Ethiopian police marching in the country’s capital of Addis Ababa earlier this month.
Image Credit: Ben Curtis/AP
November 1-5 News
1. US Criticism Over the COP26 Attendement
After events at the COP26 in the past week, US President Joe Biden openly criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping for their failure to attend the meeting. The COP26 is the United Nations’ (UN) 2021 climate change summit, bringing together several world leaders and industry heads to discuss objectives and methods of limiting greenhouse gas emissions. China, as the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, was surprisingly absent, something President Biden claimed to be a “big mistake.” According to the president, climate change is a “gigantic issue” from which China “walked away”, claiming it to have been the “same thing with Russia and Putin.” Moreover, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave no reason as to why the Russian President did not attend the summit, yet guaranteed that climate was a pressing issue for the country’s government. Both China and Russia did, however, send delegations to the talk, pledging to reverse deforestation in their respective territories and reach carbon neutrality by the year 2060, showing their involvement despite the absence of their leaders.
To learn more about this, have a look at the links below:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-59138578
https://www.euronews.com/2021/11/03/biden-criticises-russia-and-china-for-not-attending-cop26
2. Bosnia in Danger of Breaking Up
The International Community’s General Representative in Bosnia has recently warned the United Nations (UN) that the country is in danger of returning to conflict due to threats from Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik. As of the past week, Dodik has threatened to exit the national armed forces and to create an independent armed Serb force, actions which have been claimed to “endanger not only the peace and stability of the country and the region, but […] could lead to the undoing of the [Dayton peace] agreement itself” by High Representative Christian Schmidt. The Dayton Peace Agreement, ending the war in Bosnia and outlining the General Framework Agreement for Peace in the region, is under the supervision of Schmidt and is of primary concern on the matter, being currently safeguarded by UN peacekeeping forces. Further, the one-year-long mandate for the presence of these forces is up for renewal at the UN Security Council, but Russia has threatened to block a resolution unless all references to the High Representative are removed due to the Kremlin’s opposition of his appointment and refusal to recognize his authority. This has not only indicated that Russia has interests in the region, but, if gone unattended to by the international community, could lead to a violent conflict in Bosnia.
To learn more about this, have a look at the links below:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59130945
3. Ethiopia Declares a State of Emergency
Ethiopia has reported a state of emergency after armed forces from the northern region of Tigray, known as the TPLF, gained territory, threatening to march on the country’s capital city of Addis Ababa. Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden accused the Ethiopian government of “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights” after reports of famine and near-famine in the region of Tigray, claiming that government restrictions were preventing people from getting humanitarian aid. Further, such violations were attributed to the government’s actions of “prolonging the war, dodging genuine negotiations to lead to de-escalation and a ceasefire, and refusing unhindered humanitarian access to avert catastrophe,” as stated by the US Special Envoy to the Ethiopian capital. Moreover, the country has been removed from key US trading programs, allowing for further economic sanctions to be placed on it, and has been warned that further measures would be taken if there is no end to the country’s ongoing conflict. As of late, the government has urged citizens to take up arms against the TPLF as it’s troops move towards Addis Ababa, potentially endangering civilians and increasing international tension on the matter.
To learn more about this, have a look at the links below:
[Research conducted by Global Politics student Catarina Esteves]
EAC PRESS 