Asia

President Trump and Abe’s rendezvous

On the beaches of Florida, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the U.S. President Donald J. Trump began a two-day meeting focusing on issues of bilateral trade, the relations with China and the way forward with North Korea.

According to a Japanese government spokesperson, Mr. Abe is also expected to put forward a proposal for renewed trade with the United States which could possibly open doors for Washington to gain entry to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the revamped version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Writing for the Bookings Institution, Mireya Solis is of the view, ‘One of Abe’s strong suits has been his ability to reassure the Japanese public that his special relationship with the mercurial American president has helped Japan navigate the choppy waters of an ‘America First’ foreign policy.’

Meanwhile Takeshi Kawanami in his article for the Nikkei Asian Review opines, “The honeymoon between Trump and Abe seems to be ending. As Trump seeks direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Japanese cooperation becomes less important.”

Central Asia

Taliban reject Ghani’s invitation to the Afghan parliamentary elections

The Taliban have rejected the invitation by President Ashraf Ghani to participate in the upcoming parliamentary and district council elections. In a statement, the Taliban stated that the voters were ‘cheated’ in the previous elections and that the ultimate decisions were taken in Washington. The Afghan President had hoped that the Taliban participation in the elections would put a halt to the disagreements between them and the government.

Mr. Pierre Mayaudon, the European Union’s Head of Delegation to Afghanistan, is of the view that the Taliban’s rejection is a sign of positive things to come. He stated, ‘the absence of a response by the Taliban is not a sign of refusal, may be it is a sign that they are debating about what kind of response they can give to this peace plan which is very complex. So we are not so concerned about the absence of a response.’

South East Asia

Myanmar police order a trap for Reuters

According to the Myanmar prosecution witness Police Captain Moe Yan Naing, a chief in Myanmar police ordered some officers to set up a trap for a Reuters reporter who was arrested in December by asking them to meet him at a restaurant on the pretext of giving him ‘secret documents.’ A court in Yangon has been holding hearings since the beginning of the year in order to decide whether these officers can be prosecuted and tried under the Official Secrets Act which would carry a penalty of 14 years in prison.

Mr. Wa Lone and his colleague Kyaw Soe Oo were working on an investigation by the Reuters into the murder of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys in a village in the Rakhine state who were killed during the ethnic cleansing.

The Rohingya were subject to one of the most blatant ethnic cleansing incidents in the world in Myanmar over the past year. Over 700 thousand people have fled for their lives to Bangladesh according to the United Nations. Seven soldiers were sentenced to ‘10 years in prison with hard labour in remote area’ for the part they played in the massacre. Reuters was unable to immediately obtain a comment from lead prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung as the proceedings were ongoing.

Middle East & North Africa

Syria returns a French award

Syrian President Bashar-ul-Assad has returned the Legion d’honneur award that was bestowed on him by former president Jacques Chirac in 2001, a short time after he took over the reins from his father Hafez-al-Assad. President Assad said on Thursday while returning the award that he refuses to wear an award of a ‘slave’ to America.

The office of the French President Macron released a statement that ‘a disciplinary procedure for withdrawing the Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour) is underway.’ France is part of the coalition with the United States and the United Kingdom as the trident undertook missile strikes on facilities of Syrian government on accusations of the use of chemical weapons.

Around three thousand people a year are awarded the Légion d’honneur award, including four hundred foreigners, in recognition for their ‘services rendered to France’ or for the defense of human rights, freedom of press or other causes. President Assad has been accused of employing chemical weapons against his own people. He has turned into a pariah for the Western powers but continues to retain the support of the Russian President Vladimir Putin whose military aid helped him retain power and gain the superior hand against the rebellion groups.

This is not the first time that the award has been returned to the French government either. President Macron has already stripped Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein of the French highest honour following a series of accusations against him of sexual harassment and rape.

Sub Saharan Africa

Malawi on road to eradicate AIDs

Malawi is possibly on the road to get rid of AIDS owing to effective preventions and treatment operations, according to one of the researchers who helped in identifying the HIV/AIDS virus in the 1980s while they were on a visit in Malawi.

South African President buckles to public pressure

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had to shorten his trip to London in which he was wooing the international investors in a bid to restore their confidence in the country’s institutions. But protests erupted in the country’s North Western Province over the issues of jobs, housing and infrastructure due to which the President had to return before time to address the issue.

Europe

Europe urges the United States to keep upholding the Iran deal

Approximately three hundred lawmakers from Germany, United Kingdom and France contacted the United States Congress asking Washington to uphold the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as the May 12 deadline approaches near. President Donald Trump set this deadline to either renegotiate or axe the treaty completely, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In the letter sent by the European countries, it was stated that the USA has no evidence that Iran is going against the spirit of the treaty or failing to fulfill its obligations. It further stated that abandoning the pact would have ‘lasting damage to our credibility as international partners in negotiation’. Meanwhile, President Trump is set to meet with President Macron and German Chancellor Merkel, both of whom would try and persuade him to stay on with the JCPOA.

‘Any game plan that can succeed in countering Iran’s regional threat requires President Trump to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and strike a compromise with Britain, France, and Germany to preserve the JCPOA and avoid a needless nuclear crisis,’ Suzanne Maloney opined in an article for Brookings Institution.

‘The Europeans must continue to engage Iran and preserve the channels of communication that are critical to de-escalating the tensions likely to arise from the toxic combination of hawkish voices gaining prominence in Washington—now including John Bolton’s—and hardline pushback in Tehran,’ Ariane Tabatabai has written in her article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Oceania

Belt and Road opportunity for New Zealand

The Belt and Road initiative of China is ‘a huge opportunity for Oceania, not only New Zealand’ as per the New Zealand National Party President Peter Goodfellow as he was addressing the New Zealand-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Seminar hosted by the Oceania Silk Road Network (OSRN).

Mr. Goodfellow, who also serves as a honourary chairman in OSRN, said: ‘We are determined to take advantage of further opportunities. We sought for an efficient mechanism to enable entities in the two countries to connect and work together. We are more than a trade organization, but a comprehensive and inclusive platform delivering connections across all spectrum.’

Meanwhile the Consul General of China in Auckland, Mr. Xu Erwen, also reiterated that the this initiative will benefit the world as a whole. He opined, ‘We believe that the Belt and Road Initiative will be a wonderful stage for international cooperation.’

Americas

Miguel Díaz-Canel to end Castro dynasty

On 18^th April, 2018, the National Assembly of Cuba nominated the current Vice President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, as the replacement of the incumbent President Raul Castro. This nomination is expected was announced officially on Thursday (19^th of April) and given a unanimous backing by all and sundry. The handover of power will mark the end of a six decade-long rule of the Castro family in Cuba.

A Cuban saying goes: nobody can fix it, but nobody can knock it down. There may have been a ceremonial change of power in the country, but the Cubans are not quite convinced as they expect more of the same. This transition of power and end of the Castro rule has been met by indifference on the streets of Havana. The people expect the political system to remain intact with no significant changes.

‘The new president will have more power in the day-to-day, but whenever there are crises or major problems with the US, foreign policy, or the economy, Raúl’s word will remain the last word.’ opines Hal Klepak, who is the author of Raul Castro’s autobiography.

‘Even though Raul Castro is stepping down from the presidency, he will continue as the leader of the party, which represents the real power,’ Lidia Hernandez-Tapia writes for Americas Quarterly.