Brazilians go to the polls Sunday in a presidential election pitting left-wing former President Inacio Luiz “Lula” da Silva against the far-right incumbent, President Jair Bolsonaro. The contest has become a poster child of the “democracy versus autocracy” narrative, given Bolsonaro’s populist, authoritarian brand of politics.
Nigeria’s worst flooding in at least a decade has overrun hundreds of communities across the country. Sporadic floods have been occurring locally for months, but they intensified in September and have since spread. The flooding is expected to end in the coming weeks, but its impact will take much longer to repair.
A leadership void created by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s passive approach to continental affairs has now seeped into the Franco-German relationship, threatening to destabilize the central motor of European integration. Scholz visited Paris yesterday in what appears to be a failed attempt to patch up tensions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s selection of a new politburo at last week’s 20th party congress set the tone for the next five years and sent a message: that loyalty trumps competence, and security—in its many dimensions, for both Xi and China—must be a top priority. Two events at that congress also stood out as indicative of the trends taking shape under Xi’s rule.
Iran’s sale of drones to Russia and reported engagement on the ground in Ukraine could further complicate its already rocky relationship with the West. But despite this, Iran and Russia still stand to gain geopolitically and economically from an expansion of their collaboration, even if it is a partnership of convenience.
Liz Truss resigned as British prime minister on Thursday just 44 days after assuming office. Though she tried valiantly to hold on, she ultimately failed to reassure the markets or her Conservative Party MPs of her ability to end the political and economic chaos unleashed by the release of her government’s fiscal plan last month.
Amid a looming global economic crunch driven in part by a slowdown in China, a recalibration of Beijing’s footprint in Africa and deepening tensions with the West, many African governments are asking questions about what direction the relationship between their countries and China will take in the next couple of years.
EU leaders are gathered in Brussels, where they are locked in a heated discussion about Europe’s energy crisis. But as they try to hammer out an agreement, they’re also keeping a nervous eye on the protests brewing in France over inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, which could tip over into widespread civil unrest.
At the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech outlining his priorities heading into his almost certain third term, including his own concept of “national rejuvenation,” which goes hand in hand with a fight against internal and external enemies, both real and conceptual.
Lebanon and Israel reached a historic agreement last week settling a years-long maritime border dispute involving major energy fields in the Mediterranean Sea. The agreement paves the way for the two countries to cooperate on gas extraction, but it stops short of a full Lebanese diplomatic recognition of Israel.
The Chinese Communist Party’s national congress kicks off this weekend, with uncertainty surrounding all but one of the anticipated outcomes: Xi Jinping is expected to be renamed party chairman for a third term. Any other questions have been subordinated to the overriding through-line of Chinese politics these days: What will Xi do?
Two gatherings of international institutions this week—the IMF and World Bank’s annual meeting and a U.N. dialogue with the African Union—have been dominated by the global economic crisis. But many African governments and citizens regard multilateral organizations like these as missing in action regarding their major challenges.
NATO defense ministers pledged more air defense systems for Ukraine and strongly condemned Russia’s targeting of Ukrainian civilians in missile attacks in response to the bombing of a bridge in Crimea last week. But Kyiv continues to complain that some EU countries are not doing enough to deliver military aid quickly enough.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued new regulations restricting the sale of semiconductors and cutting-edge chip-making equipment to China. For while the implementation of these far-reaching measures will require international cooperation, Beijing’s technology ambitions are still set to hit rougher waters.
OPEC+ announced last week that it will cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day starting in November, driving up prices globally. The U.S. responded by framing the cuts to oil production as a nakedly self-serving move that will benefit Russia, singling out Saudi Arabia as the ringleader of that collective effort.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s pet project, the European Political Community, held its inaugural summit in Prague, Czech Republic, this week. The gathering marked a diplomatic success for Macron, who had floated the idea of a forum comprising all of Europe’s democracies, both inside and outside the European Union, back in May.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba began a 10-day visit across Africa this week that was billed as an attempt to “better explain Ukraine.” It’s a welcome change of pace from Kyiv, whose engagement with Africa amid the war has consisted of diplomatic improprieties and unfamiliarity with African diplomatic positions.