Compass World: Netanyahu Charged with Corruption
Writing contributed by Adam Hilelly, Ben Richmond, and Benjamin Barth.
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
Mexico’s Top Military Leaders Pledge Loyalty to President
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador received public pledges of loyalty from Mexico’s military leadership on November 20. Lopez-Obrador reportedly became concerned about disloyalty within the military in the wake of Bolivian armed forces pressuring fellow leftist leader Evo Morales to resign. Lopez-Obrador’s defense secretary and head of the army Luis Cresencio Sandoval stated “We support your government’s project with loyalty, professionalism, and honesty. We are loyal and have profound respect for the presidential institution you represent.” Lopez-Obrador campaigned on changing the country’s policy of using military offenses against cartels. He has also denied there was discontent in the military about his leadership.
INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC
Suu Kyi to Defend Myanmar Against Genocide Accusations
Myanmar’s leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will head a delegation to the United Nations' top court to argue against a case accusing the mainly Buddhist country of genocide against the Rohingya, the government said. According to Al Jazeera, more than 730,000 Rohingya, most of them Muslims, fled to neighbouring Bangladesh following a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar's military. UN investigators said the crackdown was carried out with “genocidal intent.” The Gambia, a majority-Muslim country, lodged the lawsuit after winning the support of all 57 member states in the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. Only a state can file a case against another state at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ says the first hearings in the case will be from December 10-12.
MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA
Netanyahu Charged with Corruption
Israel's attorney general charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust resulting from three separate cases. Netanyahu is alleged to have accepted gifts from wealthy individuals in return for providing various favors. Prosecutors allege that he also sought more favorable media coverage from certain news outlets by offering favorable regulations. The attorney general indicted him on the full count of charges despite many observers expecting him to reduce the charges. According to BBC, the Supreme Court has previously ruled that a cabinet minister charged with a crime must step down or be removed from office, and it would have to decide whether that should also apply to the prime minister. Allies of Mr Netanyahu in parliament may seek to pass legislation that would grant him immunity from prosecution while in office, and allow lawmakers to overrule a possible Supreme Court ruling reversing that immunity.
EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA
Bloggers, Journalists May Be Labelled 'Foreign Agents' in Russia
Legislators in Russia want to broaden existing legislation that forces foreign-funded media and NGOs to describe themselves as "foreign agents", including individual bloggers and journalists. According to Al Jazeera, foreign agents in Russia, defined as involved in politics and receiving money from abroad, must register with the justice ministry, label publications with the tag, and submit detailed paperwork or face fines. Amnesty International, in a joint statement with other rights organizations, decried the move as "a further step to restrict free and independent media.” Observers see the legislation as a response to the United States government requiring Russian journalists for state-owned outlets to register as foreign agents overseas. Rights activist Alexander Verkhovsky, who sits on Putin's human rights council, warned the law could affect anyone who posts online and receives money from abroad, even for unrelated reasons.
AFRICA
Measles Outbreak Devastating D.R.C.
Nearly 5,000 people have already been killed by measles this year following a widespread outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The World Health Organization has called it the fastest-spreading epidemic in the world right now. Over the last fifteen months, more than twice as many people have died from the disease than have been killed by Ebola. Despite extensive efforts by the Congolese government and various international organizations to contain the measles outbreak, there is still an insufficient supply of vaccines. Barriers to accessing vaccinations have also allowed the disease to spread quickly.
WESTERN EUROPE & CANADA
Canada Votes Against Israel on Settlements at the UN
On November 19, Canada voted in favor of a resolution supporting Palestinians’ right to self-determination. The country was in the overwhelming majority, as only the United States, Israel, and three Pacific island nations voted against the resolution. The vote took place amid Secretary of State Pompeo’s statement that the U.S. no longer deems Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be “inconsistent with international law”. Canada had been siding with Israel for the past few years, with the two previous prime ministers, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, having voiced strong support for the country while in office. The Israel-Canada relationship is becoming increasingly muddled under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has decided to break with the US on the issue.
