foreignpolicy--2020-08-20--U.N. Showdown Looms Over U.S. Iran Strategy

Welcome to Foreign Policy ’ s Security Brief .
What ’ s on tap today : U.S. President Donald Trump announces snapback sanctions against Iran , the United Arab Emirates looks to buy U.S. fighter jets , and a new report finds that violence has increased in Afghanistan despite the U.S.-Taliban peace deal .
If you would like to receive Security Brief in your inbox every Thursday , please sign up here .
At the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to travel to the United Nations in New York today to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A U.S.-led effort to recommence an arms embargo on Tehran ended in an embarrassing defeat last week , with stiff resistance from Russia , China , and European countries .
“ We have every expectation that every country in the world will live up to its obligations , including every member of the P5 , and every member of the U.N. that will take seriously the international commitments to which they have signed up for , ” Pompeo told reporters on Wednesday ahead of his trip .
Pompeo ’ s trip to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks before its annual general assembly meeting , will not be a cakewalk .
Russia , China , and European countries are likely to challenge the legality of the U.S. attempt to reimpose sanctions for Iran ’ s recent breaches of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal , which Trump exited more than two years ago .
Deal or no deal ?
The Trump administration insists that it can trigger the snapback sanctions as one of the deal ’ s original signatories based on the language in the U.N. resolution .
Other participants say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cake and eat it , too : exit the deal , then use its status as a participant in the deal to trigger the sanctions .
The disagreement could lead the Trump administration to declare the Iran deal kaput , while European countries say it is not—leaving “ ‘ Schrodinger ’ s Cat ’ -style questions about whether it ’ s alive or dead , ” as Politico ’ s Nahal Toosi reports .
“ By unilaterally pulling out of the JCPOA , the U.S. alienated many of our partners and allies—the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counter Iran ’ s malign activity and prevent them from every acquiring a nuclear weapon , ” said Mick Mulroy , a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East during the Trump administration , using the deal ’ s acronym .
Uncertain future .
The move comes as the administration ’ s Iran policy is drifting away from the possibility of a new nuclear deal , as Trump once hoped .
The snapback effort will be the last hurrah for Special Envoy for Iran Brian Hook , who will soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The departure has raised more doubts among experts and U.S. officials about the efficacy of the Trump administration ’ s so-called maximum pressure approach toward Iran .
F-35 turbulence .
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates over Israeli objections .
Such a deal could pose a snag in the diplomatic breakthrough that took place last week between Israel and the UAE and create rare friction between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump .
“ They ’ d like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what happens , ” Trump said on Wednesday after Netanyahu repeatedly expressed his objections to the UAE acquiring the fighter jets .
A coup in West Africa .
Malian military units carried out a coup this week after months of protests against corruption and ineffective governance .
Mali is at the center of French and U.S.-led efforts to combat terrorist groups in the Sahel .
The United States , European countries , and other countries in the region were swift to denounce the coup , but it didn ’ t stop the military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prime minister .
But coups in Mali have backfired in the past , and played into the hands of terrorist organizations : Chaos sowed by a military coup in Mali in 2012 allowed Islamic militant groups to take control of nearly two-thirds of the country within months .
Violence and fraud in Afghanistan .
Overall violence in Afghanistan has increased since the U.S.-Taliban peace deal was signed in February , according to a new report by the U.S. inspector general on the military ’ s involvement in the country .
Despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States and an 80 percent reduction in U.S. airstrikes , the Taliban escalated attacks against the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces between April and June .
Such violence , combined with the ongoing dispute over prisoner releases , has “ strained the peace process ” with the Afghan government , the report said .
Meanwhile , the inspector general ’ s investigations led to the criminal debarments in April of four companies and one individual related to a fraud investigation on medical supplies intended for U.S. troops in Afghanistan .
The U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Brown is the first Black officer to lead a U.S. military branch .
The Washington Post ’ s Dan Lamothe profiles Brown , his response to the police killing of George Floyd , and the U.S. military ’ s reckoning on systemic racism .
For more from FP , subscribe here or sign up for our other newsletters .
Send your tips , comments , questions , or typos to securitybrief @ foreignpolicy.com .

Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch and Chloe Hadavas

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Security Brief. What’s on tap today: U.S. President Donald Trump announces snapback sanctions against Iran, the United Arab Emirates looks to buy U.S. fighter jets, and a new report finds that violence has increased in Afghanistan despite the U.S.-Taliban peace deal.
Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Security Brief. What’s on tap today: U.S. President Donald Trump announces snapback sanctions against Iran, the United Arab Emirates looks to buy U.S. fighter jets, and a new report finds that violence has increased in Afghanistan despite the U.S.-Taliban peace deal.
If you would like to receive Security Brief in your inbox every Thursday, please sign up here.
Trump Snaps Back to the Future on Iran
At the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to travel to the United Nations in New York today to push for renewed U.N. sanctions against Iran. A U.S.-led effort to recommence an arms embargo on Tehran ended in an embarrassing defeat last week, with stiff resistance from Russia, China, and European countries.
“We have every expectation that every country in the world will live up to its obligations, including every member of the P5, and every member of the U.N. that will take seriously the international commitments to which they have signed up for,” Pompeo told reporters on Wednesday ahead of his trip.
Pompeo’s trip to the United Nations, which comes just weeks before its annual general assembly meeting, will not be a cakewalk. Russia, China, and European countries are likely to challenge the legality of the U.S. attempt to reimpose sanctions for Iran’s recent breaches of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which Trump exited more than two years ago.
Deal or no deal? The Trump administration insists that it can trigger the snapback sanctions as one of the deal’s original signatories based on the language in the U.N. resolution. Other participants say that Washington can’t have its cake and eat it, too: exit the deal, then use its status as a participant in the deal to trigger the sanctions.
The disagreement could lead the Trump administration to declare the Iran deal kaput, while European countries say it is not—leaving “‘Schrodinger’s Cat’-style questions about whether it’s alive or dead,” as Politico’s Nahal Toosi reports.
“By unilaterally pulling out of the JCPOA, the U.S. alienated many of our partners and allies—the same ones we need to work with to counter Iran’s malign activity and prevent them from every acquiring a nuclear weapon,” said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East during the Trump administration, using the deal’s acronym.
Uncertain future. The move comes as the administration’s Iran policy is drifting away from the possibility of a new nuclear deal, as Trump once hoped. The snapback effort will be the last hurrah for Special Envoy for Iran Brian Hook, who will soon turn over the job to Elliott Abrams. The departure has raised more doubts among experts and U.S. officials about the efficacy of the Trump administration’s so-called maximum pressure approach toward Iran.
What We’re Watching
F-35 turbulence. The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates over Israeli objections. Such a deal could pose a snag in the diplomatic breakthrough that took place last week between Israel and the UAE and create rare friction between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump. “They’d like to buy F-35s, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said on Wednesday after Netanyahu repeatedly expressed his objections to the UAE acquiring the fighter jets.
A coup in West Africa. Malian military units carried out a coup this week after months of protests against corruption and ineffective governance. Mali is at the center of French and U.S.-led efforts to combat terrorist groups in the Sahel. The United States, European countries, and other countries in the region were swift to denounce the coup, but it didn’t stop the military from ousting the country’s president and prime minister.
But coups in Mali have backfired in the past, and played into the hands of terrorist organizations: Chaos sowed by a military coup in Mali in 2012 allowed Islamic militant groups to take control of nearly two-thirds of the country within months.
Violence and fraud in Afghanistan. Overall violence in Afghanistan has increased since the U.S.-Taliban peace deal was signed in February, according to a new report by the U.S. inspector general on the military’s involvement in the country. Despite the Taliban’s cease-fire with the United States and an 80 percent reduction in U.S. airstrikes, the Taliban escalated attacks against the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces between April and June.
Such violence, combined with the ongoing dispute over prisoner releases, has “strained the peace process” with the Afghan government, the report said. Meanwhile, the inspector general’s investigations led to the criminal debarments in April of four companies and one individual related to a fraud investigation on medical supplies intended for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Foreign Policy Recommends
The U.S. Air Force’s new chief. U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Brown is the first Black officer to lead a U.S. military branch. The Washington Post’s Dan Lamothe profiles Brown, his response to the police killing of George Floyd, and the U.S. military’s reckoning on systemic racism.
Odds and Ends The wrong Korea. South Korea recently donated 200,000 masks to Argentina to help its response to the coronavirus pandemic. But when the Argentinian Foreign Affairs Ministry offered its public gratitude on social media, it accidentally thanked Seoul’s northern neighbor, the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The mistake has since been fixed.
That’s it for today.
For more from FP, subscribe here or sign up for our other newsletters. Send your tips, comments, questions, or typos to securitybrief@foreignpolicy.com.


foreignpolicy--2020-08-20--The Middle East Plays Hardball, and the Palestinians Always Lose

The Middle East Plays Hardball , and the Palestinians Always Lose The most surprising thing about the so-called Abraham Accord , which normalized relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel last week , is that anyone was surprised by it .
In what has become maddeningly typical of Washington these days , the response , whether for or against , was rife with melodramatic claims about the implications .
In reality , the UAE and Israel had been inching toward normalization for the better part of the last five years .
The leaders of Israel and the Emirates have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ geostrategic interests to have normal relations .
All they ’ ve done now is take their ties public with the promise of developing them further , albeit with—at Emirati insistence—some conditions .
It was a natural step for both countries , one that delivered a cosmetic win for Palestine—but also predictably served to further sideline the Palestinian cause .
Unlike the 1979 Egypt-Israel treaty , the Abraham Accord is not a peace treaty , if only because Israel and the UAE were never in a state of war .
The agreement also does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order .
Both Israel and the Emirates are long-standing strategic partners of the United States , and they share many views on the region : Iran is a hostile actor , the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamism more broadly should be given no quarter , Turkey is an increasing threat to regional stability , and Qatar must be kept in a box lest it be able to use its vast wealth to make trouble .
Nevertheless there is much in the accord to benefit the UAE and Israel , as well as the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , scientific cooperation , and tourism that will come with normalization , the Israelis and Emiratis can now bring their security cooperation out in the open and develop it further .
The two sides clearly calculate that working together and for all to see will be a powerful deterrent to the region ’ s bad actors .
In turn , the White House gets to tout a Middle East agreement , even if it is not the “ deal of the century.
” In return for normal relations , which will eventually include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required the Israelis to halt their plans to annex West Bank territory .
In press releases and statements , Emirati officials make clear that the Abraham Accord “ immediately stops annexation.
” Clearly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed needed to ensure the Israelis pay a price for his willingness to step into the sunshine with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
The Israelis have called it a “ suspension ” of annexation plans , implying they could proceed at another time .
The generous interpretation of the different vocabularies is the politics of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mohammed bin Zayed , who does not much seem to like the aging and corrupt Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah , he is sensitive to the idea of justice and rights for Palestinians , at least enough to try to put a brake on Israel ’ s annexation drive .
For Netanyahu , he needs to do what he can to placate the settlers who believed him when he said he was going to annex parts of the West Bank .
Not surprisingly , it is on annexation and the Palestinian issue where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials , analysts , former policymakers , activists , and journalists , requiring everyone to overlook hard truths—although the hard truths in question depend on where one stands on the underlying conflict between Israelis and Palestinians .
It is important not to overstate the controversy .
Most of the foreign-policy community and a fairly broad mix of members of Congress welcomed the Emirati-Israeli deal .
The Democratic Party ’ s presidential nominee , former Vice President Joe Biden , called it a “ historic step to bridge the deep divides of the Middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many pundits recognize that the Abraham Accord also promises to forestall annexation .
Although any number of observers claim that the threat of annexation was not real , they are overlooking Netanyahu ’ s tough political position .
The very fact that settlers had become critical to his ability to remain in power is reason enough to believe that annexation was a real possibility .
Then along came the Emiratis , first in the form of the Emirati ambassador to Washington ’ s June op-ed in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth outlining what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) from annexation , and then the agreement that is now called the Abraham Accord , which the Israelis and Emiratis put together with the Trump administration .
Netanyahu clearly calculated that normalization with a major Arab state would improve his political standing in a way that released him from the clutches of the Yesha Council , a powerful organization that represents settlers .
He must have been relieved .
Netanyahu was not the only one .
For the Democratic Party ’ s leadership and moderates who are uniformly pro-Israel , taking annexation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to fight with the progressive wing of the party , whose members are openly critical of and at times downright hostile to Israel .
And for policy wonks , the Abraham Accord seems to provide another shot at the most elusive of all foreign-policy unicorns : a two-state solution .
Of course , what politicians , analysts , and others share here is an ability to conveniently overlook the fact that forestalling annexation—while important—does not actually change all that much .
There is no indication that Netanyahu , as a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willing to negotiate with the Palestinians than before last Thursday .
It just returns him to his position prior to September 2019 when he first committed to annexation , which involved maintaining a status quo that served Israel ’ s and annexationists ’ interests .
This brings us to the critics of the agreement who have expressed outrage over what they regard as Israeli , Emirati , and American bad faith .
They charge that normalization is a reward to Israel for basically nothing .
Lost in this narrative is the very fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it were just six weeks ago vociferously denouncing the possibility of annexation .
Now , confronted with an agreement that at the least pauses the process and has the potential—however slim—to alter the political dynamics in Israel in a way that one could imagine some type of compromise , these critics would rather decry the Israeli , Emirati , and American perfidy than get to work trying to transform a tiny opening into an opportunity .
It is almost as if they do not want Israel to enjoy regional diplomatic recognition at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Palestinian right of return , and returns to its 1967 borders .
This has been the position of Palestinian leadership for years—but , needless to say , it has not worked out so well .
Whether it was the commentators taking a victory lap or those rending their clothes over the Abraham Accord , a good time was had by all in the immediate aftermath of the announcement .
The problem is that the commentary neither offered any novel ideas to help the Palestinians now that the Israelis and Emiratis are moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abraham Accord happened in the first place .
Perhaps that is too much to ask with regard to the former ; the Palestinian conflict has no resolution in sight .
But when it comes to the latter , the motives should not be hard to discern : Israel and the UAE believe that their power and thus their ability to secure their interests is enhanced by establishing normal relations , and they are not going to let the Palestinians get in the way .
Reserve the sentimentality for Twitter .

The most surprising thing about the so-called Abraham Accord, which normalized relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel last week, is that anyone was surprised by it. In what has become maddeningly typical of Washington these days, the response, whether for or against, was rife with melodramatic claims about the implications.
The most surprising thing about the so-called Abraham Accord, which normalized relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel last week, is that anyone was surprised by it. In what has become maddeningly typical of Washington these days, the response, whether for or against, was rife with melodramatic claims about the implications.
In reality, the UAE and Israel had been inching toward normalization for the better part of the last five years. The leaders of Israel and the Emirates have long believed it advances their political and geostrategic interests to have normal relations. All they’ve done now is take their ties public with the promise of developing them further, albeit with—at Emirati insistence—some conditions. It was a natural step for both countries, one that delivered a cosmetic win for Palestine—but also predictably served to further sideline the Palestinian cause.
Unlike the 1979 Egypt-Israel treaty, the Abraham Accord is not a peace treaty, if only because Israel and the UAE were never in a state of war. The agreement also does not represent a shift in the regional order. Both Israel and the Emirates are long-standing strategic partners of the United States, and they share many views on the region: Iran is a hostile actor, the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamism more broadly should be given no quarter, Turkey is an increasing threat to regional stability, and Qatar must be kept in a box lest it be able to use its vast wealth to make trouble. Nevertheless there is much in the accord to benefit the UAE and Israel, as well as the Trump administration. Aside from the business ties, scientific cooperation, and tourism that will come with normalization, the Israelis and Emiratis can now bring their security cooperation out in the open and develop it further. The two sides clearly calculate that working together and for all to see will be a powerful deterrent to the region’s bad actors. In turn, the White House gets to tout a Middle East agreement, even if it is not the “deal of the century.”
In return for normal relations, which will eventually include an exchange of ambassadors, the Emiratis required the Israelis to halt their plans to annex West Bank territory. In press releases and statements, Emirati officials make clear that the Abraham Accord “immediately stops annexation.” Clearly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed needed to ensure the Israelis pay a price for his willingness to step into the sunshine with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israelis have called it a “suspension” of annexation plans, implying they could proceed at another time. The generous interpretation of the different vocabularies is the politics of the Palestinian cause for both leaders. For Mohammed bin Zayed, who does not much seem to like the aging and corrupt Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah, he is sensitive to the idea of justice and rights for Palestinians, at least enough to try to put a brake on Israel’s annexation drive. For Netanyahu, he needs to do what he can to placate the settlers who believed him when he said he was going to annex parts of the West Bank.
Not surprisingly, it is on annexation and the Palestinian issue where the Abraham Accord gets controversial among U.S. officials, analysts, former policymakers, activists, and journalists, requiring everyone to overlook hard truths—although the hard truths in question depend on where one stands on the underlying conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
It is important not to overstate the controversy. Most of the foreign-policy community and a fairly broad mix of members of Congress welcomed the Emirati-Israeli deal. The Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, called it a “ historic step to bridge the deep divides of the Middle East .” Not only that, many pundits recognize that the Abraham Accord also promises to forestall annexation. Although any number of observers claim that the threat of annexation was not real, they are overlooking Netanyahu’s tough political position. The very fact that settlers had become critical to his ability to remain in power is reason enough to believe that annexation was a real possibility. Then along came the Emiratis, first in the form of the Emirati ambassador to Washington’s June op-ed in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth outlining what Israelis had to gain (and lose) from annexation, and then the agreement that is now called the Abraham Accord, which the Israelis and Emiratis put together with the Trump administration. Netanyahu clearly calculated that normalization with a major Arab state would improve his political standing in a way that released him from the clutches of the Yesha Council, a powerful organization that represents settlers. He must have been relieved.
Netanyahu was not the only one. For the Democratic Party’s leadership and moderates who are uniformly pro-Israel, taking annexation off the table means they do not have to fight with the progressive wing of the party, whose members are openly critical of and at times downright hostile to Israel. And for policy wonks, the Abraham Accord seems to provide another shot at the most elusive of all foreign-policy unicorns: a two-state solution. Of course, what politicians, analysts, and others share here is an ability to conveniently overlook the fact that forestalling annexation—while important—does not actually change all that much. There is no indication that Netanyahu, as a result of the Abraham Accord, is any more willing to negotiate with the Palestinians than before last Thursday. It just returns him to his position prior to September 2019 when he first committed to annexation, which involved maintaining a status quo that served Israel’s and annexationists’ interests.
This brings us to the critics of the agreement who have expressed outrage over what they regard as Israeli, Emirati, and American bad faith. They charge that normalization is a reward to Israel for basically nothing. Lost in this narrative is the very fact that many of the same people articulating it were just six weeks ago vociferously denouncing the possibility of annexation. Now, confronted with an agreement that at the least pauses the process and has the potential—however slim—to alter the political dynamics in Israel in a way that one could imagine some type of compromise, these critics would rather decry the Israeli, Emirati, and American perfidy than get to work trying to transform a tiny opening into an opportunity. It is almost as if they do not want Israel to enjoy regional diplomatic recognition at all unless Israel cedes East Jerusalem, accepts the Palestinian right of return, and returns to its 1967 borders. This has been the position of Palestinian leadership for years—but, needless to say, it has not worked out so well.
Whether it was the commentators taking a victory lap or those rending their clothes over the Abraham Accord, a good time was had by all in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. The problem is that the commentary neither offered any novel ideas to help the Palestinians now that the Israelis and Emiratis are moving to normalize nor insight into why the Abraham Accord happened in the first place. Perhaps that is too much to ask with regard to the former; the Palestinian conflict has no resolution in sight. But when it comes to the latter, the motives should not be hard to discern: Israel and the UAE believe that their power and thus their ability to secure their interests is enhanced by establishing normal relations, and they are not going to let the Palestinians get in the way. Reserve the sentimentality for Twitter.


foreignpolicy--2020-08-20--The Half-Real World of Ghost of Tsushima

That Americans hadn ’ t heard of the island isn ’ t surprising .
Even most Japanese people , when I tell them I lived there , reply , “ Really !
I ’ ve never been.
” Tsushima is remote and rural .
Ninety percent of the island is forested mountains .
Fishing villages cling to the jagged coastline , and small farms are tucked in narrow valleys .
The game ’ s gorgeous visuals will likely draw many curious visitors to the island—or they would , if COVID-19 hadn ’ t put a huge chunk of the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of what makes the island special , but it also makes decisions about what to leave out , geographically and historically .
And when far more people visit the virtual versions of places than the real ones , those decisions matter .
With global travel restrictions keeping most of us at home , video games provide a vital outlet for exploration .
Open-world games like The Legend of Zelda have always transported players to new realms like Hyrule , but with today ’ s realistic graphics and complex plots , games @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghost of Tsushima let you explore virtual representations of real places and real moments in history , from Renaissance Florence , Italy , to feudal Japan .
You can satisfy your wanderlust ( and bloodlust ) from the comfort of your couch .
You ’ re not going anywhere else , after all .
Of course , it ’ s not quite the real thing .
The digital geology that shaped the virtual Tsushima followed different laws than those that created the real island .
Tsushima doesn ’ t map directly onto Tsushima @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mountainous .
It ’ s been flattened—quite literally .
Take it from me , a journey across the real Tsushima on foot or horseback would be far longer and more tedious than what the game protagonist Jin Sakai undertakes .
The digital geology that shaped the virtual Tsushima followed different laws than those that created the real island .
Playing Ghost of Tsushima after living on the island is like stepping into a dream : Everything looks familiar , but it ’ s scrambled in odd ways .
The game ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staircase flanked by Buddhist statues , is a grandiose vision of Banshoin Temple in Izuhara .
My favorite place on the island , Toyotama ’ s ancient Watazumi Shrine , appears in the game as Cloud Ridge Shrine .
While Cloud Ridge doesn ’ t look much like Watazumi ( save for the tide-lapped torii gates ) , it ’ s obvious that Sucker Punch did its homework .
The town of Toyotama takes its name from the sea goddess Princess Toyotama , also known as Otohime .
She isn ’ t around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the game , but she still makes her presence felt .
The nearby Urashima Village alludes to the Japanese folktale of the fisherman Urashima Taro , who visits Otohime in her undersea palace .
Turtle Rock Shrine ’ s charm comes from the deity Hoori no Mikoto , Princess Toyotama ’ s husband , and Hazy Cliff ’ s is from her father , Ryujin , dragon-god of the sea .
Even though the virtual Toyotama doesn ’ t physically resemble the real one , it deftly captures the town ’ s salty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reaching shrines like Cloud Ridge—and the valuable charms they give you—requires death-defying jumps , rope swings , and rock climbing .
Obviously , the shrines on the real Tsushima are much more accessible ; most have parking lots .
The gods are not fools .
They want your money and your offerings .
But video game gods have a different sort of devotee , one who wants to overcome dangers and puzzles to gain the charms you can normally purchase for a few hundred yen from a part-time shrine maiden .
One real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach can be found at the summit of Tsushima ’ s Mount Shiratake .
Its avatar in Ghost of Tsushima seems to be the Golden Summit Shrine .
As in the game , it ’ s a steep scramble with ropes to the summit , though thank the gods you don ’ t have to actually swing from any of them .
Like Jin , you also have to squeeze inside a cave , but on Shiratake that ’ s the shrine itself : a dark aperture in the rock where you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stone altar frosted with melted candle wax .
Ironically , for all its violence , the game ’ s a bit prudish compared to real life .
Mount Shiratake is a fertility shrine .
And it ’ s easy to see why , once you make it up the ropes to the top .
The mountain has two massive granite outcroppings on its summit .
One is undeniably phallic .
The other , where the cave shrine is , looks like a monumental stone vagina .
Local legend says that if you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the top , you ’ ll give birth to healthy babies .
Players will have to create a coded modification to the game to simulate that particular blessing .
Truth is stranger than fiction , because fiction is required to explain itself .
It has to account for its choices .
Slow , unthinking tectonics and erosion have made Mount Shiratake ’ s fertile power self-evident to the human eye .
But Sucker Punch would need a compelling thematic reason to send its digital samurai clambering between colossal , rocky labia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can mean sanding away reality ’ s more surprising edges .
One of the game ’ s most exciting missions uses a very real setting : the imposing mountaintop fortress of Kaneda Castle .
In the game it ’ s a stronghold for both the Mongols and the Japanese , though in reality by 1274 Kaneda had been abandoned for hundreds of years .
It was built in 667 when Japan , fearing a continental invasion that wouldn ’ t actually occur for another six centuries , built the fortress overlooking Aso @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stands , a curtain of stone running atop a hill high above the bay .
While the Mongol Empire didn ’ t occupy Kaneda Castle , its in-game name and appearance are a nice nod to the island ’ s real history and geography .
Sadly , the same can ’ t be said for one of Ghost of Tsushima ’ s most popular features , the red foxes .
The foxes function as guides in the game , leading Jin to hidden places and items , often at small shrines to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan are famous for their guardian fox statues , and the animals are said to serve as Inari ’ s messengers .
It ’ s a neat use of Japanese folklore and mythology , especially in a game with an international audience .
After all , many cultures around the globe see foxes as intelligent , spiritual creatures .
Of course you ’ ll follow them .
There ’ s one little problem : Red foxes don ’ t live on Tsushima .
Neither do the Asian black bears that pop up in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own unique ecosystem with endemic species of deer , marten , pit viper , and leopard cat ( which serves as the island ’ s mascot ) .
A true Tsushima game would have Jin following leopard cats around .
As much as I like the foxes , they took me right out of Tsushima .
The game ’ s clever use of broader Japanese culture ended up erasing the specificities of its setting .
And it points to a more meaningful erasure .
Tsushima has been a locus of Japanese-Korean relations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see Busan ’ s skyscrapers from the island ’ s northern tip .
Korean influence is apparent in the island ’ s dialect , cuisine , and festivals , and today South Korean tourism is one of the pillars of Tsushima ’ s economy .
That influence is important to the game ’ s setting , too .
Kaneda Castle was a Korean-style fortress , and the actual invading army was as much Korean as it was Mongolian—but in Ghost of Tsushima , Kaneda appears as a classic Japanese castle , and all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game flattens the island , whose history , culture , economy , and ecology are defined by its location between Japan and Korea , into a standard Japanese fantasyland where you play a samurai/ninja fighting against foreign invaders .
Sucker Punch , an American company , probably didn ’ t mean this erasure deliberately , although it ’ s possible they left it out exactly because virtual histories can get contentious .
The geopolitics of digital domains can be as fraught as the real thing , and that will only increase as video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back in the 2000s , online multiplayer games saw some Chinese and South Korean players arguing over whether the medieval kingdom of Goguryeo was Chinese or Korean .
But that ’ s the peril of virtual exploration .
For all the photorealistic scenery and careful research , it ’ s still somebody else ’ s sandbox .
You ’ re hemmed in by the limits of other people ’ s imaginations , agendas , and rendering budgets .
Still , with most of us locked down for the foreseeable future , Ghost of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good scratch for our travel itch .
Before the pandemic hit , my wife , Ayako , and I had discussed returning to Japan this summer or fall and finally visiting Tsushima .
She and our 6-year-old son , Liam , have never been to the island , and I ’ ve always wanted to take them .
Now we ’ re stuck at home in the Chicago suburbs , half a world away .
But the other day , Liam came and sat on my lap and together we watched Jin Sakai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his way to Cloud Ridge Shrine .
It ’ s no Watazumi , but it ’ ll do for now .
And who knows , maybe the next time I rendezvous with the thief Yuna in the fishing village of Kechi , I ’ ll even find that Mos Burger again .

Up until last month, when I told fellow Americans that I used to live on the Japanese island of Tsushima, they inevitably responded, “Where’s that?” They’d never heard of the island, let alone the small town of Toyotama where I lived. Now, thanks to Sucker Punch Productions’ PlayStation 4 game Ghost of Tsushima, about a samurai battling the Mongol invasion of the island in 1274, I see lots of people talking about the bloody assassinations they pulled off in places like the fishing village of Kechi, where I used to go to the gym and then get food at the popular chain Mos Burger once a week.
That Americans hadn’t heard of the island isn’t surprising. Even most Japanese people, when I tell them I lived there, reply, “Really! I’ve never been.” Tsushima is remote and rural. Ninety percent of the island is forested mountains. Fishing villages cling to the jagged coastline, and small farms are tucked in narrow valleys. The game’s gorgeous visuals will likely draw many curious visitors to the island—or they would, if COVID-19 hadn’t put a huge chunk of the world in quarantine. Ghost of Tsushima captures a lot of what makes the island special, but it also makes decisions about what to leave out, geographically and historically. And when far more people visit the virtual versions of places than the real ones, those decisions matter.
With global travel restrictions keeping most of us at home, video games provide a vital outlet for exploration. Open-world games like The Legend of Zelda have always transported players to new realms like Hyrule, but with today’s realistic graphics and complex plots, games such as Assassin’s Creed and Ghost of Tsushima let you explore virtual representations of real places and real moments in history, from Renaissance Florence, Italy, to feudal Japan. You can satisfy your wanderlust (and bloodlust) from the comfort of your couch. You’re not going anywhere else, after all.
Aso Bay on Tsushima.
Of course, it’s not quite the real thing. The digital geology that shaped the virtual Tsushima followed different laws than those that created the real island. Tsushima doesn’t map directly onto Tsushima. The actual island is too large and mountainous. It’s been flattened—quite literally. Take it from me, a journey across the real Tsushima on foot or horseback would be far longer and more tedious than what the game protagonist Jin Sakai undertakes.
The digital geology that shaped the virtual Tsushima followed different laws than those that created the real island.
Playing Ghost of Tsushima after living on the island is like stepping into a dream: Everything looks familiar, but it’s scrambled in odd ways. The game’s Golden Temple, with its long stone staircase flanked by Buddhist statues, is a grandiose vision of Banshoin Temple in Izuhara. My favorite place on the island, Toyotama’s ancient Watazumi Shrine, appears in the game as Cloud Ridge Shrine. While Cloud Ridge doesn’t look much like Watazumi (save for the tide-lapped torii gates), it’s obvious that Sucker Punch did its homework. The town of Toyotama takes its name from the sea goddess Princess Toyotama, also known as Otohime. She isn’t around to offer any charms or messengers in the game, but she still makes her presence felt. The nearby Urashima Village alludes to the Japanese folktale of the fisherman Urashima Taro, who visits Otohime in her undersea palace. Turtle Rock Shrine’s charm comes from the deity Hoori no Mikoto, Princess Toyotama’s husband, and Hazy Cliff’s is from her father, Ryujin, dragon-god of the sea. Even though the virtual Toyotama doesn’t physically resemble the real one, it deftly captures the town’s salty mythology.
In Ghost of Tsushima, reaching shrines like Cloud Ridge—and the valuable charms they give you—requires death-defying jumps, rope swings, and rock climbing. Obviously, the shrines on the real Tsushima are much more accessible; most have parking lots. The gods are not fools. They want your money and your offerings. But video game gods have a different sort of devotee, one who wants to overcome dangers and puzzles to gain the charms you can normally purchase for a few hundred yen from a part-time shrine maiden.
One real shrine that is actually a challenge to reach can be found at the summit of Tsushima’s Mount Shiratake. Its avatar in Ghost of Tsushima seems to be the Golden Summit Shrine. As in the game, it’s a steep scramble with ropes to the summit, though thank the gods you don’t have to actually swing from any of them. Like Jin, you also have to squeeze inside a cave, but on Shiratake that’s the shrine itself: a dark aperture in the rock where you’ll find a sacred mirror on a stone altar frosted with melted candle wax. Ironically, for all its violence, the game’s a bit prudish compared to real life. Mount Shiratake is a fertility shrine. And it’s easy to see why, once you make it up the ropes to the top. The mountain has two massive granite outcroppings on its summit. One is undeniably phallic. The other, where the cave shrine is, looks like a monumental stone vagina. Local legend says that if you’re pregnant and make the long hike to the top, you’ll give birth to healthy babies. Players will have to create a coded modification to the game to simulate that particular blessing.
Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction is required to explain itself. It has to account for its choices. Slow, unthinking tectonics and erosion have made Mount Shiratake’s fertile power self-evident to the human eye. But Sucker Punch would need a compelling thematic reason to send its digital samurai clambering between colossal, rocky labia. Disbelief has to be suspended, and that can mean sanding away reality’s more surprising edges.
One of the game’s most exciting missions uses a very real setting: the imposing mountaintop fortress of Kaneda Castle. In the game it’s a stronghold for both the Mongols and the Japanese, though in reality by 1274 Kaneda had been abandoned for hundreds of years. It was built in 667 when Japan, fearing a continental invasion that wouldn’t actually occur for another six centuries, built the fortress overlooking Aso Bay. Today the outer wall still stands, a curtain of stone running atop a hill high above the bay. While the Mongol Empire didn’t occupy Kaneda Castle, its in-game name and appearance are a nice nod to the island’s real history and geography.
Sadly, the same can’t be said for one of Ghost of Tsushima’s most popular features, the red foxes. The foxes function as guides in the game, leading Jin to hidden places and items, often at small shrines to the agricultural deity Inari. Inari shrines in Japan are famous for their guardian fox statues, and the animals are said to serve as Inari’s messengers. It’s a neat use of Japanese folklore and mythology, especially in a game with an international audience. After all, many cultures around the globe see foxes as intelligent, spiritual creatures. Of course you’ll follow them.
There’s one little problem: Red foxes don’t live on Tsushima. Neither do the Asian black bears that pop up in the game. The island has its own unique ecosystem with endemic species of deer, marten, pit viper, and leopard cat (which serves as the island’s mascot). A true Tsushima game would have Jin following leopard cats around. As much as I like the foxes, they took me right out of Tsushima. The game’s clever use of broader Japanese culture ended up erasing the specificities of its setting.
And it points to a more meaningful erasure. Tsushima has been a locus of Japanese-Korean relations, trade, and conflict for centuries—you can see Busan’s skyscrapers from the island’s northern tip. Korean influence is apparent in the island’s dialect, cuisine, and festivals, and today South Korean tourism is one of the pillars of Tsushima’s economy. That influence is important to the game’s setting, too. Kaneda Castle was a Korean-style fortress, and the actual invading army was as much Korean as it was Mongolian—but in Ghost of Tsushima, Kaneda appears as a classic Japanese castle, and all the enemies are nomadic horse-archers. The game flattens the island, whose history, culture, economy, and ecology are defined by its location between Japan and Korea, into a standard Japanese fantasyland where you play a samurai/ninja fighting against foreign invaders.
Ghost of Tsushima.
Sucker Punch, an American company, probably didn’t mean this erasure deliberately, although it’s possible they left it out exactly because virtual histories can get contentious. The geopolitics of digital domains can be as fraught as the real thing, and that will only increase as video game landscapes become more realistic. Even back in the 2000s, online multiplayer games saw some Chinese and South Korean players arguing over whether the medieval kingdom of Goguryeo was Chinese or Korean. But that’s the peril of virtual exploration. For all the photorealistic scenery and careful research, it’s still somebody else’s sandbox. You’re hemmed in by the limits of other people’s imaginations, agendas, and rendering budgets.
Still, with most of us locked down for the foreseeable future, Ghost of Tsushima and games like it provide a good scratch for our travel itch. Before the pandemic hit, my wife, Ayako, and I had discussed returning to Japan this summer or fall and finally visiting Tsushima. She and our 6-year-old son, Liam, have never been to the island, and I’ve always wanted to take them. Now we’re stuck at home in the Chicago suburbs, half a world away. But the other day, Liam came and sat on my lap and together we watched Jin Sakai as he leaped over rocky chasms on his way to Cloud Ridge Shrine. It’s no Watazumi, but it’ll do for now. And who knows, maybe the next time I rendezvous with the thief Yuna in the fishing village of Kechi, I’ll even find that Mos Burger again.


foreignpolicy--2020-08-21--Alexei Navalny Remains in Coma in Russian Hospital

Here is today ’ s Foreign Policy brief : The prominent Putin critic Alexei Navalny remains in a Russian hospital after an alleged poison attack despite his family ’ s efforts to seek treatment outside the country , a look at Democratic nominee Joe Biden ’ s foreign policy , and the Sri Lankan president moves to strengthen his hold on power .
We welcome your feedback at morningbrief @ foreignpolicy.com .
Navalny has been an active player on the Russian political scene since 1999 , gaining a large following in recent years for his willingness to publicly criticize Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as for his work exposing the corruption of top government officials .
Navalny and his supporters have been subjected to extensive legal and political harassment , and Navalny notably had his bid to challenge Putin for president in 2018 shut down over charges of fraud .
Was it Putin ?
Navalny was once described as “ the man Vladimir Putin fears most , ” so it is unsurprising that the blame immediately fell on the Russian president .
And for good reason : the Kremlin has been linked in the past to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and poisoning is usually the chosen method .
Or was it local politicians ?
But as Foreign Policy ’ s Amy Mackinnon wrote , that analysis is flawed , and the culprits were more likely local figures who found it advantageous to remove Navalny for their own purposes .
Indeed , Navalny had been campaigning in support of local opposition candidates ahead of next month ’ s regional elections in the days before he fell ill. “ While political power in Russia is highly centralized under Putin , ” Mackinnon wrote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rogue elements looking to settle personal scores , [ and ] protect their own economic interests.
” That doesn ’ t mean Putin is blameless , she added .
He has “ presided over a system where political opponents , journalists , and human rights activists are assaulted and assassinated , often with impunity , ” which encourages even those who do not answer directly to the Kremlin to adopt its tactics for eliminating rivals .
Will he receive proper medical treatment in Russia ?
According to Navalny ’ s family , doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so he can receive medical treatment abroad .
Relatives and aides contend that the Kremlin critic ’ s life is in danger in Russia .
The hospital ’ s decision came one hour before a plane was due to evacuate Navalny to Berlin .
The chief doctor in Omsk , Alexander Murakhovsky , said he did not believe Navalny had been poisoned but would not elaborate on what caused his sudden illness and coma .
Navalny ’ s press secretary , Kira Yarmysh , said delaying his evacuation to Germany constituted “ an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctrine .
With the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday , former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is now officially the Democratic Party ’ s nominee for president .
Biden ’ s approach to foreign policy stands in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump ’ s , and if he wins the presidency in November , Washington ’ s foreign policy priorities could change dramatically .
Biden will be faced with the task of undoing the immense damage caused by the Trump administration , including rebuilding the United States ’ strained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He has already promised to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization , aiming to reestablish the United States ’ leadership of international efforts to confront global challenges .
He has also pledged to strengthen U.S. security alliances , including NATO , and bilateral ties with South Korea , Australia , Israel , and Japan .
He has also said he would rejoin the Iran nuclear deal .
It ’ s not Obama ’ s world anymore .
But a President Biden would be stepping into an international arena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 .
China is now almost universally considered a rival of the United States , and although his approach to Beijing will likely be far less combative than Trump ’ s , the U.S.-Chinese relationship will probably continue to be characterized by competition rather than cooperation .
As James Traub wrote , Biden ’ s foreign policy will likely be defined by a struggle between the forces of democracy and authoritarianism .
U.S. to push for snapback sanctions on Iran .
The United States is set to initiate the process to trigger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mechanism , which , if successful , would reimpose all pre-2015 sanctions on Iran .
But several international powers , including many European countries , insist that the United States relinquished the right to do so after it withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 .
The Trump administration has pushed back , arguing that language used in the Security Council resolution that accompanied the deal grants the right to trigger the snapback to all of the deal ’ s original signatories .
The move follows Washington ’ s failure last week to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extending the arms embargo on Iran , which is due to expire in October .
That resolution ’ s defeat has led some observers to suggest that Trump ’ s latest wranglings over Iran are little more than an effort to kill off the nuclear deal for good .
Sri Lanka to hand more power to the president .
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced on Thursday that he will scrap a constitutional amendment limiting the president to two terms , a significant step toward his party ’ s objective of strengthening the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced plans to introduce a new constitution , which would give the president ’ s office several powers it held prior to constitutional reforms introduced by Rajapaksa ’ s predecessor .
Rajapaksa won a significant mandate for his agenda in this month ’ s legislative elections , with his party—led by his brother Mahinda—securing a commanding majority of seats .
Although it fell just short of the two-thirds majority required to change the constitution at will , it gained enough support from some of the smaller parties to cross that threshold .
Iraq @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A string of killings and attempted assassinations of activists in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in recent weeks highlights the continued difficulty the Iraqi government faces as it tries to rein in the country ’ s myriad armed groups .
After taking power in May , Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pledged to take control of the armed groups and reassert the state ’ s authority over the entirety of Iraq ’ s national territory .
Writing for Foreign Policy earlier this month , Shelly Kittleson reported that Kadhimi has instituted several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but warned that he would continue to face significant challenges as militias began to feel the pressure .
Scholarships for nothing .
A German university is offering “ idleness grants ” to pay individuals to literally do nothing at all .
Applicants will be asked to describe the activity they intend to refrain from , for how long , and , crucially , why it is important not to engage in this activity .
The so-called indolence project aims to explore the seeming contradiction of a society that promotes sustainability while also valuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turning the value that society places on achievements and accomplishments on its head .
The applications will form part of an exhibition at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg and will be structured around the core question : “ What can I refrain from so that my life has fewer negative consequences on the lives of others ?
” For more from FP , visit foreignpolicy.com , subscribe here , or sign up for our other newsletters .
Send your tips , comments , questions , or corrections to morningbrief @ foreignpolicy.com @

Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: The prominent Putin critic Alexei Navalny remains in a Russian hospital after an alleged poison attack despite his family’s efforts to seek treatment outside the country, a look at Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s foreign policy , and the Sri Lankan president moves to strengthen his hold on power.
Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: The prominent Putin critic Alexei Navalny remains in a Russian hospital after an alleged poison attack despite his family’s efforts to seek treatment outside the country, a look at Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s foreign policy, and the Sri Lankan president moves to strengthen his hold on power.
If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday, please sign up here.
The Fate of ‘The Man Vladimir Putin Fears Most’ Is in Doubt Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was hospitalized on Thursday after a suspected poisoning, immediately raising suspicions that the Kremlin was involved. Navalny fell ill on a plane to Moscow after drinking a cup of tea at the airport in the Siberian city of Tomsk. Navalny’s illness became so severe that the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in the city of Omsk, where he was taken to a local hospital before slipping into a coma.
Navalny has been an active player on the Russian political scene since 1999, gaining a large following in recent years for his willingness to publicly criticize Putin and his United Russia party, as well as for his work exposing the corruption of top government officials. Navalny and his supporters have been subjected to extensive legal and political harassment, and Navalny notably had his bid to challenge Putin for president in 2018 shut down over charges of fraud.
Was it Putin? Navalny was once described as “the man Vladimir Putin fears most,” so it is unsurprising that the blame immediately fell on the Russian president. And for good reason: the Kremlin has been linked in the past to the killings of multiple individuals considered threats, and poisoning is usually the chosen method.
Or was it local politicians? But as Foreign Policy’s Amy Mackinnon wrote, that analysis is flawed, and the culprits were more likely local figures who found it advantageous to remove Navalny for their own purposes. Indeed, Navalny had been campaigning in support of local opposition candidates ahead of next month’s regional elections in the days before he fell ill. “While political power in Russia is highly centralized under Putin,” Mackinnon wrote, “the system is not without its rogue elements looking to settle personal scores, [and] protect their own economic interests.”
That doesn’t mean Putin is blameless, she added. He has “presided over a system where political opponents, journalists, and human rights activists are assaulted and assassinated, often with impunity,” which encourages even those who do not answer directly to the Kremlin to adopt its tactics for eliminating rivals.
Will he receive proper medical treatment in Russia? According to Navalny’s family, doctors in Omsk have refused to discharge him so he can receive medical treatment abroad. Relatives and aides contend that the Kremlin critic’s life is in danger in Russia.
The hospital’s decision came one hour before a plane was due to evacuate Navalny to Berlin. The chief doctor in Omsk, Alexander Murakhovsky, said he did not believe Navalny had been poisoned but would not elaborate on what caused his sudden illness and coma.
Navalny’s press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, said delaying his evacuation to Germany constituted “an attempt on his life.”
What We’re Following Today
The Biden doctrine. With the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is now officially the Democratic Party’s nominee for president. Biden’s approach to foreign policy stands in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s, and if he wins the presidency in November, Washington’s foreign policy priorities could change dramatically.
Biden will be faced with the task of undoing the immense damage caused by the Trump administration, including rebuilding the United States’ strained relationships abroad and recommitting to international institutions. He has already promised to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, aiming to reestablish the United States’ leadership of international efforts to confront global challenges.
He has also pledged to strengthen U.S. security alliances, including NATO, and bilateral ties with South Korea, Australia, Israel, and Japan. He has also said he would rejoin the Iran nuclear deal.
It’s not Obama’s world anymore. But a President Biden would be stepping into an international arena significantly different than the one he left in 2017. China is now almost universally considered a rival of the United States, and although his approach to Beijing will likely be far less combative than Trump’s, the U.S.-Chinese relationship will probably continue to be characterized by competition rather than cooperation. As James Traub wrote, Biden’s foreign policy will likely be defined by a struggle between the forces of democracy and authoritarianism.
U.S. to push for snapback sanctions on Iran. The United States is set to initiate the process to trigger the Iran nuclear deal’s snapback mechanism, which, if successful, would reimpose all pre-2015 sanctions on Iran. But several international powers, including many European countries, insist that the United States relinquished the right to do so after it withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. The Trump administration has pushed back, arguing that language used in the Security Council resolution that accompanied the deal grants the right to trigger the snapback to all of the deal’s original signatories.
The move follows Washington’s failure last week to push through a U.N. Security Council resolution extending the arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October. That resolution’s defeat has led some observers to suggest that Trump’s latest wranglings over Iran are little more than an effort to kill off the nuclear deal for good.
Keep an Eye On
Sri Lanka to hand more power to the president. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced on Thursday that he will scrap a constitutional amendment limiting the president to two terms, a significant step toward his party’s objective of strengthening the power of the presidency. He also announced plans to introduce a new constitution, which would give the president’s office several powers it held prior to constitutional reforms introduced by Rajapaksa’s predecessor.
Rajapaksa won a significant mandate for his agenda in this month’s legislative elections, with his party—led by his brother Mahinda—securing a commanding majority of seats. Although it fell just short of the two-thirds majority required to change the constitution at will, it gained enough support from some of the smaller parties to cross that threshold.
Iraq’s difficulty in reining in militias. A string of killings and attempted assassinations of activists in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in recent weeks highlights the continued difficulty the Iraqi government faces as it tries to rein in the country’s myriad armed groups. After taking power in May, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pledged to take control of the armed groups and reassert the state’s authority over the entirety of Iraq’s national territory.
Writing for Foreign Policy earlier this month, Shelly Kittleson reported that Kadhimi has instituted several reforms aimed at curtailing their power, but warned that he would continue to face significant challenges as militias began to feel the pressure.
Odds and Ends
Scholarships for nothing. A German university is offering “idleness grants” to pay individuals to literally do nothing at all. Applicants will be asked to describe the activity they intend to refrain from, for how long, and, crucially, why it is important not to engage in this activity. The so-called indolence project aims to explore the seeming contradiction of a society that promotes sustainability while also valuing success, with the stated aim of turning the value that society places on achievements and accomplishments on its head.
The applications will form part of an exhibition at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg and will be structured around the core question: “What can I refrain from so that my life has fewer negative consequences on the lives of others?”
That’s it for today.
For more from FP, visit foreignpolicy.com, subscribe here, or sign up for our other newsletters. Send your tips, comments, questions, or corrections to morningbrief@foreignpolicy.com.


foreignpolicy--2020-08-21--Lockdowns Have Been Amazing for the Environment, but COVID-19 Won’t Heal the Planet

The world has learned much about the devastating impact of COVID-19 on human health and well-being .
It is also waking up to the pandemic ’ s positive effects on the planet ’ s atmosphere , ecosystems , and biodiversity .
Ever since it was first detected late in 2019 , the disease outbreak and resulting lockdowns around the world have dramatically slowed globalization , especially the trade and travel that powered the largest economic boom in history .
In the process , the pandemic has intensified many of the deep inequalities that define our world .
Notwithstanding the incalculable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there appears to be a silver lining .
Specifically , government-led efforts to contain the spread of the disease have temporarily reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions—especially carbon dioxide , nitrogen dioxide , and particulate matter .
The question , however , is whether these improvements will be sustained after lockdowns ease .
Within a few months of the spread of COVID-19 across Asia , Europe , and North America , global carbon dioxide emissions fell by an astonishing 17 percent compared with average daily levels in 2019 .
A big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in manufacturing , power generation , shipping , and transportation .
Satellites managed by NASA and Planet Lab detected steep declines in vehicular traffic , which also contributed to a sharp decline in the nitrogen dioxide hovering above the world ’ s sprawling metropolises .
While these declines are promising , most climate scientists are not optimistic that these changes will persist in the long run .
Their best estimate is that carbon dioxide declines may end up at around 4 to 7 percent by the end of 2020 .
But it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improvements will be wiped out if industrial activity and energy use roar back unchanged in 2021 .
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted virtually every industrial sector and supply chain—but few sectors were hit harder than the airline industry .
The outbreak is considered to be the worst crisis to have ever hit the aviation sector .
Travel restrictions between and within countries led to a reduction in the frequency of flights by almost 70 percent in May 2020 compared with the previous year , bankrupting a rash of airlines and putting most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central banks .
The cost of air cargo tripled as shipping between countries ground to a halt .
Not surprisingly , aviation ’ s carbon footprint shrank by 60 percent .
( Incidentally , the sharp slowdown in aviation also reduced the accuracy of weather forecasts , in part because the number of daily measurements of air temperature , humidity , and wind speed received from airplanes by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declined from roughly 900,000 a day to only 300,000 . )
The pandemic also contributed to a sharp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bus traffic when cities around the world went into lockdown .
In a matter of weeks , weekdays became weekends and rush hours evaporated .
In Europe , cities such as Milan , Paris , Rome , Madrid , and London experienced declines in traffic of between 72 and 97 percent .
In the United States , every metropolitan area experienced a reduction in traffic of at least 50 percent , with possibly the lowest amount of driving since the 1970s .
Crowded Indian cities such as Bengaluru , Chennai , Delhi , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which helps explain why levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulates plunged by around 50 percent or more .
And in China , nitrogen dioxide pollution fell by 48 percent after many of its cities went into lockdown .
Wuhan experienced a 63 percent drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions in the months after the city of 11 million people was shuttered .
There is no guarantee that greenhouse-gas emissions will stay low after lockdowns are eased .
In fact , evidence points to industrial pollution and air-travel emissions creeping back up in several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many cities after governments loosened restrictions .
Since many city dwellers are understandably wary of public transit , the risk of a surge in commuting by car is real , especially in large metropolitan centers .
Much depends on what national , state , and municipal governments do next .
Some mayors , city councils , and planners are busily trying to modify their urban spaces to favor pedestrians and greener modes of transportation .
They are finding considerable support from their residents : In a recent international survey , 3 in 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments to make environmental protection a priority when planning the post-pandemic recovery .
More positively , COVID-19 is intensifying support in some parts of the world for more investment in emissions reduction and “ building back better ” than before .
Before COVID-19 , climate action had already risen on the agenda , fueled in part by widespread protest movements such as Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion .
And while national , state , and city governments are facing soaring deficits , there are many people who are reluctant to go back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politicians recognize that COVID-19 has created a space to push forward plans for a greener economy .
To wit , the European Union is advancing an $ 825 billion green stimulus plan to reach decarbonization targets more quickly .
Enlightened city leaders also understand that greener cities are healthier cities .
This helps explain the clamping down on cars and rapid spread of bicycle lanes , pedestrian streets , and ride-sharing initiatives in cities such as Athens , Barcelona , Berlin , Brussels , Minneapolis , New York , Paris , Rome , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Nations even established a World Bicycle Day to spread awareness about how bikes can help power a greener post-pandemic future .
But there are also risks that COVID-19 will delay action to address the world ’ s climate crisis .
Among other things , it has slowed down international negotiations such as the U.N .
Climate Change Conference , the annual pledging event to keep global temperature rises below 2 degrees Celsius , and diplomatic progress on agreements designed to protect biological diversity and the oceans .
The pandemic is likewise distracting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rampant forest fires and the industrial-scale deforestation of the Amazon .
The economic distress generated by COVID-19 could also weaken national climate policies and investments as countries resort to fossil fuels , cut green subsidies , and abandon renewable energy plans .
There ’ s also a risk of an increase in pollution , including increased microplastics entering waterways due to the production of disposable gloves , surgical masks , and other nonrecyclable products .
While they helped generate climate and environmental dividends , COVID-19 lockdowns are not the solution for comprehensively tackling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slowed emissions .
This in turn will reduce mortality and morbidity associated with outdoor air pollution , which causes more than 4.2 million deaths every year .
But the crippling economic , social , and psychological effects of restrictive lockdowns are hugely damaging for people ’ s livelihoods , especially in poorer and more vulnerable communities .
The fundamental point is that humans have unlimited needs , but the planet has limited capacity to satisfy them .
The most important question in the short term is whether governments , businesses , and societies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downward trajectory of emissions over the next decade .
While it is a seductive idea , COVID-19 will not heal the earth .
In the first half of 2020 , photos of wild boars in Barcelona , Spain , goats taking over Welsh towns , clear views of the Himalayas from the state of Punjab in India , and aquamarine canals in Venice , Italy , were shared across the Internet .
Hopeful memes suggested that COVID-19 was healing the planet , that nature ’ s tremendous capacity for regeneration had been activated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And while it is true that air , noise , and water pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions temporarily declined in the first half of the year , there is virtually no chance this will be sustained in the post-pandemic era if radical measures are not taken to decarbonize the global economy and alter consumption habits .
The only way to truly heal the planet , and to save ourselves , is to take this opportunity to build radically greener economies , invest in renewable energy , phase out fossil fuels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solutions .

The world has learned much about the devastating impact of COVID-19 on human health and well-being. It is also waking up to the pandemic’s positive effects on the planet’s atmosphere, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Ever since it was first detected late in 2019, the disease outbreak and resulting lockdowns around the world have dramatically slowed globalization, especially the trade and travel that powered the largest economic boom in history. In the process, the pandemic has intensified many of the deep inequalities that define our world. Notwithstanding the incalculable pain and suffering generated by the coronavirus, there appears to be a silver lining. Specifically, government-led efforts to contain the spread of the disease have temporarily reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions—especially carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter. The question, however, is whether these improvements will be sustained after lockdowns ease.
Within a few months of the spread of COVID-19 across Asia, Europe, and North America, global carbon dioxide emissions fell by an astonishing 17 percent compared with average daily levels in 2019. A big reason for this was the sudden drop in manufacturing, power generation, shipping, and transportation. Satellites managed by NASA and Planet Lab detected steep declines in vehicular traffic, which also contributed to a sharp decline in the nitrogen dioxide hovering above the world’s sprawling metropolises. While these declines are promising, most climate scientists are not optimistic that these changes will persist in the long run. Their best estimate is that carbon dioxide declines may end up at around 4 to 7 percent by the end of 2020. But it is far too early to celebrate: Recent improvements will be wiped out if industrial activity and energy use roar back unchanged in 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted virtually every industrial sector and supply chain—but few sectors were hit harder than the airline industry. The outbreak is considered to be the worst crisis to have ever hit the aviation sector. Travel restrictions between and within countries led to a reduction in the frequency of flights by almost 70 percent in May 2020 compared with the previous year, bankrupting a rash of airlines and putting most of the rest on life support from governments and central banks. The cost of air cargo tripled as shipping between countries ground to a halt. Not surprisingly, aviation’s carbon footprint shrank by 60 percent. (Incidentally, the sharp slowdown in aviation also reduced the accuracy of weather forecasts, in part because the number of daily measurements of air temperature, humidity, and wind speed received from airplanes by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declined from roughly 900,000 a day to only 300,000.)
Cleaner Air Over China
The pandemic also contributed to a sharp reduction in car, truck, and bus traffic when cities around the world went into lockdown. In a matter of weeks, weekdays became weekends and rush hours evaporated. In Europe, cities such as Milan, Paris, Rome, Madrid, and London experienced declines in traffic of between 72 and 97 percent. In the United States, every metropolitan area experienced a reduction in traffic of at least 50 percent, with possibly the lowest amount of driving since the 1970s. Crowded Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai saw traffic plummet, which helps explain why levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulates plunged by around 50 percent or more. And in China, nitrogen dioxide pollution fell by 48 percent after many of its cities went into lockdown. Wuhan experienced a 63 percent drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions in the months after the city of 11 million people was shuttered.
Cleaner Air Over Europe
Clearer Skies Over India
There is no guarantee that greenhouse-gas emissions will stay low after lockdowns are eased. In fact, evidence points to industrial pollution and air-travel emissions creeping back up in several countries. Car traffic is increasing in many cities after governments loosened restrictions. Since many city dwellers are understandably wary of public transit, the risk of a surge in commuting by car is real, especially in large metropolitan centers. Much depends on what national, state, and municipal governments do next. Some mayors, city councils, and planners are busily trying to modify their urban spaces to favor pedestrians and greener modes of transportation. They are finding considerable support from their residents: In a recent international survey, 3 in 4 people in the countries polled expect their governments to make environmental protection a priority when planning the post-pandemic recovery.
More positively, COVID-19 is intensifying support in some parts of the world for more investment in emissions reduction and “building back better” than before. Before COVID-19, climate action had already risen on the agenda, fueled in part by widespread protest movements such as Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion. And while national, state, and city governments are facing soaring deficits, there are many people who are reluctant to go back to the “old normal.” Some politicians recognize that COVID-19 has created a space to push forward plans for a greener economy. To wit, the European Union is advancing an $825 billion green stimulus plan to reach decarbonization targets more quickly. Enlightened city leaders also understand that greener cities are healthier cities. This helps explain the clamping down on cars and rapid spread of bicycle lanes, pedestrian streets, and ride-sharing initiatives in cities such as Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, and Seattle. The United Nations even established a World Bicycle Day to spread awareness about how bikes can help power a greener post-pandemic future.
Satellite images show traffic on Paseo de la Castellana in downtown Madrid before the pandemic, soon after the lockdown began, and in July as traffic ticked up again.
But there are also risks that COVID-19 will delay action to address the world’s climate crisis. Among other things, it has slowed down international negotiations such as the U.N. Climate Change Conference, the annual pledging event to keep global temperature rises below 2 degrees Celsius, and diplomatic progress on agreements designed to protect biological diversity and the oceans. The pandemic is likewise distracting people from ongoing environmental calamities, including rampant forest fires and the industrial-scale deforestation of the Amazon. The economic distress generated by COVID-19 could also weaken national climate policies and investments as countries resort to fossil fuels, cut green subsidies, and abandon renewable energy plans. There’s also a risk of an increase in pollution, including increased microplastics entering waterways due to the production of disposable gloves, surgical masks, and other nonrecyclable products.
While they helped generate climate and environmental dividends, COVID-19 lockdowns are not the solution for comprehensively tackling climate change. Strict quarantining measures have slowed emissions. This in turn will reduce mortality and morbidity associated with outdoor air pollution, which causes more than 4.2 million deaths every year. But the crippling economic, social, and psychological effects of restrictive lockdowns are hugely damaging for people’s livelihoods, especially in poorer and more vulnerable communities. The fundamental point is that humans have unlimited needs, but the planet has limited capacity to satisfy them. The most important question in the short term is whether governments, businesses, and societies make the right decisions to ensure a downward trajectory of emissions over the next decade.
While it is a seductive idea, COVID-19 will not heal the earth. In the first half of 2020, photos of wild boars in Barcelona, Spain, goats taking over Welsh towns, clear views of the Himalayas from the state of Punjab in India, and aquamarine canals in Venice, Italy, were shared across the Internet. Hopeful memes suggested that COVID-19 was healing the planet, that nature’s tremendous capacity for regeneration had been activated, and that humans were the virus. And while it is true that air, noise, and water pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions temporarily declined in the first half of the year, there is virtually no chance this will be sustained in the post-pandemic era if radical measures are not taken to decarbonize the global economy and alter consumption habits. The only way to truly heal the planet, and to save ourselves, is to take this opportunity to build radically greener economies, invest in renewable energy, phase out fossil fuels, and permanently shift to green mobility solutions.


foreignpolicy--2020-08-21--Far-Reaching Corruption Probe Could Boost López Obrador’s Faltering Fortunes

Welcome to While You Weren ’ t Looking , Foreign Policy ’ s weekly newsletter focused on non-coronavirus news .
Here ’ s what we ’ re watching this week : Three former presidents have been named in an explosive corruption scandal in Mexico , record-setting floods could threaten the world ’ s largest dam , and U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran paid bounties to Taliban fighters to target coalition forces .
If you would like to receive While You Weren ’ t Looking in your inbox on Fridays , please sign up here .
An explosive corruption scandal that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intensified this week as three former presidents and over a dozen former government ministers and lawmakers were accused of bribery in a leaked copy of a deposition given by Emilio Lozoya , the disgraced former head of Mexico ’ s state oil company , Pemex , who is cooperating with the authorities in a wide-reaching corruption probe .
Former Presidents Enrique Peña Nieto , Felipe Calderón , and Carlos Salinas de Gortari were all named in the testimony—part of the country ’ s most extensive corruption probe in recent history .
Lozoya was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges in Mexico , where he is accused of accepting $ 10 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht .
The company has been accused of paying bribes to secure government contracts across Latin America , and the fallout has brought down senior officials in Brazil , Argentina , Colombia , and Peru .
The investigation could bolster support for current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador , an anti-corruption crusader , ahead of elections next year .
López Obrador ’ s once dizzying approval ratings have slumped since the start of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused of downplaying the severity of the virus and bungling the economic response .
The escalation has raised concerns that López Obrador is using the probe to attack his political rivals .
“ It ’ s an enormously effective political soap opera to distract attention from the health , economic , security and educational crises tied to the coronavirus , ” Carlos Bravo Regidor , an analyst at the CIDE research center in Mexico City , told the Wall Street Journal .
In claims made to federal prosecutors , which were leaked on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who served from 2012 to 2018 , had received millions of dollars in illegal bribes and campaign finance from Odebrecht .
Most of the people named by Lozoya have denied any wrongdoing .
Peña Nieto did not respond to the claims but has previously denied allegations of corruption made by Lozoya .
Salinas did not immediately respond to the claims , according to the Guardian , while Calderón described the claims as “ ridiculous ” and accused the president of using Lozoya as “ an instrument of revenge and political persecution.
” Flooding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Heavy rainfall in China ’ s Yangtze basin has led to the river ’ s worst flooding in over half a century , displacing more than 4 million people and threatening the Three Gorges Dam .
On Thursday , the dam saw its largest flood since construction was finalized in 2003 , and the water level is expected to come within 20 meters of the dam ’ s height on Saturday .
Chinese officials said the dam is prepared for what is to come .
The floods , which began in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million people , disrupted China ’ s food supply , and contributed to about $ 25.9 billion in economic loss .
Cities throughout central and southern China have responded with evacuations .
Two UNESCO World Heritage sites—including the Leshan Giant Buddha , a 233-foot-tall statue carved out of a cliff face more than 1,200 years ago and situated at the confluence of three rivers—have closed due to the flooding .
On Monday , the waters crept over the Buddha ’ s toes for the first time since the 1940s , despite locals ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makeshift dam made of sandbags .
Anti-government protests in Thailand .
Nine opposition activists were arrested in Thailand this week and charged with sedition before being released on bail , as the government looks to quash mounting protests calling for its dissolution .
Some 10,000 people took part in a protest in Bangkok on Sunday , the largest demonstrations since the 2014 coup led by then-Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha—who returned to power as prime minister in last year ’ s elections , which were marred by irregularities .
Among those arrested this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a prominent Thai rap group , and the lawyer Anon Nampa .
Anon rattled the Thai political establishment this month by calling for monarchical reform , a highly taboo subject in Thailand , which has some of the strictest lèse-majesté laws in the world .
Some protesters on Sunday carried signs calling for steps such as the king stepping back from politics and restrictions on the palace budget .
Anon has not been charged under the laws , which carry a maximum 15-year sentence .
More Taliban bounties .
U.S. intelligence agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighters to target U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan , CNN reports .
The payments were tied to at least six attacks by the militant group last year , including the December attack on Bagram Air Base—the most prominent U.S. military installation in the country—that killed two civilians and injured 70 others , including two U.S. personnel .
Sources told CNN that discussions within the Trump administration about how to respond to the intelligence are complicated by concerns that any action could disrupt the upcoming peace talks between the Afghan government and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that came to light in June that a Russian military intelligence unit offered Taliban-linked militants bounties to kill coalition troops in Afghanistan .
Shipwreck in the Mediterranean .
At least 45 migrants died in an Aug. 17 shipwreck off the coast of Libya , the deadliest such incident this year .
The boat ’ s engine exploded off the coast of the city of Zuwarah .
More than 300 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya this year , according to the United Nations , but the real figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescued 37 people from the wreckage , who were detained by Libyan authorities .
On Wednesday , the U.N. high commissioner for refugees and the International Organization for Migration called for international search and rescue efforts to be stepped up .
The European Union has shied away from launching its own rescue operation .
Norway expels Russian diplomat .
Norway said on Wednesday that it had expelled a Russian diplomat on suspicion of espionage .
The announcement came days after a Norwegian employee working on Russia ’ s controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information to a Russian intelligence officer .
The Norwegian national Harsharn Singh Tathgar met the unnamed Russian diplomat at a pizza restaurant in Oslo on Aug. 15 , the day of his arrest .
Tathgar worked for DNV GL , which has done verification and certification work for Nord Stream 2 , which will double Russian gas flows to Germany once complete .
The project has been hit with U.S. sanctions over fears that it will increase Russia ’ s energy stranglehold on Europe .
Citizenship for sale .
Despite the global slump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , Vanuatu ’ s tourism-dependent economy registered a record surplus of $ 33.3 million in the first half of this year , due to a surge in demand for the country ’ s controversial “ citizenship for sale ” program .
A Vanuatu passport costs $ 130,000 and allows the bearer to travel to the European Union , the United Kingdom , and other countries visa-free , making it a relative bargain .
Over 600 people have bought citizenship under the scheme this year , although few take up residency in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drawn sharp opposition in the past over fears that it could be exploited by criminals .
Four Chinese nationals were stripped of their Vanuatuan citizenship last year after it was discovered that they were the subject of an Interpol red notice for their alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme .
Apple ’ s “ top secret ” device .
In 2005 , Apple helped build a special iPod for the U.S. government that only four people at the company knew about , according to former Apple software engineer David Shayer .
Shayer said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Energy Department , which is responsible for nuclear power , on a device that looked like a normal iPod but secretly recorded data .
The contractors never told Shayer what exactly they were building , but Shayer believed it to be something like a “ stealth Geiger counter.
” That ’ s it for this week .
For more from FP , visit foreignpolicy.com , subscribe here , or sign up for our other newsletters .
Send your tips , comments , questions , or corrections to newsletters @ foreignpolicy.com .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this report .

Welcome to While You Weren’t Looking, Foreign Policy’s weekly newsletter focused on non-coronavirus news.
Here’s what we’re watching this week: Three former presidents have been named in an explosive corruption scandal in Mexico, record-setting floods could threaten the world’s largest dam, and U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran paid bounties to Taliban fighters to target coalition forces.
If you would like to receive While You Weren’t Looking in your inbox on Fridays, please sign up here.
Corruption Probe Escalates in Mexico
An explosive corruption scandal that has rocked Mexico’s political elite intensified this week as three former presidents and over a dozen former government ministers and lawmakers were accused of bribery in a leaked copy of a deposition given by Emilio Lozoya, the disgraced former head of Mexico’s state oil company, Pemex, who is cooperating with the authorities in a wide-reaching corruption probe.
Former Presidents Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderón, and Carlos Salinas de Gortari were all named in the testimony—part of the country’s most extensive corruption probe in recent history.
Lozoya was extradited from Spain in July to face charges in Mexico, where he is accused of accepting $10 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. The company has been accused of paying bribes to secure government contracts across Latin America, and the fallout has brought down senior officials in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru.
The investigation could bolster support for current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, an anti-corruption crusader, ahead of elections next year. López Obrador’s once dizzying approval ratings have slumped since the start of the pandemic, as he has been accused of downplaying the severity of the virus and bungling the economic response.
The escalation has raised concerns that López Obrador is using the probe to attack his political rivals. “It’s an enormously effective political soap opera to distract attention from the health, economic, security and educational crises tied to the coronavirus,” Carlos Bravo Regidor, an analyst at the CIDE research center in Mexico City, told the Wall Street Journal.
In claims made to federal prosecutors, which were leaked on Wednesday, Lozoya said Peña Nieto, who served from 2012 to 2018, had received millions of dollars in illegal bribes and campaign finance from Odebrecht. Most of the people named by Lozoya have denied any wrongdoing. Peña Nieto did not respond to the claims but has previously denied allegations of corruption made by Lozoya.
Salinas did not immediately respond to the claims, according to the Guardian, while Calderón described the claims as “ridiculous” and accused the president of using Lozoya as “an instrument of revenge and political persecution.”
What We’re Following
Flooding threatens the world’s largest dam. Heavy rainfall in China’s Yangtze basin has led to the river’s worst flooding in over half a century, displacing more than 4 million people and threatening the Three Gorges Dam. On Thursday, the dam saw its largest flood since construction was finalized in 2003, and the water level is expected to come within 20 meters of the dam’s height on Saturday. Chinese officials said the dam is prepared for what is to come.
The floods, which began in June, have already affected more than 63 million people, disrupted China’s food supply, and contributed to about $25.9 billion in economic loss. Cities throughout central and southern China have responded with evacuations. Two UNESCO World Heritage sites—including the Leshan Giant Buddha, a 233-foot-tall statue carved out of a cliff face more than 1,200 years ago and situated at the confluence of three rivers—have closed due to the flooding.
On Monday, the waters crept over the Buddha’s toes for the first time since the 1940s, despite locals’ efforts to protect the statue with a makeshift dam made of sandbags.
Anti-government protests in Thailand. Nine opposition activists were arrested in Thailand this week and charged with sedition before being released on bail, as the government looks to quash mounting protests calling for its dissolution. Some 10,000 people took part in a protest in Bangkok on Sunday, the largest demonstrations since the 2014 coup led by then-Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha—who returned to power as prime minister in last year’s elections, which were marred by irregularities.
Among those arrested this week were Dechathorn Bamrungmuang, a founding member of a prominent Thai rap group, and the lawyer Anon Nampa. Anon rattled the Thai political establishment this month by calling for monarchical reform, a highly taboo subject in Thailand, which has some of the strictest lèse-majesté laws in the world.
Some protesters on Sunday carried signs calling for steps such as the king stepping back from politics and restrictions on the palace budget. Anon has not been charged under the laws, which carry a maximum 15-year sentence.
Keep an Eye On
More Taliban bounties. U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Iran paid bounties to Taliban fighters to target U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan, CNN reports. The payments were tied to at least six attacks by the militant group last year, including the December attack on Bagram Air Base—the most prominent U.S. military installation in the country—that killed two civilians and injured 70 others, including two U.S. personnel.
Sources told CNN that discussions within the Trump administration about how to respond to the intelligence are complicated by concerns that any action could disrupt the upcoming peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The revelations follow similar reports that came to light in June that a Russian military intelligence unit offered Taliban-linked militants bounties to kill coalition troops in Afghanistan.
Shipwreck in the Mediterranean. At least 45 migrants died in an Aug. 17 shipwreck off the coast of Libya, the deadliest such incident this year. The boat’s engine exploded off the coast of the city of Zuwarah. More than 300 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya this year, according to the United Nations, but the real figure could be much higher. Local fishermen rescued 37 people from the wreckage, who were detained by Libyan authorities.
On Wednesday, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees and the International Organization for Migration called for international search and rescue efforts to be stepped up. The European Union has shied away from launching its own rescue operation.
Norway expels Russian diplomat. Norway said on Wednesday that it had expelled a Russian diplomat on suspicion of espionage. The announcement came days after a Norwegian employee working for the company DNV GL was charged with handing over sensitive information to a Russian intelligence officer.
The Norwegian national Harsharn Singh Tathgar met the unnamed Russian diplomat at a pizza restaurant in Oslo on Aug. 15, the day of his arrest. Tathgar worked for DNV GL, which has done verification and certification work on Russia’s controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. The company reported that Tathgar had not worked on projects related to the pipeline, however.
The Norwegian national Harsharn Singh Tathgar met the unnamed Russian diplomat at a pizza restaurant in Oslo on Aug. 15, the day of his arrest. Tathgar worked for DNV GL, which has done verification and certification work for Nord Stream 2, which will double Russian gas flows to Germany once complete. The project has been hit with U.S. sanctions over fears that it will increase Russia’s energy stranglehold on Europe.
Odds and Ends
Citizenship for sale. Despite the global slump in travel brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Vanuatu’s tourism-dependent economy registered a record surplus of $33.3 million in the first half of this year, due to a surge in demand for the country’s controversial “citizenship for sale” program. A Vanuatu passport costs $130,000 and allows the bearer to travel to the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other countries visa-free, making it a relative bargain.
Over 600 people have bought citizenship under the scheme this year, although few take up residency in the Pacific island country. The program has drawn sharp opposition in the past over fears that it could be exploited by criminals. Four Chinese nationals were stripped of their Vanuatuan citizenship last year after it was discovered that they were the subject of an Interpol red notice for their alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme.
Apple’s “top secret” device. In 2005, Apple helped build a special iPod for the U.S. government that only four people at the company knew about, according to former Apple software engineer David Shayer. Shayer said he worked with two U.S. government contractors for the Energy Department, which is responsible for nuclear power, on a device that looked like a normal iPod but secretly recorded data.
The contractors never told Shayer what exactly they were building, but Shayer believed it to be something like a “stealth Geiger counter.”
That’s it for this week.
For more from FP, visit foreignpolicy.com, subscribe here, or sign up for our other newsletters. Send your tips, comments, questions, or corrections to newsletters@foreignpolicy.com.
Chloe Hadavas and Allison Meakem contributed to this report.
Correction, Aug. 26, 2020: Harsharn Singh Tathgar, who was charged with handing sensitive information to Russian intelligence, was an employee of Norway’s DNV GL. A previous version of this article misstated the scope of his work for the company, which did not include work on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.