Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Monday, 31 October 2022.
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Inside the Beltway
- Geopolitics Brief
INSIDE THE BELTWAY
WHITE HOUSE: President Biden will host an event for the children of first responders and National Guard service members at the White House.
CONGRESS: Nothing Significant To Report (NSTR)
GEOPOLITICS BRIEF
CHINA TO DEEPEN TIES WITH RUSSIA; SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE “DISTURBANCES”: According to a Friday report by China state-backed CCTV, Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi, in a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said China will “firmly support the Russian side, under the leadership of President (Vladimir) Putin, to unite and lead the Russian people to overcome difficulties and eliminate disturbances.” Wang further stated China would continue to assist Russia in achieving its “strategic development goals,” saying the revitalization of both nations was their “legitimate right” and attempts to block progress towards these goals would “never succeed.”
RUSSIA HALTS PARTICIPATION IN UNITED NATIONS-BROKERED GRAIN DEAL: Russia halted its role in the U.N. Black Sea Grain agreement put together by the United Nations this past July. Russia said a series of Ukrainian naval drone attacks against its Black Sea fleet violated the agreement and that it could no longer guarantee safe transit for cargo vessels carrying Ukrainian grain exports to global markets. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, concerned with the impact on global food security, is reportedly attempting to bring Russia back into the grain deal. Wheat prices on the international commodities markets are expected to leap on Monday as a result.
CONTESTED ELECTION IN SUNDAY’S BRAZIL PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF ELECTION: In a bitterly-fought election, former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may have defeated incumbent conservative President Jair Bolsonaro 50.9% to Bolsonaro’s 49..1%. The run-off election was marred by accusations of vote-rigging and voter suppression by Lula’s Workers Party and bias in the media and polling firms against Bolsonaro. Lula accused his rival, Bolsonaro, of making false allegations of voter fraud. As of this morning, Bolsonaro has not conceded the election.
JAPAN BUYING TOMAHAWK MISSILES FOR STRATEGIC DETERRENCE: Unnamed Japanese government officials revealed that Japan is finalizing negotiations to purchase American Tomahawk cruise missiles. The move comes as part of a continuing effort by Japan to build armaments and a strategic deterrence capability amid threats from China and Russia. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno refused to confirm the negotiations but said the Japanese government was weighing counterattack capabilities. Tomahawk cruise missiles have a range of 1,000 km, providing Japan with a strike capability against targets in China and Russia’s far east that could be expanded if the purchase includes ship-borne naval variants of the missile.
In today’s Early Warning, the team looks at the growing alliance between China and Russia. In addition, we cover a variety of domestic indicators, including the worsening outlook for gasoline and diesel. Get access to the full brief here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe