Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Thursday, 04 April 2024.
- KYRGYZSTAN PASSES ANTI-NGO LAW: Kyrgyzstan adopted a new law this week aimed at regulating foreign-funded non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The law is intended to provide oversight and transparency over NGOs involved in domestic political activities.
- The State Department criticized the law, saying that it undermines “democratic governance and civil society” and warned Kyrgyz officials that the law could threaten continued U.S. assistance.
Why It Matters: Russian and Chinese officials have repeatedly warned Central Asian countries about the risk of Western-backed color revolutions. Interestingly, the Republic of Georgia will again consider a similar bill to prevent foreign-funded NGOs from fomenting revolutionary movements inside the country. – M.S.
- FORMER MP: BRITAIN SHOULD RECONSIDER ISRAELI ALLIANCE: Former conservative Minister of Parliament Sir Alan Duncan said that Britain should reconsider whether Israel is an “ally” after Israeli Defense Force (IDF) strikes on Western aid workers in Gaza.
- Duncan said that Israel has “lost the support of the world” and that “all responsible governments [should] most urgently assess whether they can any longer regard Israel as an ally.”
- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “the situation is increasingly intolerable.”
Why It Matters: Israel is losing support among key allies as accusations of war crimes pile up. The anticipated but delayed Rafah campaign could become a ‘point of no return’ for Israeli support if that point hasn’t already been reached. – M.S.
- SOUTHCOM COMMANDER TO ARGENTINA FOR DEFENSE TALKS: U.S. Southern Command’s General Laura Richardson is headed to Argentina this week for defense and security talks.
Why It Matters: This is important for three reasons. First, Argentina is a major U.S. non-NATO ally and continues to make news for its president’s anti-China stance. Second, earlier this week, we reported that U.S. officials were likely to take aim at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) space facility based in Argentina. And third, Gen. Richardson is scheduled to go to Ushuaia, often referred to as the “end of the earth” in extreme southern Argentina. Just north of there is the Strait of Magellan, which is considered a secondary choke point for global shipping. – M.S.
- ISRAEL CALLS UP RESERVE TO BOLSTER AIR DEFENSE: The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) announced a decision to call up air defense reservists for the Aerial Defense Array.
Why It Matters: Israel is anticipating retaliatory attacks from Iran after killing senior IRGC-QF officials in a bombing strike in Syria over the weekend. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised revenge attacks, and Israel likely expects epic barrages of missiles from well-stocked proxy groups in the region. There is a risk that continuing escalation or a catastrophic attack against Israel leads to a second Israeli front against Hezbollah in Lebanon and/or a larger regional war. – M.S.
THAT’S A WRAP: This does it for today’s edition. Thank you for reading. If you know folks who would also like to receive this email, would you please forward it to them? We appreciate you spreading the word. – M.S.