Week In Review (WIRE) News 11.10.2025

Edited by Mary Wahn, Grey Cohen, John Gooden, Ethan Joyce, Bianca Orfila-Molinet, Meera Srinivasan

Asia and the Pacific

Written by Jesse Vu

Taiwan Announces an Unusual Visit From Fiji’s UN Ambassador

On November 5th, Taiwan’s presidential office announced a visit from Filipo Tarakinikini, Fiji’s permanent representative to the United Nations, of which Taiwan is not a member state. This visit is highly unusual as Fiji is an important ally of China in the Pacific and officially recognizes China’s policy of “One China”. 

Officially, Fiji only has formal relations with China. Nonetheless, together with other delegates from the Marshall Islands and Paraguay, Tarakinikini met with Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, triggering an angry response from the Chinese government. Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Mao Ning called the visit a violation of Fiji’s commitment to the “One China” policy and condemned Taiwanese authorities for allowing the visits to occur. In response to this statement, Taiwan says it has the right to engage with other countries and rejects Beijing’s territorial claims. 

Strategically located between the United States and Asia, the Pacific Islands have long served as a focus in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing. With the U.S backing of some Pacific Island States and increasing military presence in countries such as Guam, China had previously hoped to establish a military base in the Pacific Islands, a move which Fiji recently objected to. While Fiji and China still maintain diplomatic ties, the fact that Fiji’s representative visited Taiwan at all serves as a signal of shifting allegiances in the region. This visit further underscores growing unease among Pacific Island nations regarding China’s expanding influence in the region.

Central America and the Caribbean

Written by Gabriella Ramirez

Military Buildup in the Caribbean and Devastation Following Hurricane Melissa

A report by World Weather Attribution reveals human-caused climate change increased Hurricane Melissa’s destructive winds and raised the temperature and humidity that powered the storm. Hurricane Melissa has been classified as a Category 5 storm and is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. The research links hurricane wind speeds to economic damage and suggests that Melissa would have caused less destruction if the winds were slower. 

Haiti’s government states the death toll from the hurricane is 43, with 13 still missing as the country manages landslides and floodwaters. The hurricane flooded nearly 12,000 homes, destroyed 200 others, blocked off roads, caused a drinking water shortage, and put more than 1,700 people in shelters. In Jamaica, the storm killed at least 32 people, and the Prime Minister suggests there is at least $6 billion in damages. World Vision International suggests a humanitarian crisis could unfold if states and organizations do not deliver aid. Before the hurricane, the government anticipated Jamaica’s tourism industry to grow, but officials now rush to rebuild the nation's infrastructure and clear the debris. Tourism is Jamaica’s main source of foreign exchange earnings and is a major economic driver. The hurricane also devastated Jamaican fishers and farmers who feed their families and nearby communities. Cuba and Haiti face similar challenges, which are intensified by their political and economic crises. 

Meanwhile, the latest strike by the U.S. military on a boat allegedly carrying drugs comes with an increased military presence in the Caribbean. Following U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s orders, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier left the Mediterranean Sea for the Caribbean. The carrier joins a buildup of American planes, ships, and thousands of troops in the region. The strike is the 16th of its kind and brings the death toll up to at least 66. 

Europe

Written by Ethan Joyce

Viktor Orban Meets with President Trump On Oil Sanctions

On Friday, November 7, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss trade, energy prices, and the Russia-Ukraine war. The primary point of discussion was Orbán’s request for an exception to sanctions placed on Russian oil and natural gas companies. Critics argue that granting Hungary a sanctions exemption to purchase Russian oil would undermine the very purpose of the sanctions imposition, while supporters contend that Hungary faces an undue hardship in obtaining oil from non-Russian sources, given its landlocked nature.

In the press conference following their meeting, Trump noted to reporters that Hungary would not have the capacity to meet its energy demands if it reneged on its oil partnership with Russia, especially without a sea or ports to procure oil from other countries. He added that increasing energy demands in Hungary have created further complications, while Orbán suggested that the physical nature of pipeline infrastructure was the true root of Hungary’s dependence on Russia. 

Both of those statements are misleading, however. The Adria Pipeline from Croatia supplements Hungarian demand for oil, even though Hungary relies on Russian oil for 86% of its supply. While Orbán stated in the press conference that it would require substantial investment to expand the Adria pipeline in order to end Hungary’s dependence on Russia, the Croatian oil company responsible for managing the Adria pipeline, Janaf, recently disputed this claim. They contend that Hungary has the capacity to reorient away from the consumption of Russian oil entirely, with negligible consequence. Further, in their dispute, Janaf accused the Hungarian energy company MOL Group of deliberately obstructing the Adria pipeline's capacity tests in September, which were used as a benchmark to determine the extent of Hungarian infrastructural dependency on Russian oil imports. Janaf added that they reject “allegations that it [the Adria Pipeline] would not be able to meet the needs of MOL Group's two refineries in Central Europe with the required volumes of crude oil on an annual basis.” This should call into question the validity of the Hungarian appeal for an exemption, although Trump recently committed to considering the exemption proposal.

Trump's decision represents a modest but symbolically important diplomatic gain for Orbán. Following the meeting, Orbán realized material gains in the renewable energy sector as well. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced plans to sign a new nuclear energy cooperation agreement with the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In effect, this should diversify Hungary’s energy sector and allow for decreasing reliance on Russian oil. This move represents a shift from the previous U.S. administration’s more guarded stance toward Hungary, likely shaped by Orbán’s well-documented relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The deal aims to provide Hungary with U.S.-produced nuclear fuel and the technology to store it. Hungary intends to use the fuel in its Russian-built nuclear reactors in Paks.

Middle East and North Africa

Written by Ansley Hovater

Syrian President al-Sharaa Enters the Global Political Scene

On Thursday, November 7, the United Nations lifted counter-terrorist sanctions from interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump next week. The visit is the first for a Syrian president to the White House.

In January 2025, Sharaa seized the presidency after ousting Bashar al-Assad, in alliance with several other armed groups in Syria. He immediately sought reform for Syria’s global reputation, abolishing the constitution adopted in 1973, holding parliamentary elections, and withholding any widespread violent outbreaks since the overthrow of Assad. A few conflicts have arisen between minority groups concerned about their future under this new Syrian government, and a divide has emerged between Syrians who chose to remain during the civil war and those who evacuated. 

Under the Assad regime, over 100,000 persons were reported missing. After Assad’s overthrow, the UN continued to receive reports detailing abductions and forced disappearances. UN OHCHR Spokesperson Thameen al-Keetan says these reports remain a concern, warning that the Syrian government threatened those who share information supporting these missing persons reports. The threats themselves remain undisclosed.

Still, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa remains determined to reshape Syrian history. On November 10, Sharaa plans to meet with Trump to discuss various policies concerning Syria’s reentry into the global political realm. The two leaders will deliberate over counterterrorism policies, and many U.S. politicians expect Syria to join the anti-Islamic State coalition, which focuses on preventing the group from a violent resurgence. 

North America

Written by Justin Cohen

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum Presses Charges Against Male Sexual Assaulter

On Tuesday, a drunk man groped and attempted to kiss Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum while she was greeting supporters on her walk from the National Palace to the Education Ministry. The incident, which was captured on video and quickly spread online, led President Sheinbaum to announce that she would be pressing charges against the man.

President Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president, used the moment to call attention to broader gender violence issues, saying during the announcement, “If this is done to the president, what is going to happen to all of the young women in our country?” Sheinbaum later stated that she would be reviewing legislative options to address the problem nationwide.

Not all of the Mexican public has taken well to President Sheinbaum's call to action. Senator Alejandro Moreno, who leads the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, called the assault a “political distraction” meant to shift attention away from the murder of the popular 40-year-old Mayor of Michoacán, Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, at a Day of the Dead parade this past weekend. Some members of the opposition went as far as to call the incident “staged.” 

Amneris Chaparro Martínez, a director and researcher with the Center for Research and Gender Studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that the partisan reaction “shows how much we have normalized gender violence in this country, and that even [when] we have such strong evidence of harassment in the streets and harassment toward the president of the country, we minimize its effects.”

South America

Written by Catie Crowe

Tariffs Shape U.S. Public Opinion in Peru and Chile

U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist approach to trade in Latin America has largely ignored Chile and Peru, with both countries feeling little economic impact from Washington’s tariffs. Nevertheless, public opinion on the U.S. in Santiago and Lima has soured as Trump’s policies tear through Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. Together, Chile and Peru account for roughly 30 percent of global copper reserves and 71% of U.S. copper imports. The countries’ weakening ties with the U.S. have raised concern in Washington as the two countries may turn fully to China, their top trade partner.

Trump’s flat 10 percent reciprocal tariff dealt the hardest economic blows to Chile and Peru. The tax directly impacts the agricultural and textile industries in South America. However, these industries account for smaller shares of the GDP, with little significant impact on the economy. In contrast, the impact of Trump’s tariffs can be seen more clearly in public opinion. In Chile, approximately 40% of the population believes tariffs will hurt their finances, with approval of Trump falling quickly. Both Chileans and Peruvians favor deepening trade ties with Beijing and view China’s growing influence on world affairs in a positive light. 

Neither the Chilean nor the Peruvian governments has responded to Trump’s retaliatory tariffs. Upcoming elections in both countries will likely determine future trade relations with the U.S.. If far-right Chilean candidate Jose Antonio Kast is elected, Trump may pursue closer relations with Santiago. A win for Communist candidate Jeannette Jara would likely lead to closer ties between the nation and China. In Peru, a win for Rafael Lopez Aliaga, former mayor of Lima and far-right presidential contender, could have similar effects to a Kast win, but Peruvians harbor anger for establishment figures such as Aliaga. Instead, they may be more likely to elect an anti-system outsider who opposes Trump’s dogma.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Written by Alex Whirley

Mass Killings and Ethnic Cleansing in Al-Fashir, Sudan

Over the past week, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed thousands of civilians in the city of Al Fashir and the surrounding Darfur Province in an act of ethnic cleansing. After a year and a half siege, the rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) withdrew from Al Fashir on October 26th. Reports from the UN reflect horrendous accounts of summary execution, mass killing, rape, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abduction, and forced displacement. Open source intelligence identified apparent pools and rivers of blood, piles of bodies, and evidence of mass graves in and around the city. Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab says the RSF is undertaking a systemic and intentional ethnic cleansing of indigenous non-Arab communities; more than 70,000 people have fled to surrounding unstable areas, and estimates place the death toll at 7,000.

In 2019, after three decades of dictatorship, tens of thousands of Sudanese civilians rose in a wave of protests, and the SAF and RSF jointly deposed then-President Omar al-Bashir. However, the RSF/SAF collaborative transitional government collapsed in 2023 when power-sharing negotiations failed. Sudan has since become the site of the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis in history. More than 14 million are internally displaced and, according to the IPC, more than 21 million, or 45% of Sudan’s population, face acute food insecurity. International organizations continue to plead for more support in the region, yet aid lies in limbo as the conflict worsens. The World Food Programme’s Carl Skau warns, “We are running out of time."

Al Fashir was the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Darfur Region, and this military defeat marked a major defeat for the SAF in the province. As a result, on November 6th, the RSF agreed to a U.S.-brokered proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire and is open to talks on a cessation of hostilities. Both the RSF and the SAF previously agreed to ceasefire proposals, though none have been successful. “We urge both sides to move forward in response to the U.S.-led effort to conclude a humanitarian truce, given the immediate urgency of de-escalating the violence and ending the suffering of the Sudanese people,” a U.S. spokesperson said. However, less than a day after this U.S. deal, the RSF conducted drone strikes targeting the SAF-held capital, Khartoum. The SAF has yet to make an official statement, and the future of ceasefire negotiations remains uncertain.