Diplomacy & Crisis News

Russian military operations inside the sovereign territory of Ukraine “on a scale that Europe has not seen in decades, conflict directly with the United Nations Charter,” Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists on Thursday.

The first American to be vaccinated against the COVID virus and a first-responder in New York City, Sandra Lindsay, met with Abdulla Shahid, President of the General Assembly.

The United Nations has condemned the killing of eight polio vaccination workers in four locations in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, the first such attacks since nationwide immunization campaigns resumed last November. 

Amid reports on Thursday that people were fleeing en masse from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev following Russia’s so-called “special military operation,” UN humanitarians warned of the “devastating” consequences of military action. 

“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine, give peace a chance,” Secretary-General António Guterres urged Wednesday evening at the start of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the body's second late night session this week.

Higher incomes contribute more to environmental degradation than population growth, a report by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has revealed. 

The destabilizing deterioration of the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continues in the absence of political solutions that would “reset the trajectory”, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said on Wednesday. 

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights launched on Wednesday a ground-breaking new report for development finance institutions to ensure that the projects they support do not harm people, and make effective remedy is readily available.

The United Nations will work together with the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as other partners, in ensuring security in the eastern part of the country, said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN’s top peacekeeping official. 

The world is facing “a moment of peril,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a General Assembly session on Wednesday dedicated to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the release of four members of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) who were arrested in the capital, Bangui, earlier this week, his spokesperson said on Wednesday. 

Wildfires are projected to rise by 50 per cent by the end of the century due to the climate crisis and changes in land use, according to a report published on Wednesday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal, a non-profit environmental communications centre based in Norway. 

Peter Suciu

Russia Military, Belarus

Around 30,000 Russian troops were deployed to Belarus for the joint Union Resolve 2022 exercises.

Even as reports suggest that a Russian invasion of Ukraine remains "imminent," Russian officials have claimed that its troops will return to their permanent bases. However, instead of providing any timetable, it now appears that Russia is taking a very direct and blunt stance: those forces will only return to their bases when Moscow is ready for them to do so.

And it isn't just Russia that is making the bold declaration.

On Monday, during a briefing with defense attaches, Major General Viktor Gulevich, Chief of the Belarusian General Staff, explained that Russia's forces will return back to their bases only when the need arises, according to a report from TASS.

"Russian troops will return to their permanent bases only when there is an objective need for that and we determine that ourselves. This is solely our internal matter," Gulevich stated. Gulevich emphasized that the timeframe for the return of the troops to Russia "will to a large extent depend on our Western colleagues."

Moscow has made several demands, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO, and Russian president Vladimir Putin has also called for NATO to return to its 1997 status, which would require the expulsion of fifteen current members.

However, those requests have been described as nonstarters by the United States and NATO. As the two sides remain at an impasse, Russia has continued its buildup of military forces, and Putin recently announced that Moscow would recognize the independence of Ukraine’s breakaway regions.

Union Resolve Exercises

Around 30,000 Russian troops had been deployed to Belarus to take part in the joint Union Resolve 2022 exercises. The drills were part of a combat readiness check of the Union State's response forces.

"The forces that have been deployed to Eastern Europe, including near the Belarusian state border, are one of the factors that influence any further developments," Gulevich stated.

Gulevich added that "given the growing military buildup near the borders of the Union State [of Belarus and Russia] and mounting tensions in Donbass, the presidents of Belarus and Russia have decided to continue the check of the Union State's response forces."

This has been seen as a shift in language from Moscow, which just last week had maintained that its forces would return to Russia at the completion of the joint exercises. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov even took aim at NATO for the alliance's deployments in Eastern Europe.

"Unlike the drills on its territory, which Russia performs, and after which the troops return to garrisons, the troops that are far from the territory of both the UK, the U.S., [and] Canada, are sent to Baltic states, to Black Sea states, those troops and arms usually never get back home," Lavrov said after talks with British foreign secretary Liz Truss on Thursday.

Now, it appears that Russia's forces could be staying in Belarus a while longer, at least if they are not sent to invade Ukraine.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.

Image: Reuters.

Peter Suciu

Hypersonic Weapons,

A recent meeting between Secretary Austin and defense industry leaders shed light on what industry insiders believe might be causing delays in hypersonic weapons development.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with the CEOs of more than two dozen of America's largest defense contractors and called for accelerated efforts to develop hypersonic weapons. Austin’s call comes as China and Russia are making advancements in the development of the game-changing technology.

Top executives from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Leidos, Aerojet Rocketdyne, BAE Systems, L3Harris, and about a half dozen other defense companies were represented at the meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

"We need to anticipate how [China is] going to evolve its capabilities. And we need to be out in front of that," Austin told attendees of the meeting.

Capable of reaching speeds of Mach 5 or faster, hypersonic weapons are incredibly difficult to detect, something that poses a significant challenge to missile defense systems. Hypersonic missiles can also maneuver and evade missile defense systems while in flight. In addition, hypersonic missiles can travel at a far lower trajectory than high-arching ballistic missiles, which are more easily detectable.

The United States’ effort to develop hypersonic weapons has suffered multiple setbacks in recent months. In October, the Pentagon said a test of a hypersonic glide body failed due to a problem with its rocket. In addition, a hypersonic missile failed to separate from a B-52H Stratofortress bomber during a test at Edwards Air Force Base last April. April’s test was the eighth test aimed at determining how to arm the Cold War-era bomber with the advanced AGM-182A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon.

Three military branches, as well as DARPA and the Missile Defense Agency, are now pursuing their own programs. The 2022 Department of Defense budget committed $3.8 billion to hypersonic research, an increase from the previous year's $3.2 billion. While funding has been increased, one issue will be determining how the Pentagon should allocate funding for those various programs.

"The meeting between industry heads and a Defense Secretary was a rare occurrence and serves to underscore that hypersonic development is a priority to the U.S. military," explained William Davies, an analyst at the international analytics firm GlobalData.

"Despite a concerted push by DoD officials to advance hypersonic weapon timelines, the ambition will not be realized unless the 2023 budget shows targeted funding for achieving deployment of ongoing programs," Davies added.

The meeting between Secretary Austin and the defense industry leaders shed light on what industry insiders believe might be causing delays in hypersonic weapons development. Several factors have been cited, including supply chain constraints, budget instability, and access to wind testing facilities.

Such complaints will likely have an impact on future budget priorities, which may also include increasing workforce development funds to ensure that the United States remains competitive with its adversaries, GlobaData suggested.

"The U.S. has expressed significant concern recently about the proliferation of hypersonic weapons amongst adversaries, and this meeting will likely serve to focus minds on what needs to be done to enable defense primes to bring weapons to market on schedule," Davies noted. "The U.S. is likely to prioritize testing infrastructure such as wind tunnels and missile test ranges in coming years, but whether this will be enough to speed up development remains to be seen."

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.

Image: Reuters.

Parents and pregnant women globally are exposed to aggressive marketing for baby formula milk, according to a report launched jointly by two UN agencies on Tuesday.

The latest developments in Ukraine are testing “the entire international system”, Secretary-General António Guterres said at a media stakeout on Tuesday, adding “we must pass this test.”

Trevor Filseth

Burkina Faso Coup, Africa

The coup in Burkina Faso marks the third high-profile overthrow of a government in West Africa since 2019.

The United States announced on Friday that it would suspend a $160 million aid package to Burkina Faso after an internal review concluded that the military’s overthrow of President Roch Kabore constituted a coup d’etat.

Because U.S. law automatically forbids providing aid to military governments that depose democratically-elected leaders, the aid package was frozen after the determination was made, according to Reuters.

“The State Department assesses that a military coup took place in Burkina Faso,” a statement issued by a State Department spokesperson read. “Therefore, approximately $158.6 million in foreign assistance that benefits the Government of Burkina Faso is restricted.”

However, the government also indicated that the law allows for exceptions to the blanket ban, including for the provision of essential humanitarian goods such as medicines.

Kabore was overthrown in January after a bloodless but chaotic military coup that began when Burkinabe soldiers took control of a military base in Ouagadougou, the country’s capital. Although Kabore was initially reported to have escaped an attempted kidnapping by the mutineers, it was later revealed that he was imprisoned at the base. While the leaders of the mutiny initially issued a series of demands for the government, they did not indicate that they would depose Kabore. After a day of uncertainty, however, they backtracked and announced that they would seize power. The junta’s leader, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba, was officially sworn into office as the country’s president on Wednesday.

The military junta justified its overthrow of Kabore by criticizing his failure to quell an Islamist insurgency in the country’s eastern border regions. The ongoing insurgency has forced more than one million citizens, or roughly five percent of the country’s population, to flee their homes.

The coup in Burkina Faso marks the third high-profile overthrow of a government in West Africa since 2019. In neighboring Mali, army officer Assimi Goita seized control of the country in 2020 and launched a second coup in May 2021 to dismiss civilian elements of the government and consolidate power. Then, in September 2021, Mamady Doumbouya, a Guinean special forces officer, orchestrated a coup of his own, overthrowing Guinean leader Alpha Conde. Goita and Doumbouya reportedly knew one another, as both had received counterterrorism training from U.S. forces.

The wave of military takeovers has destabilized West Africa, causing French troops to depart from Mali and leading to an uptick in Islamist insurgent violence across the Sahel region.

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters.

Mark Episkopos

Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine

It is unclear if the advancing Russian forces will confine their presence to the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics or if they will seek to establish a perimeter in the broader Donbas region.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine.

The announcement follows an hour-long presidential address on Monday in which Putin framed Ukraine as a historically and culturally inseparable part of Russia’s sphere of influence. Russian lawmakers voted unanimously on Tuesday to authorize Putin to use military force in Donbas

It is unclear if the advancing Russian forces will confine their presence to the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR) in the near term, or if they will seek to establish a perimeter in the broader Donbas region.

Video footage has emerged of main battle tanks (MBTs) and other military equipment rolling into the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk. The scale of the Russian intervention—both in the number of participating military personnel and the types of military equipment used—remains unknown, as do the Kremlin’s long-term military aims.

Putin characterized the deployment as a “peacekeeping” effort, following allegations from Moscow and the separatists that Ukraine is conducting a “genocide” against the majority Russian-speaking, pro-Russian population of the eastern Donbas region. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Moscow’s peacekeeping claim was “nonsense,” adding, “we know what they really are."

Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer described Russia’s Donbas deployment as an  “invasion,” a term the White House was initially hesitant to use. “We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion,” Finer told CNN on Tuesday. “I am calling it an invasion. We’re taking a severe response including sanctions on Russia [that] we’ll be rolling out in a matter of hours.”

The Biden administration has implemented a mild initial sanctions package involving prohibitions on “new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine,” with White House press secretary Jen Psaki noting that additional measures will come later this week. British prime minister Boris Johnson announced financial restrictions on five Russian banks and three Russian billionaires—a package he described as the “first barrage” of British sanctions on Moscow. Berlin has suspended the certification process for Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany.

“Moscow has moved from covert attempts to destabilize Ukraine to overt military action,” said NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg during a briefing on Tuesday. “We will continue to provide Ukraine with strong political support and allies are providing equipment to help Ukraine defend itself as well as sustained financial support.”

Western governments and intelligence sources have expressed concern that the entry of Russian troops into territories currently not under direct Ukrainian control could be followed by a full-scale invasion and occupation of all or large parts of the country.

Mark Episkopos is a national security reporter for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters.

Stephen Silver

Child Tax Credit,

Romney's deal may be the only way for the child tax credit to survive, although whether it has enough support remains an open question.

The expanded child tax credit expired at the end of 2021 after it became clear that there wasn’t enough support to pass the Build Back Better package, which would have funded the credit for one more year.

Despite this setback, a number of Democratic senators have continued to push for a continuation of the expanded credit, and some lawmakers have highlighted that the expiration of the credit led to a noticeable increase in child poverty in the first month of 2022. However, as long as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) continues to oppose the credit, it’s unclear how something resembling the Build Back Better version can pass a divided Senate.

One possible way around that barrier is a bipartisan version of the child allowance proposal, which was put forward in early 2020 by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). Earlier this week, NBC News looked at what form such a deal would take.

“His proposal would bring back the direct monthly payments many parents used for six months last year to cover the cost of food, clothing, and child care before Congress let the tax credit expire," NBC reported. “But Romney's form of extra monthly payments would add stringent work requirements, slash programs that aid vulnerable Americans and make significant changes to the tax code.”

Such a deal may be the only way for the child tax credit to survive, although whether it could get enough support from both parties remains an open question. Democratic supporters of the expanded credit have not been receptive to the idea of work requirements. However, Romney did tell NBC that multiple Democratic senators have expressed interest, although he did not name those senators.

“I think momentum is growing quite a bit, and there’s more interest because folks on the right want to do something,” an aide to Romney said. “I think folks on the left are realizing if they don’t do it bipartisan, it’s not going to happen.” While Romney has not officially introduced legislation for the proposal this year, he did introduce a similar proposal in early 2020.

“I’ve spoken with enough Democrats, including Joe Manchin, that insist that that’s essential. And, by the way, a number of Republicans, as well, say that’s absolutely essential—there has to be a work requirement,” Romney said last month during a speech at the American Enterprise Institute.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Image: Reuters.

The BA.2 virus, a sublineage of the Omicron COVID-19 mutation, should continue to be considered a variant of concern, scientists convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on Tuesday.