The United States has suspended human rights restrictions on foreign aid in order to send $235 million worth of weaponry to Egypt. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced on September 14th that “it is in the U.S. national security interest to waive certain human rights related conditions” on the package
The President of Poland Andrzej Duda has confirmed that a Russian plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus is in progress. Under this plan, Belarus, which borders Russia to the east and Poland to the west, will host short-range nuclear weapons that remain under Russia’s control. “Indeed, this process
On February 25th, 2022 the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU announced a sweeping scheme of sanctions on the Russian state, including trade embargoes and financial restrictions, along with asset freezes and travel bans for powerful members of the Russian government. This marked the start of an unprecedented campaign
New Zealand has been the target of foreign interference by Chinese spies, according to a threat assessment report published by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) on July 11th, 2023. The report alleges that “There are foreign intelligence agencies who persistently and opportunistically conduct espionage operations against New Zealand.”
Kenya will deploy 1000 police officers as part of a multinational operation designed to “restore normalcy” in Haiti, Kenyan Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua announced on July 29th. Following the announcement, a spokesperson for the US State Department said that the US and Ecuador both intended to introduce a resolution at
Following meetings between Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Beijing, a June statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on June 25th described Wagner mercenaries’ failed insurrection against President Vladimir Putin as a “Russian internal affair.” China had initially met the mutiny, led by
Cluster bombs are extremely dangerous weapons. Upon release from an aircraft, a cluster bomb opens in mid-air and disperses many smaller “bomblets” across acres of land. They are especially threatening to civilians compared with conventional explosives for two reasons. First, the bomblets are scattered, not targeted, so any civilians in
The UN Security Council held its first ever meeting about artificial intelligence on July 18th, 2023. The Security Council was briefed by experts in AI with Secretary General António Guterres warning that “Both military and non-military applications of AI could have very serious consequences for global peace and security.” Guterres
The battle for the streets of Haiti between organized gangs and grassroots vigilante groups has escalated in recent weeks. Maria Isabel Salvador, head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), reported to the Security Council on July 6th, 2023 that “Since April, BINUH has documented the killing of at
