produced by the Council of American Ambassadors on American Ambassadors Live!
THE TOP THREE
1. India-Pakistan tensions heighten in Kashmir

What's going on
On Tuesday, India's Parliament passed a proposal revoking Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which granted near-autonomous authority in Jammu and Kashmir (India's side of the Pakistan-disputed Kashmir region). Pakistan responded on Wednesday with an announcement that it would halt trade with India and expel India's top diplomat in Islamabad. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi by saying his government is promoting "an ideology that puts Hindus above all other religions and seeks to establish a state that represses all other religious groups."
What Ambassadors are saying
(Dated May 23, 2018) ”Pakistan has existential issues, quite literally, with India. They fear that the day will come when the Indians with their vastly superior numbers will literally try to overrun them. Almost anything that happens is Pakistan is filtered through that prism of India. The Indians do something similar, though as a much larger country, not with the same degree of urgency and angst." - Ambassador Ryan Crocker; former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon; VOA
2. Sudan's military council and opposition group sign a transition deal

What's going on
On Sunday, officials from Sudan's ruling military council and an alliance of opposition groups signed a power-sharing agreement that will transition Sudan from military to civilian rule. The agreement comes after months of unrest under military rule following the ouster of former Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The agreement is set to be signed August 17.
What the Ambassadors are saying
"The international community must remember that it was an economic crisis that was at the heart of former President Bashir's ouster. Elites in the security services, aware of the $50 billion-plus debt burden and the absence of deep-pocketed rescuers willing to bet on Bashir, recognized that their interests could not be served by the status quo, and so, at least for a moment, found common cause with the brave Sudanese citizens who had taken to the streets. Those same elites should be reminded that economic lifelines will be linked to real transition milestones going forward...The United States should not rely on Gulf States to send this message...We may share an interest in a stable Sudan, but the degree of repression we will tolerate in exchange is not the same, or at least it shouldn't be." -Ambassador Michelle Gavin, former U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, CFR
3. New IPCC report on effects of climate change

What's going on
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report this week predicting food yield declines, increased prices, reduced nutrient quality and supply chain disruptions as a result of rising global temperatures.
What Ambassadors are saying
"The climate crisis is not a 'single issue' - it is unique in that it affects every facet of our society. Care about jobs? With coal in rapid decline, how can we grow clean energy markets to provide rural Americans well-paying careers? Care about the economy? How will American compete for the $26 trillion that can be gained by taking bold climate action between now and 2030? Care about health? How will we prevent up to tens of thousands of Americans from dying each year from extreme temperatures?" -Ambassador Bill Richardson, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, USA Today
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