North Korea Assumes Presidency of UN-Linked Disarmament Forum

 North Korea this week assumes the presidency of the U.N.-linked Conference on Disarmament, at a time when the U.S. and its allies are trying to tighten pressure on the regime over its intercontinental ballistic missile launches, a key part of its illicit nuclear weapons program.  Read

Uyghur Advocates: UN Human Rights Chief Should Resign for Whitewashing Chinese Atrocities

Accusing U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet of having “legitimized and whitewashed” China’s atrocities in Xinjiang, a U.S.-based Uyghur advocacy group says she should resign.  Read

Blinken: US Must Confront China, Which Has Both the Intent and Power to Reshape the Global Order

The United States does not seek “conflict or a new Cold War,” but will rally a broad coalition of nations to confront “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order” – the one posed by China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.  Read

Zelenskyy Aide Rejects Calls to Compromise: ‘We Do Not Trade Our Citizens, Territories or Sovereignty’

Ukrainian politicians are increasingly vocal about calls for the government to accept territorial compromises as the price for a ceasefire with Moscow.  Read

Russia and China Veto Resolution Responding to North Korean Missile Launches; First Time in 15 Years

Since mid-2006 the U.N. Security Council has – unanimously – adopted a raft of Security Council resolutions on North Korea, nine of which prohibited ballistic missile launches. That 15-year run came to an end on Thursday, when China and Russia jointly vetoed a measure responding to a series of launches by the Pyongyang regime since the beginning of 2022.  Read

Japan Accuses Russia and China of Provocation, Following Their Joint Strategic Bomber Exercise

 A joint patrol by Russian and Chinese nuclear-capable bombers near Japan and South Korea this week triggered a spat between Tokyo and Moscow, after the Japanese government accused Russia of heightening tensions in East Asia amid its aggression in Ukraine. Read

U.N. Implicitly Accuses Chinese Government of Misrepresenting Human Rights Chief

The Chinese government and state media said Wednesday that U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet during a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping “expressed admiration for China’s efforts and achievements … in protecting human rights.”  Read

North Korea Launches Three Ballistic Missiles Shortly After Biden Leaves Region

 North Korea launched three ballistic missiles within the space of around 45 minutes early Wednesday local time, waiting until President Biden had wrapped up his first presidential visit to the region before doing so.  Read

State Dep’t: ‘A Mistake’ for UN Rights Chief to Agree to Restrictions on Xinjiang Visit

It was “a mistake” for the U.N.’s top human rights official to agree to a China visit under restrictive conditions set by the government, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday, adding to criticism that has already prompted Beijing to accuse the U.S. and others of trying to sabotage the trip. Read

Diplomat Resigns After Lavrov Says the West Failed to Find ‘Traitors’ in Russian Foreign Service

A Russian diplomat’s decision to resign on Monday over his government’s invasion of Ukraine came ten days after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov observed that attempts by Western nations to encourage Russian diplomats to take such actions had failed.  Read

China and Allies Block Taiwan, Again, From Taking Part in Annual WHO Assembly

For the sixth consecutive year, Taiwan will not be represented at the annual World Health Assembly, after a committee recommended against including on the agenda a request for it to be allowed to take part as an observer.  Read

Gen. Milley Declines Invitation to Discuss Risks of a ‘US Military Defense of Taiwan’

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Monday declined to answer a question about the potential risks involved in defending Taiwan.  Read

UN Human Rights Chief Begins China Visit Without Releasing Report on Uyghurs

The U.N.’s top human rights official arrives in China on Monday for a trip that has been years in the making, amid skepticism by Uyghur activists unhappy about her office’s refusal to release a report it has compiled on the human rights situation in Xinjiang.  Read

Taiwan Regrets Exclusion From Biden’s New Indo-Pacific Economic Initiative

The Taiwanese government expressed regret Sunday that the Biden administration has chosen to exclude it from its new Indo-Pacific economic framework (IPEF), a key regional initiative being launched by President Biden in Japan on Monday.  Read

Biden Says He Would Get Involved Militarily to Defend Taiwan; White House Says 'No Change' in Policy

 President Biden said on Monday that he would be willing for the United States to get involved militarily should China invade Taiwan, adding that “that’s a commitment we made.”  Read

Biden’s Message in South Korea For Kim Jong Un? ‘Hello. Period.’

 Amid continuing concerns that North Korea could conduct a nuclear or missile test while President Biden is in the region, the president was asked in Seoul on Sunday if he had a message for Kim Jong Un.  Read

Sullivan: ‘Genuine Possibility, Real Risk’ of N. Korean Nuclear or Missile Test During Biden’s Visit

 The administration is prepared for the possibility that Kim Jong Un could carry out a nuclear or ballistic missile test during President Biden’s first visit to the region as president, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Thursday as Air Force One headed for the Korean peninsula.  Read

Harris on Oklahoma Abortion Law: ‘Think About That For a Second: From the Moment of Fertilization’

 The White House on Thursday condemned legislation approved by Oklahoma’s state legislature that would ban nearly all abortions, and Vice President Kamala Harris labeled as “outrageous” the fact that it seeks to protect unborn life from the point of fertilization.  Read

Biden Heads to Asia, As Senators Press Him to Include Taiwan in New Regional Economic Partnership

 Dozens of U.S. senators from both parties are urging President Biden to include Taiwan in the major new Indo-Pacific economic initiative that he plans to launch during his first presidential trip to Asia.  Read

Blinken Again Urges WHO to Let Taiwan Join Annual World Health Assembly

A day before President Biden began his first trip as president to Asia, the administration threw its support Wednesday behind calls for Taiwan to be invited to the World Health Organization’s annual World Health Assembly (WHA), in Geneva next week.  Read

Leaders of Finland, Sweden to Meet With Biden as Turkey Objects to Their NATO Admission

Finland and Sweden are formally filing their applications to join NATO at its Brussels headquarters on Wednesday, and a day later their leaders will visit the White House for what is expected to be a firm endorsement from the transatlantic alliance’s most powerful member.  Read

Mayorkas: DHS ‘Will Be Increasing the Number of Criminal Prosecutions’ When Title 42 Ends

During a visit to South Texas on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the department will step up criminal prosecutions of migrants “to meet the challenge” posed by what he called a “historic” level of migration.  Read

SW Border Encounters: Cubans Up 939% Over Last April; Nicaraguans +308%; Colombians + 4,837%

With five months of the fiscal year yet to go, the number of migrants encountered at the southwest border from countries other than Mexico and the “northern triangle” is already 33 percent higher than the number encountered in the entire fiscal year 2021.  Read

Lukashenko Scolds Ex-Soviet Partners for Not Wholeheartedly Supporting Russia, Belarus

 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday reprimanded members of a military alliance comprising six former Soviet republics for not being sufficiently supportive of Russia and Belarus in the face of unprecedented Western pressure in response to the invasion of Ukraine.  Read

Biden Sending US Troops Back to Somalia Following Warning of Expanding Terror Threat

President Biden’s decision to return hundreds of U.S. troops to Somalia comes two months after the head of U.S. Africa Command warned of a growing threat posed by al-Qaeda’s “largest, wealthiest and most lethal” affiliate.  Read

Sweden Joins Finland in Plan to Join NATO; Blinken Sees ‘Strong Consensus’ to Admit Both

In yet another consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden’s ruling party agreed Sunday to shed a long-cherished policy of military non-alignment in favor of applying to join NATO, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism that the alliance would welcome both Sweden and Finland.  Read

Medvedev: Russia ‘Doesn’t Care About G7’s Non-Recognition’ of Ukraine’s ‘New Borders’

Russia doesn’t care if the G7 does not recognize Ukraine’s “new borders,” Russian security council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev said at the weekend, after the group of leading economies reiterated that it will “never recognize borders Russia has attempted to change by military aggression.”  Read

US Ambassador: Russia Aims to Bring Newly-Occupied Ukrainian Areas ‘Into Its Orbit’

Moscow is working to bring “into its orbit” newly occupied areas in Ukraine, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Thursday, underlining concerns about Russian proxies replacing Ukrainian authorities as well as moves to invite Russia to annex the region around the key southeastern city of Kherson.  Read

McCaul: Failure to Release Xinjiang Report Signals That UN Won’t Hold China Accountable For Abuses

The lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), is calling on the U.N.’s top human rights official to release a long-delayed report on Xinjiang, where the U.S. and other governments have accused China of committing rights abuses on a massive scale. Read

Finland Already Is Closer to NATO’s Defense Spending Target Than Most Current Allies

Finland has increased defense spending significantly in recent years, and it is now closer to NATO’s goal of devoting two percent of national GDP to military spending than more than two-thirds of the current members of the alliance it hopes to join.  Read

Russia: West Wants to Turn UN Human Rights Council Into a ‘Closed Club of Genuine Democracies’

 As the U.N. Human Rights Council prepared to hold a special session on Thursday devoted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow said it would boycott the meeting and complained sardonically that the West is trying to turn the HRC into a “closed club of genuine democracies.”  Read

Finland About to Join NATO: ‘You Caused This,’ Finnish President Tells Putin

 In a joint statement released on Thursday, the president and prime minister of Finland announced that Finland “must apply for NATO membership without delay” for its own security.  Read

Rashida Tlaib: Al Jazeera Journalist Was ‘Murdered’ by U.S.-Funded Israeli Government

Amid widespread condemnation of the killing of a Palestinian-American journalist, shot dead in the West Bank, Israel’s ambassador to Washington called out Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for accusing Israel of having “murdered” her before an investigation has established what happened.  Read

DNI Haines: Putin ‘Is Probably Counting On the US and EU Resolve to Weaken’

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely believes that, despite setbacks to his military goals in Ukraine, he will be able to hold out longer than Ukraine and its Western backers, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Tuesday.  Read

Graham: ‘It’s Not About Humiliating Putin; It’s About Calling Him Out for the War Criminal He Is’

French President Emmanuel Macron’s warning this week against humiliating Russia over its invasion of Ukraine brought a sharp response Tuesday from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an outspoken congressional critic President Vladimir Putin.  Read

As Lithuania Labels Russia a Terror Sponsor, US Senators Introduce Measure to Do the Same

Lithuania’s parliament on Tuesday became the first legislature to label Russia a terrorist-supporting state over its invasion of Ukraine, in a move coinciding with a bipartisan initiative in Congress for the administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terror.  Read

Iran Allows a UN Human Rights ‘Expert’ to Visit – To Evaluate the Impact of Western Sanctions

 For the first time in 17 years a United Nations human rights “expert” is being permitted to visit Iran. Her focus is not on the regime’s human rights record, however, but rather on Iran as a victim of Western sanctions.  Read

US, Partners Will Use ‘Leverage’ in Response to Taliban’s Strict Dress Code Decree

 The Taliban’s weekend decree ordering women to cover themselves from head to toe in public – and not to leave home unless necessary – is drawing widespread condemnation, but the move was foreseeable, given the group’s unchanged adherence to its distinctive interpretation of shari’a.  Read

Victory Day: G7 Says Putin Has Brought ‘Shame on Russia and the Historic Sacrifices of Its People’

On the eve of a closely-watched “Victory Day” parade and speech by President Vladimir Putin, G7 leaders on Sunday agreed on a raft of tough new sanctions, in what a senior Biden administration official described as “a continuation of the systematic and methodical removal of Russia from the global financial and economic system.”  Read

As Summit of Americas Nears, Mexico Wants Biden to Invite Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela’s Maduro

A month away from the United States’ hosting of the Summit of the Americas, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador on Sunday stated that all countries in the hemisphere must be invited, putting pressure on the Biden administration, which wants to exclude authoritarian regimes.  Read

Elon Musk Responds to Putin Ally’s Warning: ‘If I Die Under Mysterious Circumstances...’

A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a social media post Sunday accused Elon Musk of supplying Starlink Internet terminals to the Ukrainian military and warned the billionaire entrepreneur he would be held accountable.  Read

DoD ‘Comfortable and Confident’ in Its Nuclear Deterrence After Russian Missile Drills Near Baltics

The Department of Defense on Thursday reiterated that it remains confident in its current nuclear posture, after its counterpart in Moscow reported drills simulating launches of nuclear-capable missiles in Russian territory close to current – and prospective – NATO allies.  Read

China: ‘NATO Has Wantonly Launched Wars’; Cites Belgrade Embassy Bombing 23 Years Ago

China’s ambassador to the U.N. on Thursday cited NATO’s bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade 23 years ago in support of his argument that the transatlantic alliance is an aggressive entity whose actions and expansion since the end of the Cold War have worsened regional security.  Read

In 62-33 Vote, Senate Sends Biden Administration a Bipartisan Message on Its Iran Policy

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted 62-33 to pass a motion calling for any nuclear agreement with Iran to address the regime’s other malign behavior, including its ballistic missiles and terror sponsorship, and not to lift the terror designation on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  Read

Kamala Harris Slams Republicans For Opposing Abortion: ‘How Dare They?’

 Declaring women’s rights to be under attack, Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night lashed out at Republicans over the prospect that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade.  Read

Pro-Life Republicans Advance in Tuesday’s Primaries

On a day when the possible reversal of Roe v. Wade dominated the headlines, pro-life Republicans won primary elections in several states.  Read

Russian Foreign Ministry Says the Israeli Gov’t ‘Supports the Neo-Nazi Regime in Kyiv’

 Russia’s foreign ministry is doubling down on Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s incendiary remarks about Jews and the Holocaust, accusing the Israeli government of supporting what it called Ukraine’s “neo-Nazi regime.”The Israeli government had strongly protested Lavrov’s comments. Read

Unprecedented Supreme Court Document Leak Signals Justices May Overturn Roe v. Wade

 Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to address the national conference of Emily’s List on Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours after Politico’s explosive report on what it says is the leaked initial draft of a Supreme Court opinion overruling Roe v. Wade.  Read

House Armed Services Chair: Don’t ‘Fuel’ Putin’s Narrative About Existential Threat to Russia

Talk of regime change in Moscow just plays into President Vladimir Putin’s narrative that Russia is facing an existential threat and “adds fuel to that,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said on Monday.  Read

Mayorkas: ‘Focused on Mission,’ Not Concerned About GOP Impeachment Talk

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Sunday he was not concerned at the prospect that a Republican-controlled Congress could impeach him, saying he was focused on the department’s mission and workforce.  Read

Russian State TV Propagandists Threaten West With Nuclear Strikes

Senior Russian officials are tamping down speculation that the war in Ukraine could turn into a nuclear conflict, but on state television propagandists are promoting a different message, complete with visual representations depicting Russian nuclear attacks against European capitals.  Read