New head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala requested tripling of COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing on March 1st, 2021. According to Reuters, she urged pharmaceutical companies to boost production so that developing countries can effectively combat the virus. “People are dying in poor countries,” says the WTO chief, who
Newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Russia’s crackdown on protesters supporting jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is known for his arguments against President Vladimir Putin. Reuters reports that over 5,300 people have been detained for demanding the release of Navalny, and the U.S. contemplates an appropriate
European Union foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on four Russian officials on February 22nd, 2021, and the motion is to be formally ratified in early March. The agreement to sanction senior members of President Vladimir Putin’s staff comes as a predominantly symbolic response to the arrest of Russian opposition
On February 15th, 2021, Iran threatened to block snap International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections if participants in the 2015 nuclear deal fail to sustain their prior obligations. Iran’s statement calls into question whether U.S. President Joe Biden will be successful in reinstating the nuclear deal. Iran’s envoy to the
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok appointed veteran Darfur rebel group leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Jibril Ibrahim as Sudan’s Finance Minister on February 8th, 2021. Some Sudanese citizens and analysts have questioned Ibrahim’s new role because of his Islamist stance and former alliance to Omar al-Bashir. The
U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel consented to strengthen transatlantic cooperation after a phone call on January 25th. A government spokesperson in Berlin reported that the leaders agreed upon collaboration in the COVID-19 pandemic and other global conflicts, states Reuters. Foreign policy, trade and climate change were
As of January 18th, 2021, Armenia has returned all Azerbaijani prisoners from the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The six-week struggle last year ended with a ceasefire agreement initiated by Russia, says Reuters. An end to the violence required both Azerbaijani and Armenian forces to exchange all prisoners. However, Russian
On January 11th, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered plans for the construction of 800 new Jewish settler homes in the West Bank. According to Reuters, Netanyahu’s office announced the homes will be built in Beit El and Givat Zeev, north of Jerusalem, and in Tal Menashe, Rehelim, Shavei Shomron,
In December, several human rights groups wrote a letter to the incoming Biden administration requesting changes in U.S. foreign policy to Bahrain. 18 organizations, including Americans for Democracy and Human Rights and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, provided a blueprint on how to mitigate violence in Bahrain. According
