Category: Politics

The United States and Iraq held their first round of talks on the future of the US military presence in Iraq. Meanwhile, Baghdad discussed its expectations for creating a timeframe for the withdrawal of US troops.

On Saturday, high-ranking officials of the US-led coalition and the Iraqi military forces met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudas in Baghdad.

PM Al-Sudani said in a joint statement, “the commencement of the first round of bilateral dialogue between Iraq and the United States of America to end the coalition in Iraq.” He further added that military experts will be in charge of concluding the Global Coalition’s fight against Daesh (ISIL).

Currently, there are 2,500 US troops deployed in Iraq. The coalition was formed in 2014 to help Iraq’s government defeat ISIL.

The US government responded by saying that it aims to set up a committee to negotiate the terms for concluding the mission, which was first discussed last year. The US highlighted that the decision to talk about pulling out of Iraq was made before October 7. However, Iraq and ISIL claimed credit for the move, claiming it “proves that the Americans only understand the language of force” and vowed to keep attacking.

India and France have solidified their dedication to joint ventures in defence equipment development, fortifying bilateral ties across a spectrum of sectors, including defence production, nuclear energy, space exploration, and harnessing artificial intelligence for public services. The collaboration encompasses the provision of helicopters and submarines to the Indian armed forces, marking significant progress in defence cooperation. Nevertheless, the precise financial details of these agreements remain undisclosed at present.

On January 26, Emmanuel Macron and PM Narendra Modi held discussions that culminated in an opulent state banquet that President Droupadi Murmu hosted. Macron’s 40-hour visit marked the fifth rendezvous between him and Modi since May, underscoring the depth of their bilateral engagement.

France’s pivotal role as India’s foremost arms supplier, notably in furnishing fighter jets over the past four decades, highlights the strategic alliance between the two nations. Additionally, endeavours such as Safran’s provision of engine repair and overhaul services in India, coupled with collaborative efforts on Rafale engines and helicopters, epitomise the expanding dimensions of defence cooperation.

In a noteworthy development, Tata Group and Airbus of France have formalised an agreement to jointly manufacture civilian helicopters. CFM International agreed to provide 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, fitted with LEAP-1B engines, to Akasa Air in India, highlighting the growing ties between aviation technology and business.

On Wednesday, Tshering Tobgay, the liberal politician and leader of Bhutan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP), secured his second term as prime minister. At 58, Tobgay becomes the nation’s fourth freely elected prime minister since its transition to democracy fifteen years ago. Previously serving from 2013 to 2018, Tobgay led the opposition in the newly established parliamentary system.

A former bureaucrat, Tobgay staunchly supported Bhutan’s Buddhist culture. Situated between China and India, Bhutan is renowned for pioneering the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, a holistic economic measure factoring in elements like leisure and mental well-being, often overlooked by GDP calculations.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck officially bestowed Tobgay with a scarf, signifying his reappointment, as announced on the monarch’s official Facebook page.

Tobgay’s challenge lies in halting the migration of young Bhutanese seeking better opportunities, particularly in Australia, and rejuvenating the $3 billion economy ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. With India as its primary commercial partner and benefactor, Bhutan strives to maintain robust ties under Tobgay’s leadership. Despite lacking formal diplomatic relations with China, Bhutan engages in discussions to resolve border issues, a matter closely monitored by India amid its border tensions with China.

US billionaire Elon Musk calls India’s not being a United Nations Security Council member ‘absurd.’

Musk’s statement comes after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded reforms in the institutions of global governance. Guterres further questioned the African Union’s lack of representation in the UNSC and said that institutions must reflect today’s world and not that of 80 years ago.

According to him, India and Africa should be added to the permanent member seat as they are two of the most populous countries in the world. He stated that the UNSC is unjustly divided, and the member countries with excess power don’t want to give up. He took to his X account and said that there needs to be a revision of the UN bodies. He said, “India not having a permanent seat on the Security Council, despite being the most populous country on Earth, is absurd.”

Israeli venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg said India and the UN should be “dismantled” in favour of a new organisation governed by “real leadership.”

UNSC currently has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected for two terms by the General Assembly. Meanwhile, India has been a non-permanent

On Saturday, Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as the president of the second-largest country in Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The 80,000-seat Martyrs sports stadium in Kinshasa was chosen by the leader known as “Fatshi” for the inauguration event.

Despite the political unrest in the country, he will take on the position for a second five-year term. 

He won reelection with more than 70% of the votes, but the opposition parties refused to acknowledge his win due to several election irregularities in December. However, the authorities swiftly refuted the allegations of fraudulent votes. According to the election commission, nearly 18 million votes were cast, representing a 40% voter turnout.

Multiple polling locations commenced operations belatedly, while others remained closed entirely and were short on supplies. The election monitoring organisation CENCO characterised the legislative and presidential elections as an electoral catastrophe.

The 60-year-old was sworn in against Joseph Kabila for the first time in January 2019. During his first tenure, he pledged to end the 25-year conflict in the East and improve living conditions in the DRC but failed to do so. He seeks to provide free primary medications once more for the current term and has requested an additional mandate to “consolidate” the gains.

On Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Kampala, Uganda, for a two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). His visit is part of a two-nation tour of Uganda and Nigeria.

Dr. S. Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegations to the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement on January 19–20. It is expected that he will meet with Ugandan leaders and counterparts from several other NAM members. Later, Minister of State for External Affairs V Miraleedharan will represent India at the G-77 Third South Summit on January 21 and 22.

On his arrival today, Dr S Jaishankar shared a post on X along with some photographs. He tweeted that it was an honour to represent India at the summit and thanked the host government for the warm welcome. He also thanked the African Union for hosting the summit.

To support Uganda in hosting the NAM and G77 grouping summits, India has donated 10 buses, 5 ambulances, 10 tractors, and a few flag poles.

The NAM Summit is held under Uganada’s leadership and will bring together 120 developing nations. The summit’s theme is “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence.” The summit will hold official discussions between ministerial and senior officials.

Bangladesh’s newly appointed Foreign Minister, Hasan Mahmud, is scheduled for a three-day visit to New Delhi on February 7. It will be Mahmud’s first bilateral visit to India after his appointment.

On Monday, the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, extended the invitation on behalf of the Indian External Affairs Minister, and in return, Memon accepted the invitation. His first diplomatic meeting was with the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka. After the meeting with the new FM, the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka said that India is very hopeful and confident to achieve greater momentum in the India-Bangladesh partnership after the new term of Bangladesh.

Mahmud stated in an interview that he expected New Delhi to be his first stop on a bilateral visit at a mutually convenient time. He was later asked if he would meet the Indian Prime Minister during his visit, to which he replied that the planning is still at an early stage and nothing has been finalised yet.

On Sunday, Dr Jaishankar took to his official X account and congratulated Hasan Mahmud on his appointment as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. He looks forward to working together with his counterpart to strengthen the India-Bangladesh friendship.

On Wednesday, Kuwait formed its first cabinet under the new Emir and prime minister. It is Kuwait’s first cabinet under the new emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmed al-Sabah, formed to implement reforms under his guidance. Emir Meshal came to power in December after his predecessor, Sheikh Nawaf, died. He appointed Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al Salem as Kuwait’s new prime minister.

Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah appointed new ministers for the ministries of oil, foreign affairs, and finance. In the 13-member cabinet, Emad Mohammed al-Atiqi was appointed as the new oil minister, Anwar Ali al-Mudhaf as the finance minister, Abdullah Ali al-Yahya as the foreign minister, and Fahad Yousef Al Sabah as the acting deputy prime minister, minister of defence, and minister of interior.

Kuwait’s legislature has more influence globally as compared to other Gulf monarchies. However, for many years, political obstacles resulted in the dissolution of parliament and cabinet changes. It will also have to deal with the tensions between the ruling family and critics.

Meanwhile, it is anticipated that Emir Meshal will uphold Kuwait’s foreign policy, which includes encouraging the Western alliance, the Gulf Arab Unity, and a positive relationship with Riyadh as his priorities.

On Monday,  Bernardo Arevalo was sworn in as Guatemala’s president. After a chaotic inauguration that Congress delayed to undermine his legitimacy, the anti-corruption activist took the oath. Arevalo has promised to implement broad reforms to tackle the rising cost of living and control the violence.

He won the elections in August; however, since then, Arévalo and his party have faced a series of legal challenges, fraud allegations, rallies, and riots that tried to stop him from taking office.

On Sunday, hundreds of his fans were calling on lawmakers to preserve the constitution and clashed with police outside the Congress building. However, the inauguration process went on long into the night until Arévalo took the oath of office just past midnight.

The 65-year-old is the son of a former president, a career diplomat, and a sociologist. He has positioned himself as a supporter of democracy and a figurehead of a progressive movement in a political environment where conservative parties have long dominated.

In light of record-high remittances, the government and vice president of Arevalo will have to strike a compromise between curbing migration and maintaining the local economy. This compromise will likely involve implementing policies that address the root causes of migration while also ensuring economic stability.

On Thursday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged for stronger relations with Europe and improved immigration policies. Khan is from the opposition Labour Party and will seek his third term in May.

He referred to Brexit as a “key contributor” to the country’s cost-of-living crisis and said that Britain’s 2020 departure from the bloc isn’t working. According to him, Brexit is not a peripheral concern of the past, and its exit is resulting in lost opportunities, business, and income. He argued for a new settlement to bolster the UK’s economy and improve living standards. In addition, he emphasised the importance of a lenient immigration policy and said that social and cultural exchanges are beneficial for the economy.

His office’s statement concluded by stating that City Hall estimates Brexit has cost the British economy £140 billion ($178 billion) and London’s economy has dropped by £30 billion (7.5%).

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for PM Sunak said the nation’s economy has grown much faster than Italy’s and Germany’s since 2016 and promised to reduce regular immigration to historic lows and to halt asylum seekers from France from attempting to cross the channel in small boats.