June 19, 2019

Weekly World News Update

Democracy Caged; Scramble for Africa; Tensions in the Persian Gulf; Is the U.S. Prepared?; Implications of Backing Down on Hong Kong Extradition Bill; A Boris Brexit; A Glimpse into Guatemala; Equality Around the World; and Justice for Malaysia Airlines Flight 17?

Quote of the Week " Freedom of expression comes with responsibilities, especially when it comes with serious implications for peace (...) The world is not uni-cultural. We must live together rather than seeking to dominate each other. The people in the world cannot accept domination anymore." -- Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who died in an Egyptian courtroom earlier this week, in a 2012 speech at the Clinton Global Initiative during his first U.S. appearance since his election (as quoted in the Daily Beast).

Democracy Caged “ Mohamed Morsi Died in a Soundproof Cage” Mona Eltahawy -- New York Times, June 18, 2019 “ Egypt’s Only Democratic Leader Helped Kill Its Democracy” Thanassis Cambanis -- The Atlantic, June 18, 2019 “ Egypt Accuses the UN of Trying to ‘Politicize’ Ex-President Morsi Death” The Statesman, June 19, 2019

Scramble for Africa “ U.S. African Policy’s Lost ‘Dynamics’” Silja Fröhlich -- DW, June 17, 2019 “ China’s Expanding Media Dominance in Africa” Bartholomäus Grill -- Spiegel, June 14, 2019 “ Why Libya Is Becoming a Major Flashpoint in French-Italian Ties” Giorgio Cafiero -- The New Arab, June 12, 2019

Tensions in the Persian Gulf “ A Tanker War in the Middle East-Again?” Robin Wright -- New Yorker, June 13, 2019 “ Iran and the United States Remain Mired in the Past” Ross Harrison -- National Interest, June 13, 2019 “ Iran-U.S. Tensions Flare in the Persian Gulf: What’s at Stake” Kersten Knipp -- DW, June 15, 2019 “ Iran Seems Prepared for Major - But Measured - Escalation in the Gulf” Farzin Nadimi -- Washington Institute, June 14, 2019

Is the U.S. Prepared? “ America Must Prepare for the Coming Chinese Empire” Robert Kaplan -- National Interest, June 17, 2019 “ The Increasingly Dangerous Politicization of the U.S. Military” David Barno and Nora Bensahel -- War on the Rocks, June 18, 2019 “ The Many Failures of ‘Maximum Pressure’” Daniel Larison -- The American Conservative, June 17, 2019 “ What If the U.S. Could Fight Only One War at a Time?” Hal Brands -- The Japan Times, June 17, 2019

Implications of Backing Down on Hong Kong Extradition Bill “ Hong Kong’s Extradition: How Radical Youth Forced the Government’s Hand” Helier Cheung -- BBC News, June 17, 2019 “ Hong Kong’s Retreat Chips Away at Xi Jinping’s Iron Image” Steven Lee Myers -- New York Times, June 16, 2019 “ Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears Hong Kong’s Rented Crown” Ben Bland -- Sydney Morning Herald, June 18, 2019 “ The Hong Kong Extradition Bill and China’s Weakness” George Friedman -- Geopolitical Futures, June 18, 2019 “ Britain Failed Hong Kong” Milia Hau -- Foreign Policy, June 12, 2019

A Boris Brexit “ Three Scenarios for Brexit Under Boris Johnson” James Smith -- ING Think, June 14, 2019 “ The Empty Promise of Boris Johnson” Sam Knight -- New Yorker, June 13, 2019 “ Tory Leadership Race: What’s the View From Europe” Mujtaba Rahman -- The Guardian, June 18, 2019

A Glimpse into Guatemala “ How U.S. Apathy Helped Kill a Pioneering Anti-Corruption Campaign in Guatemala” Mary Beth Sheridan -- Washington Post, June 14, 2019 “ Political Risk Analysis: Why Guatemala’s Elections Matter” Nathaniel Flannery -- Forbes, June 14, 2019

Equality Around the World “ Botswana Court Ruling Is a Ray of Hope for LGBT People Across Africa” Frans Viljoen -- The Conversation, June 12, 2019 “ For Trump, LGBT Rights Are Foreign Policy, Not a Domestic Concern” Jared Keller -- Pacific Standard, June 12, 2019 “ Why Swiss Women Are Back on Strike Today” Andrea Tognina -- Swissinfo, June 14, 2019

Justice for Malaysia Airlines Flight 17? “ Four to Face Murder Charges in Downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17” Andrew Kramer -- New York Times, June 19, 2019 " MH17 Court Case Will Finally Put Truth on Record" Shaun Walker -- The Guardian, June 19, 2019