Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Wednesday, 02 November 2022.
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Inside the Beltway
- Geopolitics Brief
INSIDE THE BELTWAY
WHITE HOUSE: President Biden will deliver remarks on strengthening the infrastructure talent pipeline at the White House.
CONGRESS: Nothing Significant To Report (NSTR)
DEFENSE: Secretary of Defense Austin will participate in the Chief of Space Operations change of responsibility ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
GEOPOLITICS BRIEF
U.S. AND CHINESE OFFICIALS WORKING ON BIDEN-XI SUMMIT: Reuters is reporting that U.S. and Chinese officials are busy trying to coordinate an in-person summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping. The staff of both Biden and Xi are working to schedule the summit to coincide with the G20 Summit this month in Indonesia. U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said the “two staffs are still working out the modalities of a potential meeting between [Biden and Xi].” (AC: The Biden -Xi summit idea is likely a reaction to cascading events in the Indo-Pacific that are pitting China against the U.S.-led QUAD alliance. The Biden administration’s new sanctions against selling high-end chip manufacturing technology to China are being portrayed as an act of war in Beijing, while China’s reunification goals for Taiwan are being portrayed the same way in Washington. It appears that both sides see some room to avoid mutual destruction and are making a public effort to resolve the conflict through diplomacy – although hidden agendas will most likely be in play. – M.M.)
MEDVEDEV: COMPLETE VICTORY IN UKRAINE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT GLOBAL CONFLICT: Saying the west was “pushing the world into a global war” by supporting Ukraine, head of the Russian Security Council, Dimitry Medvedev, said that Russia’s “complete and final victory” can prevent a global conflict. Medvedev characterized the stated goals of the Ukrainian government to recapture all of its territories as a direct threat to the existence of the Russian state, which could trigger a Russian nuclear response. The former president implied western support of these goals was a “direct provocation of a world war with the use of nuclear weapons.” (AC: Medvedev’s comments reflect ongoing internal propaganda campaigns to advance psycho-social “othering” by portraying western countries as aggressors bent on destroying the Russian people. This provides the foundation for future narratives that justify the continued hardships faced by average Russian citizens as part of a patriotic national struggle against the global threat posed by the West. These techniques echo similar narratives historically used by Russia’s Soviet predecessors throughout the Cold War and World War II. – R.P.)
SERBIA PLACES MILITARY ON ALERT IN ROW OVER KOSOVAN LICENSE PLATES: Serbian Defence Minister Miloš Vučević announced the Serbian Military had been placed on high alert under the orders of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. The orders come as a result of a decision by the Kosovan government to enforce a requirement for ethnic Serbs in Kosovo to purchase and display Kosovo license plates with illegal license plates resulting in fines issued by police. Cautioning Kosovo from playing “war games,” Serbian officials said the Serbian army was ready to “implement every order of President Vučić” and protect all Serbian citizens, “Including the Serbs in Kosovo.”
BOLSONARO PRAISES PROTESTORS, WHILE AUTHORIZING TRANSITION OF POWER: Breaking his silence following Sunday’s run-off elections, Incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro gave a brief speech in which he thanked his supporters and praised ongoing protests in brazil as a “popular movement” while refusing to acknowledge his defeat. Saying that the protests were the fruit of “indignation and a sense of injustice” over the elections, Bolsonaro called on protestors to avoid destroying property and “impeding the right to come and go.” Following the speech, Bolsonaro’s chief of staff announced he had been authorized to begin preparations for the transition of power to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who is due to take office on January 1st.
In today’s Early Warning, the team looks at the latest from Russia on nukes and conflict in the Balkans. The team also covers a range of domestic issues, including the predictions for the Fed’s rate hikes later today. Get access to the full brief here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe