WORLD THIS WEEK

Ukraine: UN deems Russia’s referendums illegal

What happened?

On 12 October, the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution to deem the recent referendums conducted by Russia as illegal. 143 member states voted in favour of the resolution, 5 voted against and 35 members abstained. The countries supporting Russia were North Korea, Nicaragua, Syria and Belarus. South Africa, Vietnam, Thailand, Cuba, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and China were among the countries that abstained. This has been the biggest show of support by the UNGA to Ukraine so far.

Ahead of the vote, Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia told the General Assembly that the resolution was "politicized and openly provocative," and "could destroy any and all efforts in favor of a diplomatic solution to the crisis."

In a statement following the vote, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratefulness to the countries that supported the “historic UNGA resolution” and said: “The world had its say – [Russia’s] attempt at annexation is worthless and will never be recognized by free nations.” The US President Joe Biden said: “The stakes of this conflict are clear to all, and the world has sent a clear message in response – Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map.”

What does it mean?

First increasing support for Ukraine. Several countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE which have been seen trying to maintain good relations with Russia on bilateral levels even amidst the war voted for the resolution, thus indicating their support for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty. From the BRICS grouping, even though only Brazil voted for the resolution and the other three states abstained, both India and China criticized Russia’s recent escalation in Ukraine and Russia’s targeting of civilian infrastructure, marking a shift in their neutral stances.

Second, the legitimacy of the referendum and resolution. The annexation of Crimea can serve as the perfect precedence for the 2022 annexations done by Russia. Like in the case of Crimea, the international community does not recognize Crimea as Russia’s part, but in the Russian consciousness, Crimea is an extension of their territory. Since a UNGA resolution is not legally binding, it remains to be seen whether Russia will accept the UNGA’s vote or continue to claim the four territories as rightful parts of Russia and continue.

ALSO IN NEWS

China: UN representative calls for an investigation of human rights violation in the US

On 14 October, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dai Bing took part in a participative dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. While addressing the institution, he called on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the US for its violation of human rights in the country. Dai listed out “the genocide of Native Americans, systemic racial discrimination and police brutality against ethnic minorities, and unilateral coercive measures against developing countries” as the crimes of the US and a few other states.

South Korea: Russian immigrants denied entry into Korea

On 12 October, four yachts carrying 23 Russians were denied entry into South Korea. Out of 23, 21 were rejected by the Korean coast Guard. Two out of the 23 Russians were allowed access into the country due to prior travel. The others were denied because they couldn't provide any travel documents. Their reason for the visit was ambiguous. The first yacht was sighted on 01 October near Busan port. The migration resulted from Putin's decree of partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists. There is a high possibility that South Korea would send off any Russians entering the country on diplomatic and human rights issues.

Japan: Travel restriction lifted in Japan

On 11 October, the ban on visas to Japan was lifted. The ban was placed due to COVID-19 restrictions, which were recently taken off. People were allowed to travel for short-term business visits and tourism in Kyoto, Fukui, Osaka and Tokyo. People were also travelling to visit festivals in Japan. The ban on visas restricted travellers from entering Japan for two years. This measure drastically reduced the count of COVID-19 infections.

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi gets imprisonment for another three years

On 12 October, A court in Myanmar sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to three years additional in jail for corruption, extending her total prison term to 26 years. Suu Kyi was found guilty of receiving 500,000USD in bribes from a local businessman, a charge which was denied. It’s the first time she has been sentenced to hard labor since the 2021 coup. She was given the same punishment in a separate trial in 2009 but that sentence was commuted.

The Philippines: Indian Army agrees to provide cyber security and operational training to Army

On 11 October, the Indian Army agreed to sign with the Philippines to provide cyber security and operational training to the Philippines Army as the two nations further deepen their defense engagements. Indian Ambassador to the Philippines, Shambu Kumaran extended this offer during his courtesy call on the department of national defense meeting. He highlighted the importance of sustaining defense engagement between the two countries, particularly the high-level dialogue, education, and training exchanges.

Will ensure Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorist attacks, says President Biden; President Putin calls for working with the Taliban government.

On 12 October, the Biden Administration in its National Security Strategy said: “We will ensure Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorist attacks on the United States or our allies and we will hold the Taliban accountable for its public commitments on counterterrorism.”

Separately, President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, stated that Moscow will work with the current Afghan government to fight terrorism in the region. He said: “Cross-border relations of jihadists is a threat for all of us. Of course, we need to work with the current authorities of Afghanistan.”

Israel-Lebanon: Maritime border dispute reaches cessation after historic deal

On 12 October, Lebanon’s deputy speaker revealed that Lebanon and Israel have reached a “historic” deal to end a longrunning maritime border dispute in the gas-rich Mediterranean Sea. The United States-brokered final draft of the deal which resolve a territorial dispute in the eastern tip of the Mediterranean Sea in an area where Lebanon aims to explore for natural gas, and near waters where Israel has already found commercially viable quantities of hydrocarbons. The US text has not been made public but under terms leaked to the press all of the Karish field would fall under Israeli control, while Qana would be divided but its exploitation would be under Lebanon’s control. Total would be licensed to search for gas in the Qana field, and Israel would receive a share of future revenues.

Iraq: Parliament elects new president after a year of deadlock

On 13 October, lawmkers in parliament elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as the country’s new president and Shia politician Mohammed Shia al-Sudani was quickly named prime minister-designate, assuming the task of reconciling feuding Shia factions and forming a government after a year of deadlock. Rashid was the minister of water resources from 2003 to 2010 and has since served as a presidential adviser. Al-Sudani rose to prominence within the Shia political leadership following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In advance of the muchanticipated session, at least nine rockets targeted the parliament building inside the Green Zone, wounding at least five people. The attack was swiftly condemned by the US and UK ambassadors to the country, with UK envoy Mark Bryson-Richardson tweeting the “violence has no part in the political process and state institutions must be allowed to operate.”

The US: IMF director calls for urgency and unity in dealing with financial risks looming across the globe

On 13 October, during her press briefing, IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva recalled shocks to world economy, from covid 19 to Russian invasion of Ukraine and climate disasters on every continent and posed question on whether the world economy is moving through fundamental shifts and from predictability to uncertainty and volatility. She gave example of India as a remaining hope and said: “India deserves to be called a bright spot on this otherwise dark horizon because it has been a fast-growing economy, even during these difficult times, but most importantly, this growth is underpinned by structural reforms.” Separately, as part of IMF and World Bank annual meetings, Maldivian president infirmed the meeting that twenty countries most vulnerable to climate change are considering halting their repayment of USD 685 billion in collective debt, loans that they say are an “injustice.” The finance ministers are calling instead for a debt-for-nature swap, in which part of a nation’s debt is forgiven and invested in conservation.

About the Authors

Ankit Singh and Akriti Sharma are PhD Scholars in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Avishka Ashok, Abigail Miriam Fernandes, Apoorva Sudhakar, Padmashree Anandhan Rishma Banerjee, Sai Pranav, Joel Jacob, Anu Maria are Research Associates at NIAS. Sethuraman Nadarajan, Bhoomika Sesharaj, and Madhura Mahesh are research interns at NIAS.