THE TOP THREE
1. U.S. and Mexico negotiate this week in Washington

What's going on
 Last week, soon after President Lopez Obrador submitted USMCA to Mexico's Senate, President Trump announced the United States would place 5% tariffs on Mexican goods if Mexico did not increase efforts to stop migration flows from Mexico to the Untied States. This week a senior delegation from Mexico arrived in D.C. to negotiate. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced yesterday that 6,000 men from Mexico's National Guard will be deployed to its southern border with Guatemala.
What Ambassadors are saying
"Policing their southern border is really a very big challenge and they have committed significant resources to doing that. There numbers are way up in terms of enforcement and deportation. They’re limited in a number of respects. One is in terms of resources, second is their whole constitution limits them in terms of how they can limit peoples’ movement within the country even those coming in through that southern border, and third they have signed on to a number of international migratory protocols that also limit them. I think their response has been they have done everything within their financial and economic capacity as well as legal authorization in terms of enforcement. Perhaps there are a few more things that they could do, ultimately I think the conversations have to be around what can Mexico and the United States do together in terms of enforcement along the southern and northern borders and our southern border. What can they do together in terms of addressing the conditions in Central America that have caused this large exodus of peoples from that region. But I think from the Mexican perspective they say they are a transient country, they share a border with the United States. [The question is] what can we do constructively together to address this situation as opposed to going tit for tat on tariffs that ultimately I think is to the detriment of both countries.” (Ambassador Antonio Garza, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Bloomberg )
2. 30th Anniversary of Tiananmen Uprising

What's going on
This week marked the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tianamen Square protests in Beijing led by students calling for democracy, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. On June 4, 1989 China used force to quell these protests, killing both demonstrators and bystanders. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesda y, "We salute the heroes of the Chinese people who bravely stood up thirty years ago in Tiananmen Square to demand their rights. Their exemplary courage has served as an inspiration to future generations calling for freedom and democracy around the world." A Chinese Embassy spokesperson criticized Secretary Pompeo's comments while the Chinese government continues to censor media surrounding the Tianamen anniversary.
What Ambassadors are saying
"The Communist Party of China’s annual efforts to make an entire day, June 4, disappear from modern Chinese history underscores how much China’s leaders still fear their own citizens more than any tariffs or trade war. This year marked the Tiananmen Square 30th anniversary of the violent suppression and killing of protesters calling for democracy, accountability and an end to corruption—issues that continue to resonate with everyday Chinese people.” (Ambassador Curtis Chin, former U.S. Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank)
3. Sudan military calls for elections after cracking down on protesters

What's going on
Sudan's ruling military junta, Transitional Military Council (TMC), has announced it will proceed with elections in nine months and has cancelled all agreements and further negotiations with the opposition coalition, Alliance for Freedom and Change. The announcement came after a violent attack by security forces on protesters in Khartoum where at least 35 people were killed and hundreds wounded. Alliance for Freedom and Change represents these protesters in negotiations with TMC.
What Ambassadors are saying
”Undoubtedly the officers who have seized power in Sudan will paint themselves as necessary bulwarks against chaos and instability, or extremists with a taste for terrorism. The international community must not allow them to define the options for Sudan so narrowly. We must remember the courage of the Sudanese citizens, who clearly see a whole world of possibilities." (Ambassador Michelle Gavin, former U.S. Ambassador to Sudan, CFR )
IN THE MEDIA

Council of American Ambassadors member Antonio Garza, along with six other former U.S. Ambassadors to Mexico, urge officials to de-link trade and immigration and instead address the real problems around Central American migration. The article was published on CNBC this week after the White House threatened 5% tariffs on Mexican goods if Mexico did not increase efforts to halt immigration flows.
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