The Week That Was: Global News in Review

Foreign Policy Brief #166 | By: Ibrahim Castro | November 01, 2024

Featured Photo: Collage by Breann Bracewell for U.S. Resist News, 2024

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Officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, attend a plenary session in the outreach/BRICS Plus format at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 24, 2024 AFP/Getty Image

BRICS Summit

Last week a three-day BRICS (stands for Brazil Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit was held in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan. It was the first meeting of the group of major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa since it expanded earlier this year to include Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The group now consists of 10 member states, however 20 heads of state, including the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres made their way to Russia to attend the summit. The favorable attendance of multiple non-member heads of state looking to join the bloc presented a win to Vladimir Putin. The Russian president has been trying to court more and more non-Western allies due to sanctions and cutting of ties following the invasion of Ukraine. Though not formally on the summit’s agenda, the war came up repeatedly by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who called for “a just peace” in Ukraine in line with international law and General Assembly resolutions. 

During the summit Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, voiced their commitment to jointly introduce an alternative international payment system that would not be dependent on the US dollar. Something that Russia desperately needs and certainly benefits from having other countries join in. Other than the five members who joined earlier this year, more countries have expressed their interest in joining the group. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members. If Turkey were to join it would become the first NATO member state to join the BRICS bloc, a likely stress point for NATO and EU member states. The BRICS member states make up 3.27 billion people, or 41.13 % of the world’s population. The BRICS countries account for 35% of global GDP, while the G7 only represents 30%. As the group continues to expand its role and influence in global affairs will grow as well.

Soldiers march in a parade for the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 9, 2018.

North Korean Troops in Russia

North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and likely fight inside Ukraine in the coming weeks, according to NATO and Pentagon officials. Some of the North Korean soldiers were believed to be already heading for the Kursk border region, where Russia has been struggling to push back a Ukrainian incursion. Adding North Korean soldiers to the war will likely stoke geopolitical tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia. South Korea’s president,  Yoon Suk Yeol , has already vowed to respond to North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia, including by potentially supplying offensive weapons to Ukraine.

Israel strikes Iran continuing tit-for-tat

Last week, Israel carried out waves of airstrikes in and around Iran’s capital, Tehran. These strikes mark a new round in the ongoing tit-for-tat exchanges of “retaliatory” responses that Israel and Iran have been launching at each other for months now. The attacks primarily targeted military sites in and around the capital. This direct exchange of fire began in April, when Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel—using about 300 missiles and drones—in response to an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Syria. In July, Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an explosion in Tehran. In late September, Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Brig-Gen Nilforoushan, a high-ranking Iranian official, in Beirut. Following these assassinations, on October 1, Iran again launched ballistic missiles at Israel, stating the action was in retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh in its capital and retribution for Nasrallah, and Nilforoushan.

Now, in late October, we are witnessing another round of violence, with Israel responding to Iran’s response, in a seemingly endless cycle of “limited-strategic-retaliatory responses”. US officials have said that “this round of strikes should be the end of the direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran” and an end to the escalating situation. The Iranian government has downplayed the impact of the attacks, requested a Security Council meeting on the matter and stated that Iran was obligated to defend itself and would respond.

A woman buys soup from a street vendor during a power outage in Havana, Monday Oct.21, 2024 (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Blackouts in Cuba

The Cuban government has started to restore power to the millions of residents left in the dark during a nationwide power outage last week. The country’s main power grid collapsed, leaving the entire country without electricity.The crisis was compounded by the passage of hurricane Oscar over the island, which flooded rivers, streets and tore down power lines across eastern Cuba, killing at least seven people. The government acknowledged the critical state of its system, blaming the 62-year old-trade embargo imposed by the United States as the reason for the blackouts. Cuba’s government has relied on the aid of its allies for its necessities – namely Russia and Venezuela. But those countries, now facing their own difficulties, have cut supplies to the island heavily. Since restoring the grid the island has returned to the status quo, which still entails regular power cuts of up to 20 hours a day. The crisis has left a deep uncertainty about the island’s future and ability to provide for itself.

José Mujica, a former president of Uruguay, voting at a polling station in Montevideo, the country’s capital, during primary elections in June. Credit… Eitan Abramovich/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Elections in South America

Two South American countries, Chile and Uruguay, are currently holding nationwide elections. A third country, Bolivia, is experiencing political instability in anticipation of elections next year. In Chile, the moderate right made gains in regional elections. While President Gabriel Boric’s leftist coalition avoided a crushing defeat, the outcome suggests to some a potential return to right-wing politics ahead of the 2025 presidential election. Yet the extreme right remains on the sidelines, Chile’s far-right Republicans did make some gains at the municipal level, but fell short of forecasted expectations.

Uruguay cast ballots last week in a presidential election, where a center-left rural mayor pulled ahead of the conservative incumbent candidate, pushing the race into a second round of voting. In a country of 3.5 million, over 2.7 million eligible voters cast their ballots, resulting in a reported turnout of more than 88% by the time the polls closed. In Uruguay, voting in presidential and congressional contests is compulsory. While other states in the region have faced more divisive politics and distrust of government, Uruguay’s electorate remains largely content with the country’s politics and the steady growth of the economy.

In Bolivia, former president Evo Morales survived an assassination attempt last week after unidentified men opened fire on his car. The attack has intensified tensions in the ongoing power struggle between the ex-president and his ally-turned-rival, current President Luis Arce. This incident coincides with a bitter split at the highest levels of the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party and has raised fears of continued conflict as the 2025 presidential election approaches.

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