2023 is a deflection intended to disguise poor human rights practices. One such instance was in March 2024, when the United Nations chose Saudi Arabia to lead a women’s rights forum despite overwhelming evidence of abysmal women’s rights practices. 


The United Nations Human Rights Council is a 47-member body which drafts key resolutions and sheds light on human rights abuses globally. In 2006, the UNHRC was created to replace the The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (CHR) because of its members’ poor human rights record. Members of the UNHRC only sit on the council for three-year periods, but states do have the opportunity to serve consecutive terms. Despite the UNHRC’s higher standards for human rights practices, Vietnam and Sudan, two of the newly-elected members of the council, are known for their poor human rights records. In this recent bid, Saudi Arabia gained 117 votes, just below the next-lowest candidate’s 126 votes. This year’s UNHRC candidacy vote indicates changing standards within the council and highlights the challenge of balancing human rights advocacy with political agendas. 


Although the United Nations Human Rights Council’s decisions are not legally binding, its political signals can have a real impact on human rights practices. The recent vote brings a difficult challenge to light and reinforces the importance of choosing human rights advocacy over political agendas, but it also displays the UNHRC’s limited power. The council’s most effective tool is political influence, and by selectively choosing members who represent its institutional founding, that influence will strengthen. 



North America 

U.S. President Joe Biden Speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Amid Violence in the Middle East


This past Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone to discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In an official statement, the White House wrote that during the call President Biden “reaffirmed Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah…while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians…” This call comes after the anniversary of the October 7th attack in which Hamas killed and wounded nearly a thousand people, and kidnapped over two hundred hostages during a music festival.


Several U.S. leaders, including President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, issued statements condemning the attack on its anniversary and mourning those killed or still in Hamas’ custody. Secretary Blinken emphasized that the hostages “...must be returned to their families…” and also recognized that the attack has brought about “...tragic consequences for the Palestinian people.” 


Earlier this week, Israel sent more military troops to Lebanon for its continuing ground operations in the country. On Wednesday, Israel dropped several bombs into Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, increasing the civilian death count. Last week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke to the UN General Assembly in New York City, condemning the continuing escalation in the Middle East. In an official statement, Secretary-General Guterres wrote “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.” 



South America

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia Accused of Exceeding Presidential Campaign Funds


On Tuesday, Colombia’s electoral officials voted to start an investigation on President Gustavo Petro’s campaign spending in 2022. The National Electoral Council (CNE), one of Colombia’s government entities, will perform the investigation. In response to the investigation announcement, President Petro  accused the organization of trying to remove him from power, stating via his recent tweet on X, “The coup d’état has begun.” However, any drastic political upheaval is unlikely as the CNE’s power is limited solely to assigning fines. According to Colombia’s constitution, only Congress has the power to impeach the president. In the past thirty years, Congress has not removed any president from office through a political trial. 


Petro’s campaign is also accused of accepting funds from prohibited sources such as labor organizations. Additionally, the CNE announced twelve unreported financial transactions. These are not the only financial scandals that Petro has faced. His son Nicolas Petro made headlines in July of 2023 after he had been arrested for money laundering and illicit enrichment. Also, Nicolas’ ex-wife Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez relayed to a local media station that two people involved with drug trafficking supplied Nicolas with money for his father’s campaign. Finally, Hector Carvajal, Petro’s current lawyer, filed an appeal with the Council of State to reconsider its decision, arguing that the President has complete immunity and cannot be investigated by electoral authorities. 



Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya’s Deputy President Faces Impeachment Over Corruption Allegations


The Kenyan National Assembly voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachuagua in a 281 to 44 vote over allegations of corruption. The motion now moves to the Senate for approval. Lawmakers accuse Gachagua, a wealthy businessman, of corruptly acquiring property, amassing assets worth 5.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($40 million) in two years, undermining the government, and other acts of political corruption. Gachagua recently spoke to the media to defend himself and denounce the accusations against him. President William Ruto has yet to comment on the impeachment, despite Gachagua’s request. 


Clashes between Gachagua’s supporters and opponents have erupted in public forums throughout Kenya as people meet to discuss the impeachment. Some discussions turned increasingly violent, as police confronted supporters in Nyeri county and some participants in Nairobi left a public forum with injuries. Parliament received over 200,000 responses during a nationwide public participation exercise on the impeachment. Over 65% of participants supported the motion, while 33% opposed it. 


The accusations follow a rift between Gachagua and Ruto after violent protests in June against the President’s unpopular proposed tax hikes. Part of Gachagua’s corruption accusations include his support of these protests. Ruto’s proposed finance bill aimed to raise taxes or fees on items and services such as internet data, gas, and bank transfers. Although the bill sought to increase domestic revenue to ease economic instability, it sparked nationwide protests, as citizens believed it worsened the already high cost of living. At least 22 people were killed, with hundreds more wounded as protesters stormed parliament and set part of the building on fire.


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