May 13, 2020
Crises Ripple Throughout Europe; African Countries Grapple With COVID and Much More ; Asia Roundup; Uncertainty in the Americas; Middle East Under Fire; and The World Watches...

" It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset -- of 'what's in it for me' and 'to heck with everybody else' -- when that mindset is operationalized in our government."
-- President Barack Obama, in a private call Friday night with his former administration staff.

" I think President Obama should've kept his mouth shut."
-- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a critique Monday of President Obama's comments about the Trump administration's COVID-19 response.
Crises Ripple Throughout Europe
“ Boris Johnson’s Message to the Working Class: Good Luck Out There” Owen Jones -- The Guardian, May 12, 2020 

“ Malls Reopen, Antivirus Measures Eased as Turkish Economy Teeters” Diego Cupolo -- Al-Monitor, May 11, 2020 

“ Russia Will Use COVID to Undermine NATO” Sarah White -- RealClear World, May 11, 2020 
 
“ A Burning Issue: How to Restart the Dialogue Between Serbia and Kosovo” Vessela Tcherneva -- European Council on Foreign Relations, May 11, 2020 

" The EU Is Entering a Constitutional Crisis” Andreas Kluth -- Bloomberg, May 11, 2020 
African Countries Grapple With COVID and Much More
“ Eritreans Sue EU Over Use of Forced Labor Back Home” Matina Stevis-Gridneff -- New York Times, May 13, 2020 

“ Guinea-Bissau’s Political Crisis Could Make It a Narco-State Again” Alex Vines -- World Politics Review, May 11, 2020 

“ Scientists Create Tool to Forecast Where East Africa’s Devastating Locusts Will Land Next” Maddie Stone -- The Washington Post, May 13, 2020 

" Africa Is Not Waiting to Be Saved from Coronavirus" Nanjala Nyabola -- The Nation, May 11, 2020
Asia Roundup
“ Leaked Chinese Virus Database Covers 230 Cities, 640,000 Updates” Isaac Fish and Maria Sinclair -- Foreign Policy, May 12, 2020 

“ How Will China Shape Global Governance?” Jeremy Youde; Melanie Hart; Dan Baer; Courtney Fung; Sophie Richardson; Aaron Halegua; Michael Beckley; Maria Carrai; Zha Daojiong -- ChinaFile, May 9, 2020 
 
“ Who’s Decoupling from Whom?” David Goldman -- Asia Times, May 11, 2020 
 
“ Podcast: WTH Is Going on in Hong Kong?” Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen -- American Enterprise Institute, May 12, 2020 

“ It’s Time to Stand With Taiwan” Mike Gallagher -- National Review, May 11, 2020 
Uncertainty in the Americas
“ Latin America’s Outbreaks Now Rival Europe’s. But Its Options Are Worse.” Anatoly Kurmanaev; Manuela Andreoni; Leticia Casado; Mitra Taj -- New York Times, May 13, 2020 

“ What Does Washington Want from China? " Christopher Hill -- Foreign Affairs, May 11, 2020 

“ Taiwan’s Last Stand in South America” Tom Long and Francisco Urdinez -- Americas Quarterly, May 7, 2020 
Middle East Under Fire
“ Israel’s Netanyahu, Armed With a New Mandate, Sets His Sights on West Bank Annexation” Steve Hendrix; Anne Gearan; Souad Mekhennet -- The Washington Post, May 12, 2020 

“ Oil Price War Puts Entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Risk” Simon Watkins -- Oil Price, May 11, 2020 

“ Iran’s Perplexing Pandemic Response” Ray Takeyh -- Council on Foreign Relations, May 7, 2020 
The World Is Watching...
“ Will a Global Depression Trigger Another World War?” Stephen Walt -- Foreign Policy, May 13, 2020

" The Tables Not Yet Turned" The Economist, May 9, 2020

COVID and Conflict, Pandemics and Peace: The Road Ahead

A Keynote Program with Nancy Lindborg
President and CEO,  United States Institute of Peace

Thursday, May 28
3:00 PM ET
Nancy Lindborg , President and CEO of the  United States Institute of Peace , will deliver a virtual keynote address to the Council Network and all Academic WorldQuest students and teachers on  Thursday, May 28, at 3:00 PM ET .

In light of the current pandemic and the unfortunate but necessary cancelation of the  Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2020 Academic WorldQuest National Competition , Nancy will address the students and teachers along with the national audience. She will explore the unprecedented threats the coronavirus poses to fragile states and the important opportunities the pandemic offers to help fragile states recover better. A question-and-answer session will follow Nancy's remarks.

***Register below and a confirmation email with the Zoom access details will be sent to you directly.***
Special thanks to USIP for its sponsorship of WACA's Academic WorldQuest program.