Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Friday, 07 October 2022.
TAIWAN DEFENSE OFFICIAL: ANY INCURSION INTO TAIWAN AIRSPACE MEANS WAR: Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told lawmakers in Taipei this week that any future incursion by China into the island’s airspace would be treated as a “first strike” by Taiwan and would result in kinetic retaliation. Chiu added, “In the past we said we won’t be the first to strike, which meant we won’t do it without them firing artillery shells or missiles, et cetera, first… but now that definition has obviously changed.”
ZELINSKY: “WE NEED PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES” TO PREVENT A NUCLEAR ATTACK: In a televised speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for pre-emptive strikes on Russia to deter a nuclear attack. The Ukrainian leader referenced previous pleas for interventions by the international community before the invasion in February, calling on NATO to “reconsider the way you apply pressure” rather than waiting for a Russian nuclear strike. Kremlin officials immediately denounced Zelensky’s comments.
NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES TIT-FOR-TAT BOMBER DEMONSTRATION: South Korea scrambled approximately 30 fighter aircraft Thursday after North Korea launched a strike package of eight fighter aircraft and four strategic bombers towards their shared border’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The North Korean strike package also included the launch of two short-range ballistic missiles which landed in the East Sea. The North Korean drills and missile launches came after a similar set of drills by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea in response to the North’s provocative launch of a ballistic missile on 4 October that flew over northern Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean.
HAITI HUNGER RIOTS COMMENCE AMID NATIONAL SPIRAL: Reports coming out of Haiti indicate the capital Port Au Prince is shrouded in smoke from burning tires and barricades as protesters demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and call for the dispossession of wealthy Haitian business leaders. According to social media accounts that have reported reliably in the past, as of yesterday, nearly all industrial facilities and warehouses had been looted in the Delmas district of the capital, and the national television station had been attacked. Banks and ATMs are also under regular attack. Charity food distribution points in the city of Gonaives had also been looted and medical charities are reporting widespread outbreaks of cholera. The president of the neighboring Dominican Republic reportedly spoke at an Organization of American States meeting in Washington D.C. yesterday and urged countries to send peacekeeping troops to the country.
In today’s Early Warning, the team covers geopolitical threats and pressures on debt here at home. To gain access to in-depth analysis and the whole report, subscribe to the Early Warning here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe