Editor’s note: There will be no Daily Brief until Tuesday, January 3, in observance of New Year’s Day.

Top of the Agenda Russia Rejects Ukraine’s Peace Conditions, Bombards Its Power Grid Russia fired nearly seventy missiles (WaPo) at Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities today in what appeared to be one of its biggest strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid. Ukraine’s military said it shot down fifty-four of the missiles. The attack came hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s rejection (Al Jazeera) of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s conditions for peace.  In recent weeks, Zelenskyy has promoted a peace plan in which Russia would face a war crimes tribunal and give up occupied territories in eastern Ukraine. A Kremlin spokesperson yesterday rejected the possibility (NYT) of ceding the territories, while Lavrov said today that Kyiv’s plans to drive Russia out of eastern Ukraine were an “illusion.”

Continue reading Council on Foreign Relations – Daily news brief Dec. 29, 2022 →

Top of the Agenda

Zelenskyy Visits Washington in First Foreign Trip Since Russia’s Invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden (WaPo) and address Congress today in his first trip outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. During the meeting, Biden is expected to announce a $2 billion military aid package for Ukraine that will reportedly include the Patriot missile system, the most advanced air defense system in the U.S. arsenal.
Zelenskyy’s visit comes as U.S. lawmakers consider a spending package (NYT) that includes $45 billion in emergency and economic aid to Ukraine. If approved, it would bring the total U.S. aid to Ukraine to more than $100 billion. Some lawmakers from the Republican Party, which will soon take control of the House of Representatives, have objected to the new funding. 

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

Updated 9:01 PM

Watch Zelensky unveil flag during historic speech to Congress

CNN —  Three-hundred days after his country was invaded by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky jetted to Washington, DC, for talks on what the next 300 days might bring.

Shrouded in secrecy until the last minute, the historic visit was heavy with symbolism, from Zelensky’s drab green sweatshirt to President Joe Biden’s blue-and-yellow striped tie to the Ukrainian battle flag unfurled on the House floor.

But the trip was about far more than symbols. Biden wouldn’t invite Zelensky to Washington – and endure a risky trip outside Ukraine for the first time since the war began – if he did not believe something real could be accomplished meeting face-to-face instead of over the phone.

Emerging from their talks, both men made clear they see the war entering a new phase. As Russia sends more troops to the frontlines and wages a brutal air campaign against civilian targets, fears of a stalemate are growing.

Yet as Zelensky departed Washington for a lengthy and similarly risky return trip to Ukraine, it wasn’t clear that a pathway to ending the conflict was any clearer.

President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Congress as Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris hold up a Ukrainian national flag signed by Ukrainian soldiers at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, December 21.Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

In pictures: Zelensky’s wartime visit to US

Continue reading 5 takeaways from Volodymyr Zelensky’s historic visit to Washington →

Top of the Agenda Countries Reach Landmark Deal on Protecting Biodiversity At a UN biodiversity summit in Canada, nearly two hundred countries agreed to extend protected status (AP) to more than 30 percent of the world’s land and water by 2030, a goal known as 30×30. Currently, about 17 percent of all land and 10 percent of marine areas are protected.  China held the presidency of the conference and pushed for the final deal (The Guardian) despite objections from African countries that sought a new fund for biodiversity. The deal calls on rich countries to provide $20 billion per year by 2025 and $30 billion per year by the end of the decade to prevent biodiversity loss in poor countries. It also mandates reform of $500 billion in environmentally damaging subsidies in areas such as food and fuel and emphasizes that Indigenous communities should lead conservation efforts.

Continue reading Council on Foreign relations – Daily news brief Dec. 19, 2022 →

Top of the Agenda Countries Reach Landmark Deal on Protecting Biodiversity At a UN biodiversity summit in Canada, nearly two hundred countries agreed to extend protected status (AP) to more than 30 percent of the world’s land and water by 2030, a goal known as 30×30. Currently, about 17 percent of all land and 10 percent of marine areas are protected.  China held the presidency of the conference and pushed for the final deal (The Guardian) despite objections from African countries that sought a new fund for biodiversity. The deal calls on rich countries to provide $20 billion per year by 2025 and $30 billion per year by the end of the decade to prevent biodiversity loss in poor countries. It also mandates reform of $500 billion in environmentally damaging subsidies in areas such as food and fuel and emphasizes that Indigenous communities should lead conservation efforts.

Continue reading Council on Foreign relations – Daily news brief Dec. 19, 2022 →

Biden’s Economic Policy Threatens Rift With Europe Edward Alden French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden stand together onstage during an official state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on December 1, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz/ReutersEuropeans consider vast U.S. subsidies for cars, clean energy, and semiconductors a danger to their economies. Read the analysis

Europe Has to Step Up on Ukraine Liana Fix and Jeffrey Mankoff Europeans need a more substantial plan to support Ukraine, not just to ensure their own security, but also to signal their long-term commitment and head off U.S. criticism of European free-riding on Ukraine ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections. Read the opinion

Continue reading Council on Foreign Relations – The World This Week, Dec. 16, 2022 →

TƯỜNG ANH 04/12/2022 09:37 GMT+7

TTCT – Trên mạng Internet những ngày này lan truyền hình ảnh vệ tinh cho thấy hầu hết các thành phố lớn của Ukraine chìm trong bóng tối. Các cuộc tấn công của Matxcơva vào hạ tầng năng lượng Kiev đang ảnh hưởng thế nào tới cục diện chiến sự?

Ekaterina Martynyuk thắp nến trong căn hộ của bà ở Kherson, Ukraine, ngày 15-11, cả thành phố đã cúp điện và nước từ khi quân Nga rút đi năm ngày trước. Ảnh: Getty Images

Từ 23-11, lần đầu tiên trong lịch sử Ukraine, ba nhà máy điện hạt nhân còn lại của nước này (Rivne, Khmelnytsky và Nam Ukraine) được đặt ở chế độ khẩn cấp, hầu hết các nhà máy nhiệt điện tạm thời cúp điện, 11 khu vực chìm trong bóng tối, bao gồm Kiev, Lvov và Odessa. 

Hệ thống nước và sưởi ấm đã ngừng hoạt động ở nhiều thành phố. Kiev mất điện 70%. Thông tin liên lạc và giao thông một số nơi cũng gián đoạn. Thị trưởng Kiev Vitaly Klitschko kêu gọi người dân, những ai có thể, tạm thời sơ tán về vùng quê để trụ qua mùa đông 2022 này.

Continue reading Cuộc chiến tranh hạ tầng →

Top of the Agenda International Backers Plan New Infrastructure, Military Aid for Ukraine At a conference in Paris yesterday, donor nations pledged to provide Ukraine (AP) more than $1 billion worth of financial aid and donations of health, food, and other supplies. The support aims to meet Ukraine’s humanitarian needs and help repair infrastructure damaged by Russia’s ongoing bombardment. The conference was attended (NYT) by representatives of multinational organizations and some fifty countries. In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told attendees that power outages are affecting around twelve million Ukrainians as winter arrives. Separately, U.S. officials said Washington is preparing to send Ukraine a Patriot missile defense system, while European Union (EU) finance ministers are set to approve around $19 billion in loans to Ukraine today.

Continue reading Council on Foreign Affairs – Daily news brief, Dec. 14, 2022 →

DANH ĐỨC 05/12/2022 09:58 GMT+7

TTCT – Lại một kỳ họp cải cách Hội đồng Bảo an Liên Hiệp Quốc (HĐBA LHQ) kết thúc mà không có tiến triển gì ở cái “tháp Babel” đã lừng lững 71 năm tại New York.

Tháp Babel, tranh của Pieter Bruegel Cha, 1563. Ảnh: Wikipedia

Mong muốn, không chỉ của đại sứ Việt Nam tại LHQ, mà còn của nhiều nước khác, là HĐBA nên được mở rộng ở cả hai nhóm thường trực và không thường trực, dành thêm chỗ cho các nước đang phát triển hơn, đúng với tỉ lệ của tổ chức, hạn chế quyền phủ quyết vô tội vạ… đã được nêu ra suốt 14 “mùa” thảo luận, nhưng vẫn chưa thấy có kết quả gì.

Continue reading Chuyện dài cải cách Liên Hiệp Quốc →

The Water’s EdgeDecember 12, 2022

Council on Foreign Relations, James M. Lindsay
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during the 2018 general election in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Faisal Mahmood/Reuters

Millions of people around the world voted in 2022. South Koreans narrowly elected conservative candidate Yoon Suk-Yoel president.
Viktor Orbán remained Hungary’s prime minister as his far-right Fidesz Party dominated a heavily gerrymandered election.
Emmanuel Macron won reelection in France, making him the first French president in two decades to win reelection.
Voters in the Philippines elected Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., the son of the dictator ousted from power in 1986, president.
Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labour Party won Australia’s parliamentary elections, ending nine years of Liberal Party control.
Colombians elected their first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, a former guerilla fighter. Continue reading Five Elections to Watch in 2023 →

Government of Canada

The Indo-Pacific region is of significant importance to Canada. Home to more than two thirds of the global population, it is the fastest-growing economic region in the world.

As a Pacific nation, Canada recognizes that the Indo-Pacific region is critically important for the long-term prosperity, health and security of Canadians. Beyond our 25,000 km of Pacific Ocean coastline, Canadians share history, culture, and long-standing trade and development ties with the people of the Indo-Pacific.

Continue reading Canada’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific →

DEC 3 2022

Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM)

BALTIC SEA — Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) joined 12 nations for Finnish Navy exercise Freezing Winds in the Baltic Sea from Nov. 22 to Dec. 2.

One of NATO partner nation Finland’s largest maritime exercises, Freezing Winds offered both the Finnish Navy, as well as participating nations and NATO, valuable training opportunities that contribute to increased maritime safety and security in the Baltic Sea region.

The exercise focused on interoperability between the multinational joint forces.

“Cooperation with the Finnish Navy remains strong,” Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Jeanette Morang, commander SNMG1 said. “Of course there are always challenges when it comes to communication, but that is exactly why we train – to improve. From our perspective, we wanted not only to contribute, but we also wanted to learn in this exercise to develop a deeper understanding of regional maritime issues specific to Finland.”

Continue reading NATO units increase readiness in Baltic Sea during Finnish-led maritime exercise Freezing Winds →

BY DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW ON 12/03/22 AT 4:00 AM EST

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How Xi Jinping’s Chinese Spies are Striking Fear in U.S. and Beyond

NEWSCHINAUNITED STATESXI JINPINGCHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

AChinese man strikes at a banner saying “Chinese Communist Party Step Down!” in New York City. He is challenged briefly, then disappears in the crowd at a Columbia University protest against China’s “Zero COVID” policy.

Another man pummels a female student after she shouts that Chinese authorities must be held accountable for the deaths of 10 people in a fire in an apartment complex under lockdown in Urumqi, sparking a rare wave of demonstrations in China. In Berkeley, California, a suspected Communist Party supporter sets ablaze a memorial placed by protesters mourning the dead in Urumqi.

Continue reading Xi Jinping Ramps Up China’s Surveillance, Harassment Deep in America →

ISDS.bilaterals.org

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14 November 2022

Statement on ISDS and climate

Civil society organisations are calling on governments to remove the threat that ISDS (investor state dispute settlement) poses to the climate. The following statement outlines our primary concerns and demands. We seek to put pressure on our governments as they meet at COP 27 in November 2022.

Please read it and consider signing on using the form at the bottom

Continue reading Statement on ISDS and climate →