Posted by BW Actual on May 23rd 2024
BLACKWATER USA | DAILY BRIEF
Israel and Palestine
- Colombia's leftist president, Gustavo Petro, announced plans to open a Colombian embassy in the West Bank's administrative capital of Ramallah, in a gesture of support for the Palestinian Authority - and a slight against Israel, which Colombia severed diplomatic ties with earlier this month.
- Separately, U.S. NSA Sullivan told reporters that "aid is flowing" from the new floating pier built to land humanitarian aid in Gaza, but conceded that only a "limited number" of high-energy biscuits from the first shipments unloaded on Friday have made it through to their intended recipients - the rest of the shipments were hijacked by desperate Gazans en route to UN distribution centers.
- Russia frightened NATO by posting a draft decree (re-)defining its borders in the Baltic Sea. The defense ministry quickly retracted the proposal, but its brief exposure had already alarmed Baltic countries that don't trust Russia's intentions.
- Sweden is particularly mistrustful: it believes Russia wants to take control of Gotland - a small Swedish island in the Black Sea - and use it as an operating base to "gain control of the Baltic Sea," where Russia operates a fleet of ~1,400 "shadow tankers" that hide behind opaque ownership to skirt sanctions on oil sales.
Afghanistan
Other News
- The NYT lent today's Morning Briefing to an investigative piece on Gen. Abdul Raziq - the late Afghan general who fought with the U.S. against the Taliban, but used harsh tactics that the author suggests may have caused some Afghans to lose faith in their government and side with the Taliban. The full report is here: https://www.nytimes.com/
2024/05/22/world/asia/ afghanistan-abdul-raziq.html? unlocked_article_code=1.uE0. P8ta.lRvxlgYG9dEy&smid=url- share
- New Caledonians are fired up about French plans to change the territory's electoral rules. The indiginous Kanak - who seek independence from France - say the changes would dilute their vote in provincial elections, and have been vehemently protesting against it for the past week.
- France sent about 3,000 soldiers to quell the violent demonstrations and Pres. Macron himself flew to the capital of Noumea today to launch talks with key New Caledonian leaders about their frustrations.
- In an odd twist, Azerbaijan seems to be stoking New Caledonians' anger against France: France's Interior Minister accused Azerbaijan of explicitly supporting separatists in New Caledonia as a way of punishing France for backing its arch-rival, Armenia.