memes sum up an insane week.
It’s become a bit of a cliché to point out that a year’s worth of news was crammed into one week. Every week now seems to provide a firehose of events. But this one was one for the books. I spent nearly all my waking hours tracking world events, and it was still challenging to keep up.
South Korea’s president declared martial law and then promptly walked it back after the country’s entire National Assembly and many brave protesters rejected what appears to have been a coup attempt. Now, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s political career is dead. South Korean police launched an insurrection investigation into him, and nearly all his aides resigned. Opposition lawmakers are trying to impeach him, and even Yoon’s party leader is backing the effort. The chaos created some fun on the Internet, though.
Meanwhile, rebel groups previously linked to al-Qaeda took over the Syrian city of Aleppo, sparking fears among locals but then, ultimately, turning the lights back on and distributing bread. I’ve been reporting on this all week, so expect a story from me sometime early next.
I’ll also have an interview with a Serbian government minister, during which we discuss some of the latest events in Kosovo, where tensions have ratcheted up over an explosion that temporarily cut off water and power supplies.
Oh, and the French government collapsed after left and right-wing lawmakers supported a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Michel Barnier over his use of special powers to force through a budget. The events in France are sparking concern about a potential Greece-style Eurozone crisis.
Romania’s constitutional court annulled the first round of the recent presidential election due to allegations that Russia coordinated an online campaign to promote the far-right outsider Călin Georgescu. Events in Georgia are still dramatic, with opposition figures being jailed and beaten. Opposition leaders have also been arrested or abducted in Kenya and Tanzania. All of this is to say that today’s newsletter is long. I apologize if it breaks your inbox.
What I’m writing:
• The Biden team is trying to put Ukraine “in the strongest possible position” before Trump returns to the White House. But many argue that Biden’s efforts haven’t been sufficient to give Kyiv the upper hand. This story is unlocked and free to read.
• My colleague Erin Durkin and I recorded a podcast about Trump’s nominees for key cabinet positions and what they tell us about the future administration’s plans for health care, foreign policy, intelligence sharing, and immigration.
My weekly news blurbs:
What I’m reading:
• Police arrested a prominent Georgian opposition leader, Zurab Japaridze, amid ongoing protests over the government’s decision to suspend European Union accession talks, the Guardian reports.
• The leader of one of Georgia’s opposition parties was beaten unconscious by police and detained amid an increasingly brutal response to protests over the ruling party’s decision to suspend EU accession talks, the New York Times reports.
• Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania imposed sanctions on Georgia’s ruling officials, citing the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in Tbilisi, Politico Europe reports.
• Ukraine imposed sanctions on former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and some members of the ruling party for “handing Georgia over to Putin,” Reuters reports.
• Declassified Romanian intelligence suggests that Romania’s ultranationalist presidential candidate was supported by a TikTok campaign similar to the Kremlin’s influence operations in Ukraine and Moldova. Politico Europe has the story.
• Pro-Western parties won the most votes in Romania’s parliamentary election and will look to form a coalition government as the European Union country sees a surge of support for far-right nationalists who made considerable gains in the country’s legislature, the Associated Press reports.
• The Brussels Court of Appeal found the Belgian state guilty of “crimes against humanity” for kidnappings of mixed-race children in Congo under colonial rule, Politico Europe reports.
• The Economist writes that the hard-right Vox party is winning over Spain’s youth.
• The opposition in the Northern Irish assembly wants to send non-voting representatives to the European Parliament to forge closer post-Brexit ties, Politico Europe reports.
• A Chinese commercial vessel and its crew are suspected of deliberately dragging an anchor for 100 miles to sever two critical data cables along the Baltic seabed, the Wall Street Journal reports. Over the past week, NATO warships surrounded the Chinese bulk carrier in international waters.
• After capturing much of Aleppo in a surprise offensive, rebel forces in Syria led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured the city’s airport, posing the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years, the Washington Post reports.
• Syrian insurgents advanced on the city of Hama after capturing Aleppo and threatening to siphon government forces from a critical Aleppo-Damascus route, the Guardian reports.
• • Hundreds of Iran-backed Iraqi militia fighters crossed into Syria to help the government fend off rebels who seized Aleppo, Reuters reports.
• New Lines Magazine published an interesting essay from their editorial director about her recent visit to Syria’s capital. They also published a personal essay from a woman who returned to Aleppo mere days before the rebels took over.
• Syrian rebels ousted pro-government forces from the strategically important city of Hama in a significant new victory, Reuters reports.
• Russia and Iran pledged “unconditional support” for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with Syrian state media reporting that Russian and Syrian fighter jets struck targets in rebel-controlled territory. The Guardian has the story.
• The United States and the United Arab Emirates discussed lifting sanctions on Assad if he distances himself from Iran and cuts off Hezbollah weapons routes, Reuters reports.
• Fatah and Hamas are closing in on an agreement on who will administer Gaza after the war, with the deal hinging on the appointment of a committee of politically independent technocrats that would effectively end Hamas’ rule, the Associated Press reports.
• President-elect Donald Trump’s newly named Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar’s Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in late November to push for a ceasefire, Reuters reports.
• An Israeli court ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to testify in his long-running corruption trial after several delays, the Associated Press reports.
• In an extraordinary night of tumult, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then backed down hours later, following hours of protests in Seoul and the National Assembly passing a resolution demanding an end to martial law, the New York Times reports.
• South Korea’s opposition parties submitted a motion to impeach Yoon over his attempt to impose martial law, the Associated Press reports.
• Mexican lawmakers voted last to abolish seven watchdog agencies, intensifying fears that President Claudia Sheibbuam is leveraging her sweeping electoral victory to undermine democratic checks and balances, the Washington Post reports.
• The Wall Street Journal reports that Chad, a longtime Western counterterrorism ally in Central Africa, is severing military ties with France. The move will likely see some 1,000 French troops leave the country, where they have been supporting the country’s military in fighting rebel groups.
• Kenya was fully aware of a plan to abduct and detain Uganda’s opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, during his visit to the country two weeks ago, the BBC reports. The BBC also explains who Besigye is and why he was arrested.
• The Washington Post describes how the U.S. and China are vying for influence in Africa.
• Tanzanian police are investigating the reported kidnapping of opposition youth leader Abdul Nondo, who was taken from a bus station by unknown assailants after he had been campaigning for his party’s candidates, the BBC reports.
Interesting statements:
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