December 2, 2020

Weekly World News Update

President-Elect Biden's Foreign Policy Inbox; Pointing Fingers: Iranian Nuclear Scientist Assassinated; The World Edges Towards the First COVID-19 Vaccine; Farmers' Protests Challenge Modi; Australia-China Relations Under Strain; Can a Bloodbath Be Avoided in Ethiopia?; and Nagorno-Karabakh Truce

Quote of the Week “We will not have succeeded if a healthy 20-year old in New Jersey is getting vaccinated before a frontline health care worker in South Sudan.” -- Kate Elder, senior vaccines policy adviser for Doctors Without Borders’ Access Campaign, on the serious issue of equity in accessing the vaccine.

President-Elect Biden's Foreign Policy Inbox

"4 Looming Foreign Policy Crises That Could Derail Biden’s Agenda Early On" Alex Ward -- Vox, December 1, 2020 "Is America to Be First, Second — or What?" Victor Davis Hanson -- National Review, December 1, 2020 "EU Proposes Fresh Alliance with U.S. in Face of China Challenge" Sam Fleming; Jim Brunsden; Michael Peel -- Financial Times, November 29, 2020 "Netanyahu Prepares His Iran Cards Before Biden Takes Office" Ben Caspit -- Al-Monitor, November, 30, 2020

Pointing Fingers: Iranian Nuclear Scientist Assassinated

“Assassinating a Scientist to Kill the Iran Deal” Mark Fitzpatrick -- International Institute for Strategic Studies, November 30, 2020   "What the Assassination of a Nuclear Scientist Means for Iran’s Nuclear Showdown with the U.S. and Israel" Holly Dagres -- Atlantic Council, November 27, 2020 “Iran: Looking Beyond the Assassination” Anthony Cordesman -- Center for Strategic and International Studies, November 30, 2020

The World Edges Towards the First COVID-19 Vaccine

"Covid-19: Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Judged Safe for Use in UK From Next Week" Michelle Roberts -- BBC, December 2, 2020   "When Can I Get a Coronavirus Vaccine?" Maggie Fox -- CNN, December 1, 2020   “Will China Move Africa Up from the End of Coronavirus Vaccine Queue?” Jevans Nyabiage -- South China Morning Post, November 28, 2020   "India Coronavirus: How Do You Vaccinate a Billion People?" Soutik Biswas -- BBC, November 26, 2020

Farmers' Protests Challenge Modi

“Tens of Thousands of Farmers Swarm India's Capital to Protest Deregulation Rules” Julia Hollingsworth; Swati Gupta; Esha Mitra -- CNN, December 1, 2020   “Explained: Why Protesting Farmers Are Still Talking of Two 2018 Private Member Bills” Anju Chaba -- Indian Express, December 1, 2020   "Briefing: Narendra Modi Threatens to Turn India Into a One-Party State" The Economist, November 28, 2020 "Why I’m Losing Hope in India" Andy Mukherjee -- Bloomberg, November 27, 2020

Australia-China Relations Under Strain

“Australian MPs Unite to Condemn 'Grossly Insulting' Chinese Government Tweet” Daniel Hurst; Helen Davidson; Elias Visontay -- The Guardian, November 30, 2020     “China Doubles Down on Criticizing Australia Over Afghanistan” Kinling Lo -- South China Morning Post, December 1, 2020     "China is Humiliating Australia as an Example to Others - But the Bullying Won't Last" Anne-Marie Brady -- Sydney Morning Herald, December 2, 2020 “Australia’s Trade War with China is Unwinnable for Both Countries" Shiro Armstrong -- East Asia Forum, December 1, 2020

Can a Bloodbath Be Avoided in Ethiopia?

“Ethiopia: What We Know About the War in the Tigray Region” Nicholas Bariyo; Gabriele Steinhauser -- Wall Street Journal, November 30, 2020     “EU Considers Aid Cut to Ethiopia Amid Violence” Simon Marks -- Politico, November 30, 2020  “UN, Ethiopia Sign Deal for Aid Access to Embattled Tigray” Cara Anna -- Associated Press, December 2, 2020

Nagorno-Karabakh Truce

“Azerbaijan Fully Reclaims Lands Around Nagorno-Karabakh" Al Jazeera, December 1, 2020  "What's Next for Nagorno-Karabakh?" Moscow Times, December 1, 2020 "In Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Deal, Putin Applied a Deft New Touch" Anton Troianovski; Carlotta Gall -- New York Times, December 1, 2020 “Russia and the West Still Need Each Other in Nagorno-Karabakh" Anna Ohanyan -- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, November 24, 2020