Daily News Brief

May 3, 2023

Top of the Agenda

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is on a two-day state visit to Damascus (AP), making him the first Iranian president to travel to Syria since before the country’s civil war broke out in 2011. Raisi’s trip follows a string of visits to Damascus by Arab leaders in recent weeks and comes amid Iran’s China-mediated rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, which backed Syria’s rebel forces in the war. Iran is a major military supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has helped him win back control of most of the country.

Syrian state media said Raisi’s visit will focus on boosting bilateral economic ties; Assad and Raisi are expected to sign several agreements to that end. Iran’s central bank chief and officials in the country’s oil and infrastructure sectors are traveling alongside Raisi (Al Jazeera).

Analysis

“The convergence of the broader strategic interests of China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia suggests that Beijing’s breakthrough with Iran and Saudi Arabia is likely to serve as the foundation of a new geopolitical reality in the Middle East,” the Istituto Affari Internazionali’s Maria Fantappie and Johns Hopkins University’s Vali Nasr write for Foreign Affairs. 

“After supporting al-Assad during the Syrian war, Tehran is now positioning itself to have a stronger foothold in the country’s economic future, aiming to expand trade and secure an entry point for its state and private companies,” Al Jazeera writes.

Middle East and North Africa

Efforts by Egyptian, Qatari, and UN officials resulted in a cease-fire (Haaretz, AP, Reuters) between Israel and armed groups in the Gaza Strip following a night of hostilities. Tensions had flared yesterday after a prominent Palestinian militant died while on hunger strike in an Israeli prison, prompting Palestinian groups to fire rockets at Israeli communities near Gaza. Israel then responded with air strikes of its own. 

Pacific Rim

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will open an office in Tokyo to better consult with partners in the region, Nikkei reported.

This Backgrounder looks at NATO.

South Korea: At least six South Korean women who were forced to become sex slaves for American-led UN troops during the Korean War aim to file legal charges in the United States regarding their treatment, the New York Times reported.

 South and Central Asia

Foreign Minister Qin Gang touted the two countries’ “friendship” yesterday as he became the most senior Chinese official (Al Jazeera) to visit Myanmar’s military leader. China is a major ally and arms supplier to Myanmar and has refused to condemn the country’s 2021 coup.

CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick assesses Myanmar’s military leadership. 

Afghanistan: Taliban officials are harassing humanitarian workers (AP) in the country and interfering with their operations, a U.S. government watchdog said in a new report.

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan’s foreign ministry said Sudan’s warring military factions will begin a weeklong truce (NYT) tomorrow and name representatives for peace talks, though there was no immediate confirmation of the deal from either party.

Rwanda: Flooding triggered by heavy rains in northern and western Rwanda has killed at least 109 people (AFP), the country’s state-run broadcaster reported.

Europe

The Kremlin believes a foiled drone attack in Moscow last night was a Kyiv-orchestrated assassination attempt (BBC) on President Vladimir Putin and reserves the right to respond, Russia’s state news agency said. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the accusation.

Europe: European police arrested over one hundred people in an investigation focused on the Italian ‘Ndrangheta crime group (Reuters), which is suspected of trafficking drugs from South America to Australia and Europe.

Americas

Police raided the home of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during an investigation into a group accused of falsifying government records of COVID-19 vaccinations, two unnamed sources told Reuters.

Japan/Peru: Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa is visiting Peru today (Andina) for the latest in a series of bilateral visits aimed at increasing cooperation with countries in the Amerias.

United States

Vice President Kamala Harris and other senior U.S. officials will meet with the heads of companies (Axios) developing artificial intelligence (AI) to discuss actions to mitigate risks associated with the technology.

On this episode of The President’s Inbox podcast, Paul Scharre discusses how AI is reshaping great-power competition.

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