WORLD THIS WEEK

The UK: After Boris Johnson’s resignation, a tight race for the next Prime Minister begins

What happened?

On 9 July, former Health Secretary Sajid Javid launched his bid to replace Boris Johnson as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. Alongside, former foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt was the second candidate to enter the race with his policy to lower business taxes. On 8 July, the leader of the Labour Party said they would call a national election using a vote of confidence unless the Conservatives removed Johnson from office.

On 7 July, after a series of cabinet resignations and with blame for disrespecting one’s code of political conduct, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped down as the party leader. He will however continue as the Prime Minister till a new leader is elected from within the conservative party. The outgoing leader said, “To you the British public… I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.”

On 5 July, 44 resignations had determined Johnson’s resignation. But on 7 June, the pushout of Johnson started after controversies over Downing Street parties breaking the COVID-19 protocol tainted the party’s public image. The Tory MPs called a confidence vote on the prime minister, which he won by 211 votes, yet 41 per cent of parliamentary Tories wanted him out.

What does it means?

First, the new leader of the conservative party will not only have to provide an alternative to the party but also to the people and the region itself. Starting with the introspection of the party pathways, conservatives will have to bring back the Number 10 operation with full political trust. For the new leader, the support of the backbencher committee, accountability in the PMQ sessions, and honest interaction with the press could probably salvage the inner rebellion and the Conservative’s fear of a rout in the local elections.

Secondly, getting Brexit done just not in rhetoric will be a harder negotiating path yet to be foreseen. The Northern Ireland protocol bill could have sabotaged the Good Friday agreement, but the question that still remains is how to bring the electoral representation back to the province?

Japan: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination and his legacy

What happened?

On 8 July, the former Prime Minister of Japan and serving member of the House of Representatives Shinzo Abe was assassinated at a political rally in the Nara Prefecture. Abe was rallying for his party Liberal Democratic Party’s candidate when he was shot from behind. He was declared dead five and a half hours after being rushed to Nara Medical University Hospital.

The assassination was carried out by a former member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force Tetsuya Yamagami who held Abe responsible for his family’s bankruptcy caused by the Unification Church. The accused used a homemade gun resembling a double-barreled shotgun. Other explosives and homemade weapons were found at the suspect’s house, who is now in police custody. Heads of States around the world responded to Abe’s death with great remorse and expressed their condolences. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, China’s President Xi Jinping, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South Korea’s President Yoon Sukyeol and many more leaders across the world expressed their shock and recounted Abe’s achievements and praiseworthy decisions during his tenure as the leader of Japan. The Quad also issued a joint statement at the assassination and was signed by the US, Australia and India.

The heads of states pledged to “honour Abe’s memory by redoubling our work towards a peaceful and prosperous region.”

What does it means?

The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe comes as a shock because of the nonviolent and practically rare gun related violence in the country. He was an asset to Japan who led the country during challenging political and economic times. His contributions to the economic revival have played a key role in Japan’s status and stature in the international order in the present times. He foresaw the threats of militarization in the region and rallied support to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. Abe efficiently managed Japan’s foreign relations between the US and China at a time when there was growing hostility and trade wars between the global superpowers. Abe’s assassination is an unfortunate event in the history of Japan.

ALSO IN NEWS

Australia at G20: Promises to make attempts to end trade blockage

The Foreign Minister of Australia, Penny Wong announced that the country would attempt to end the trade blockages and seek to defrost the icy relations with China. Wong said: “We all know we have our differences. There are challenges in the relationship. We believe engagement is necessary to stabilise the relationship. We won’t be making any concessions regarding Australia’s interests. We don’t believe those blockages are in our interests. We would say to China, “they are not in China’s interests.”

India at G20: Indian EAM meets Chinese, Russian counterparts

On 7 July, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Jaishankar met the Chinese Foreign Minister and Russian Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali. Indian Minister tweeted: “Met FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the sidelines of the Bali #G20FMM. Discussed bilateral matters of mutual interest. Also exchanged views on contemporary regional and international issues including the Ukraine conflict and Afghanistan.” He tweeted the same day: “Began my day in Bali by meeting FM Wang Yi of China. The discussion lasted one hour. Focused on specific outstanding issues in our bilateral relationship pertaining to the border situation. Also spoke about other matters including students and flights.”

Taiwan: China responds to US Senator’s visit and meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen

On 8 July, the Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army announced that the military had held joint combat readiness exercises, patrols and drills near Taiwan’s sea and airspace. China’s Ministry of Defence Spokesperson Wu Qian further reasoned that the exercises were held as a response to the provocations by the US and Taiwan. The Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Straits in response to US Senator Rick Scott’s visit to Taiwan and his meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen. Wu responded to a question on Scott’s visit during a press briefing and said: “The US side’s move seriously violates the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués, seriously damages the political foundation of Sino-US relations, seriously undermines the relationship between the two countries and the two militaries, and escalates tensions in the Taiwan Strait region.”

Taiwan: New jet trainer showed off by Air Force

On 6 July, the new AT-5 Brave Eagle was unveiled by Taiwan’s air force, which was created and manufactured domestically, and was showcased for its superior combat capabilities in place of the current fleet’s outdated and accident-prone older models. Even though the majority of Taiwan’s armed forces’ equipment comes from the United States, President Tsai Ing-wen has prioritised the growth of sophisticated domestic defence industry, particularly as China, which claims Taiwan as its own, intensifies military modernization activities and drills close to Taiwan. With a US$2.3 billion budget, the stateowned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp built the jet trainer, which had its first test flight in 2020.

Afghanistan: the US to rescind Kabul’s designation as a major non-Nato ally

On 6 July, President Joe Biden’s letter to Congress expressed his intent to rescind Afghanistan’s designation as a major non-Nato ally. He said, “In accordance with section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2321k), I am providing notice of my intent to rescind the designation of Afghanistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally.” Following this announcement, the Talibanled interim administration welcomed the decision. A Taliban spokesperson said, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is not worried,” adding, “What benefit did this title have for Afghanistan?” The United States designated Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally in July 2012.

Pakistan: Gwadar rights leader threatens to close Gwadar port

On 4 July, Dawn reported that Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, the leader of the Gwadar rights movement, threatened to close the Gwadar port on 21 July if the demands agreed by the provincial government earlier in April were not fulfilled. He said that the demands of the Gwadar rights movement included freeing the coast of Balochistan from the trawler mafia, opening border points in Gwadar, eliminating drug trafficking, and removing unnecessary check-posts.

France: President Macron reshuffled his cabinet after June’s election loss

On 4 July, President Emmanuel Macron of France reshuffled his cabinet following the loss of getting a majority in last month’s elections. He retained a few prominent ministers while changing the rest. Ministers for defence, finance, and foreign affairs are the same, while the portfolios of the rest were shuffled. Ministers who lost their seats in June’s election have been replaced by people selected by Macron so that they can rebalance his alliance after the loss. The reshuffling came into fruition because of French political tradition that the ministers who lost their seats should resign from the cabinet. The significant change was the removal of the solidarity minister Damien Abad due to him facing rape charges which he denied.

Ukraine: Fall of Luhansk region

On 3 July, Russia’s defence minister Sergey Shoigu reported that the Russian Armed Forces and the People’s Militia of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) had entirely established control over the city of Lysychansk. Ukraine’s general staff after the withdrawal of troops from Lysychansk. On 4 July, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin declared victory in Luhansk: “The units that took part in active combat operations and achieved success and victories in the Lugansk direction, of course, should rest and build up their combat capabilities.”