Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Wednesday, 13 March 2024.
- TAIWANESE POLITICIAN MAKES FIRST MOVE FOR INDEPENDENCE: Taiwanese politician Kao Su-mei is calling for the U.S. and other countries to rename their Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) to Taiwan Representative Offices to accurately represent Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Why It Matters: This is the first move toward a declaration of independence, a trigger for forced reunification by China. – J.V.
- ISRAELI POLITICIAN CALLS FOR WAR ON LEBANON: Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to wage war on Lebanon.
- “Gallant, the army is your responsibility. What are you waiting for? More than 100 missiles, 100 launches on the State of Israel and you sit quietly? Stop releasing Abu Ali videos and let’s start reacting, attacking, war – now.” Ben-Gvir said in a tweet.
Why It Matters: Ben-Gvir is calling to officially expand the war despite the fact that Israel is already launching missiles into Lebanon and has been practicing clearing drills in the north for weeks. An expansion of the war would likely increase regional hostilities and disruptions. – J.V.
- SIPRI: ARMS TRANSFERS DOWN WORLDWIDE, UP IN KEY REGIONS: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said that arms transfers are up in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
- India is the world’s largest arms importer, holding 9.8% of the world’s arms imports. Its main suppliers are Russia (36%), France (33%), and the U.S. (13%).
- Japan, Qatar, Ukraine, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Poland, the Philippines, NATO, Bahrain, Romania, Germany, France, and New Zealand all saw at least a doubling of their imports.
Why It Matters: The U.S.’ allies worldwide are rebuilding their weapons stocks, usually with the United States as their main supplier. Some of these nations are actively preparing for the possibility of armed conflict. – J.V.
- TREASURY’S ADEYEMO COURTING SOUTH AFRICA: U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo is in South Africa, offering U.S. assistance to help solve the country’s many problems.
- Adeyemo encouraged the South African government to take on low-cost loans and accept Western aid to invest in alternative energy, like solar and wind, to solve its crippling power shortages.
- Adeyemo also encouraged South African leaders to solve the country’s corruption problems.
Why It Matters: The Biden administration floats out Adeyemo to deliver strategic messages directly to foreign country’s rulers. Adeyemo, for instance, visited Turkey in 2022 to threaten sanctions unless the Turkish government disconnected from Russian banks. Adeyemo’s visit to South Africa is likely an effort to gain financial and economic influence on a core member of the BRICS economic alliance. South Africa is a notoriously corrupt country, and it’s unlikely that the government, which fails to maintain coal-fired power plants, can run more complex and less efficient alternative energy systems. This is a point of economic leverage, not a humanitarian mission. – 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.