In this series of articles, our foreign affairs editor Colin McGinness provides a concise roundup of the biggest global political events from the past month.
North America
As the death toll of the Covid-19 pandemic reaches past the grim milestone of 100,000 in the United States, the nation is still in the midst of preparing for its 2020 presidential election. With former Vice-President Joe Biden at the helm of the Democratic Party ticket, the opposition has opted for a similar strategy to the one used in 2016. The logic goes that a moderate candidate has the best chance of convincing former Trump voters to switch parties, but this is clearly easier said than done.
In more positive news, cicadas across North America are set to emerge from the soil after a 17-year hibernation. The loud insects will find a world very different from the one they burrowed away from nearly two decades ago.
Latin America
Brazil has emerged as the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak in Latin America. President Jair Bolsonaro’s cavalier approach and initial dismissal of the virus’ destructive potential have been the source of his countries lax response. Two health ministers have either been sacked or resigned within the last month, as frustrations grow and a coherent response has yet to materialise.
Meanwhile, protests have erupted in Chile as the capital city Santiago entered a strict lockdown to prevent further Covid-19 infections. The protests were in response to a lack of food and basic supplies in Santiago’s poorest neighborhoods. President Pinera has since pledged to provide these communities with over 2.5 million baskets of food and other goods. With the country still reeling from anti-government protests at the end of 2019, eyes are on the president to see if he can deliver on his promises of reform.
Europe
While the UK is still battling the worst Covid-19 outbreak in Europe, the rest of the continent is set to start easing lockdown measures in the coming weeks. Schools in France have begun to reopen, as are bars and restaurants across a variety of countries.
Victor Orban’s government in Hungary has announced that on the 20th of June, it will cede the extraordinary powers that it had given itself to combat the country’s Covid-19 outbreak. These powers gave the government the ability to essentially rule by decree, and the announcement that these powers are to be given up has come as a shock to many observers.
Asia
After initially taking the brunt of the Covid-19 strain, much of East Asia is preparing to reopen. Prefectures across Japan have eased their lockdowns and in China, where the pandemic began, schools and businesses are once again open.
Tensions have flared in Hong Kong, as a controversial national security bill has been introduced to the National People’s Congress in Beijing. Further protests, similar to those surrounding an extradition bill in 2019, are expected.
Along the Chinese and Indian shared border, there have been reports of incursions by Chinese troops into the Indian side. The two have hotly contested the area surrounding the border, which led to a brief war between them during the Cold War. Some fear that escalating tensions between the two nuclear armed powers has the potential to turn violent once more.
Middle East
With Ramadan occurring during a period of unprecedented social distancing, religious traditions have been adapted to cope. While not ideal, the celebrations have brought a welcome distraction from the growing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. More on this can be found from our Middle-East Correspondent’s piece in this month’s newsletter.
After months of political negotiations, Israel finally has a government in place. After three indecisive elections in the just over one year, Benyamin Netenyahu’s ruling right-wing Likud Party has agreed to form a coalition with the centrist Blue and White Party whose leader, Benny Gantz, will take over the premiership in 2021.
Africa
A planned election in Ethiopia has been postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Opposition leaders have cried foul. The current Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, has been praised as a democratic reformer in a country that has long been dominated by one-party rule. Whether or not he will retain his democratic status remains to be seen.
A suspected Rwandan war-criminal has been arrested in Paris. Following a 26 year long man-hunt and several close calls, Felicien Kabuga has been found and apprehended. Once one of Rwanda’s richest men, he is suspected of helping finance and support the Hutu militias that perpetrated one of the worst examples of ethnic cleansing in recent memory. Finally caught at the age of 84, questions abound as to how he has been able to remain undetected for so long, while seemingly travelling the world and living in relative luxury.