Daily News Brief

May 1, 2023

Top of the Agenda

U.S. President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will pledge to step up military coordination during Marcos Jr.’s White House visit today, unnamed U.S. officials told Reuters. As part of the plans for increased cooperation, the Biden administration will send the Philippines several new aircraft and patrol vehicles. Later this week, the administration will announce a trade and investment mission (WaPo) to the Philippines, and Marcos Jr. will meet with private sector executives. 

In contrast to his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr. has sharply accelerated military ties with the United States since taking office in July. Still, he has said the Philippines will not become a “staging post” (Reuters) for military action.

Analysis

“After years of mostly tolerating China’s aggressive campaign of pressing territorial disputes with the Philippines, the Filipino government is again pivoting toward its oldest ally, the United States,” the New York Times’ Sui-Lee Wee writes.

“The alliance cannot work if the United States doesn’t provide more assistance to the Philippines for economic development, food security and energy security,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Gregory B. Poling tells the Washington Post. “Those are the top priorities of every Filipino.”

Pacific Rim

The grouping of countries—members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with China, Japan, and South Korea—is in talks about expanding a currency swap initiative to better respond to nonfinancial crises such as pandemics and national disasters, Nikkei reported. Envoys plan to meet in South Korea next month to work toward an agreement.

This Backgrounder explains ASEAN’s currency-swap arrangement.

South and Central Asia

The amendments that passed in a referendum yesterday will increase individual and property rights (Nikkei) and could potentially permit President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to remain in power until 2040. 

Afghanistan: UN Secretary-General António Guterres is in Doha, Qatar, to host a two-day meeting (UN News) on international engagement in Afghanistan. He will hold discussions on women’s and girls’ rights, terrorism, and drug trafficking, among other issues.

Middle East and North Africa

Foreign ministers from Syria and countries in the Arab League, which suspended Syria’s membership in 2011, will discuss a potential political settlement (Reuters) of the Syrian civil war and consider restoring Damascus’s membership in the group. 

Turkey: Turkish intelligence forces killed Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi (CNN), the suspected leader of the Islamic State group in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths warned that the humanitarian situation in Sudan is reaching a “breaking point” (UN News) as fighting continues in the capital, Khartoum, despite a cease-fire. He urged the warring military factions to respect the truce and refrain from attacking civilian areas.

For Foreign Affairs, Mai Hassan and Ahmed Kodouda write that only civilian leaders can forge a path to peace in Sudan.

Nigeria: President Muhammadu Buhari suspended plans for a May census (The Guardian Nigeria), which would have been the country’s first in seventeen years.

Europe

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian military said Saturday’s attack on the Russia-occupied depot was part of Kyiv’s preparations for a new military push (NYT) against Moscow. Early this morning, a Russian missile attack wounded at least thirty-four people (AP) in the east Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad.

CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich discusses Ukraine’s plans for the counteroffensive.

Hungary: Pope Francis called for Hungary to remain open to migrants (BBC) as he concluded a three-day visit to the country. He also told reporters that the Vatican is involved in secret talks (Reuters) to try to end the war in Ukraine.

Americas

Santiago Peña of the Colorado Party won 42.9 percent of votes (EFE) in yesterday’s election, while his center-left opponent, Efraín Alegre, won 27.5 percent. Alegre had proposed switching Paraguay’s diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, while Peña said he would maintain ties (Kyodo) with Taiwan.

Mexico: A court charged the head of Mexico’s migration authority (BBC) with wrongdoing in relation to a fire that killed forty migrants at a government-run detention facility on March 27.

United States

San Francisco–based First Republic Bank had struggled (AP) following the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March, even after a group of large banks granted it a $30 billion rescue package.  

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