It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned this excellent source for information about world affairs – a Substack called “Foreign Exchanges,” produced daily by Derek Davison. It’s a bit much to keep up with every day, but I have found it to be a reference that helps me when I hear something about a part of the world I haven’t been paying attention to. Here’s the link, where you can sign up for the daily newsletter.
Today’s edition is, as usual, full of information. It always starts with a bit about “Today in History.” For December 6 (that’s yesterday) it notes that on this date in 1240 the Mongols sacked Kyiv – in case you’re thinking you understand the history of Ukraine. And on this date in 1904, US President Teddy Roosevelt issued his “corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, stating basically that Europe should butt out of affairs in the Western Hemisphere and that the US would play international policeman in the region.
What else does the newsletter talk about?
Of course, the ongoing Hamas-Israeli war occupies a lot of attention. You’ll learn a lot about events on the ground in Gaza, as well as international pressure to bring about an end to the conflict. A groundswell in the United Nations to bring about some kind of ceasefire is expected to be vetoed in the Security Council by the United States.
Other nations in the Middle East – Yemen, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia – are directly impacted by this conflict. Russian President Putin visited the UAE and Saudi Arabia yesterday – a departure for the autocrat, as he doesn’t usually leave Russia because the International Criminal Court at the Hague has labeled him a war criminal and vowed to prosecute him if he goes to a country that is bound by ICC rules. Neither Yemen nor Saudi Arabia has agreed to the ICC covenant (neither has the United States, btw).
Several stories talk about the climate crisis. One focuses on the United Nations COP28 Climate Summit which began in Dubai last week. Vice President Harris attended this conference on behalf of the United States. President Biden had been expected to go, but he’s been a little busy. One thing being discussed at this meeting is a new scientific report from 200 scientists, stating that the world is in danger of hitting the point of no return for five of Earth’s natural systems because of human-caused climate change – the melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, the dying off of warm-water coral reefs, the thawing of permafrost, and impacts to a North Atlantic ocean current.
A second climate-related story focused on the impact of the destruction of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan, where the shrunken lake (1/4 of its former size) is surrounded by vast deserts sprinkled with ghost towns. Uzbekistan is mostly interested in drilling for oil in the dry seabed.
Several stories relate to nations in Africa – Sudan, Chad, and Ethiopia – where internal conflicts have created intolerable conditions for the people living there, including famine and intermittent violence.
The conflict in Ukraine garners a fair amount of attention, including a discussion of sanctions and the furor in the United States Senate over additional funding for Ukraine.
Several stories focus on events in Europe.
Slovakia is expected to close its special prosecutor's office dealing with corruption early next year
Turkish President Erdogan is still stonewalling ratification of Sweden’s membership in NATO, which he is conditioning on approval of a stalled F-16 sale from the United States
One story focuses on the border conflict between Guyana and Venezuela. The territory that Venezuela is claiming, the Esquibo region, is about 65% of Guyana and holds most of the petroleum and natural gas reserves of the country. In a referendum held this week, Venezuelan voters supported the claim to this territory, agreeing that it had been stolen from Venezuela when the national boundaries were drawn in 1899.
A final story focuses on military spending in the United States. The military budget, already at one of the highest levels since World War, is expected to increase its expenditures on enhanced weapons systems of unproven effectiveness, leading to further militarization of the American economy at the expense of investment in addressing major challenges like climate change and future pandemics.
There’s a lot going on. Major events (Ukraine, Gaza) tend to suck up all of the oxygen in the room, but sources like this one can give us a heads-up so that we’re not blindsided when one of these simmering problems erupts into disaster.
Venezuela and Guyana. Humph. Missed that one. Thanks. Sometimes their site is almost too much. Important though.