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Russia leaves nuclear test ban treaty in show of public posturing
Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics from Stockholm.
What can be done by Europe or others to help the 1.7 million Afghan refugees that are now being expelled from Pakistan back into Afghanistan?
Well, sorry to say the answer is not very much can be done. We are delivering humanitarian aid to some extent, and the UN is there to Afghanistan, but to take care of or to help substantially 1.7 million people that are expelled from Pakistan is going to be very difficult. Relationship with the Taliban regime is virtually non-existent, so it's one of these tragedies that are happening at the same time as we have the Gaza War and the Ukraine War.
Does Europe feel less secure now that Russia has revoked its ratification of the test ban treaty?
Well, not really changing very much. What the Russians are doing is that they're doing, to the same situation as the Americans have, because the US hasn't ratified the CTBT either, but they adhere to it, and that is just as well. So, the Russians decided, and I think it's a signaling effect to some extent, that nuclear weapons are there and that they, at some point in time, might presume nuclear testing. But until they do that, and I hope they don't, it doesn't mean very much, but it shows that they are sort of playing around with nuclear weapons and with public posturing with nuclear weapons, which of course is less than good.
Scores of foreign passport holders trapped in Gaza started leaving the war-torn Palestinian territory on Nov. 1 -- some are seen here waiting at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip before crossing into Egypt.
Hard Numbers: Egypt accepts Gazan evacuees, Debating a 70-hour work week, Pushing voters buttons with warplanes, Afghan refugee arrests
400: On Wednesday, Egypt allowedmore than 400 people, injured Palestinians and foreign nationals, to enter the country from Gaza. These were the first refugees allowed across the border, and Egypt will face international pressure to accept many more. Egypt’s government, fearing the long-term burden that large numbers of refugees might impose, will continue to resist.
70: Indian software billionaire NR Narayana Murthy kicked off a furious debate within his country with a recent comment that India’s young people should work 70 hours per week. (Mr. Murthy is the father-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.)
43: Taiwan’s Defense Ministry announced Wednesday it had detected 43 Chinese warplanes and seven naval vessels near the island in a single 24-hour period. There are many reasons why Beijing is unlikely to launch a war anytime soon, but it does hope to persuade Taiwan’s voters to elect a new president in January who has a more cooperative relationship with Beijing than the outgoing incumbent has had.
1.7 million: On Wednesday, authorities in Pakistan began nationwide arrests of Afghan refugees who lack permission to remain in the country as the deadline passed for undocumented Afghans to leave. There are some 1.7 million undocumented Afghans still in Pakistan, and Pakistan’s government hopes the arrests will spur more to leave on their own.Yellowknife residents leave the city on Highway 3, the only highway in or out of the community, after an evacuation order was given due to the proximity of wildfires in the Northwest Territories.
Hard Numbers: Fiery evacuations, China snubs Canada, Afghan refugees, gender-based violence “epidemic”
13.2 million: Wildfires in Canada’s Northwest Territories have prompted the government to deploy the military to facilitate mass evacuations. Residents in the capital city of Yellowknife, the largest city in the region, have been urged to evacuate immediately. So far this summer, fires across Canada have destroyed 13.2 million hectares (32.6m acres) of land – an area roughly the size of Greece. Meanwhile, the death toll in devastated Hawaii has risen to 111 as rescue workers begin the process of identifying bodies.
70: After years of COVID-related travel restrictions, China’s tourism ministry will now allow tour groups to travel abroad to 70 countries – the US made the cut, but Canada did not. The snub is a reflection of the deterioration of Canada-China ties after Ottawa accused Beijing of meddling in its domestic politics in recent years.
40,000: Two years after the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan, Ottawa says it’s looking to up the number of Afghan refugees it accepts. In 2021, the Trudeau government said it would take in 40,000 Afghans – and has so far absorbed more than 36,500. Meanwhile, the US has taken in more than 97,000 Afghans since the US withdrawal, many of whom worked with the Pentagon and American contractors during the US war in Afghanistan.
44: Gender-based violence against women by an intimate partner is an “epidemic” sweeping the country, according to a new report from the Canadian government. Around 44% of Canadian women will experience gender-based violence in their lifetime, compared to 26% of American women.Family of Afghan refugees in Concord, California
Where are fleeing Afghans going?
But how do they get there? Most Afghans have taken a flight to Brazil, which offers humanitarian visas for Afghans, before making their way through a host of countries – Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua – and the dangerous Darien Gap, to reach Mexico. The roughly 16,000-mile route is rife with crime, but that hasn’t deterred Afghans from taking the leap.
The numbers are stark. Consider that only 100 Afghans crossed this perilous route from 2010-2019, but that number has jumped to 3,600 since the start of 2022. And while many are apprehended in Mexico or arrested by Colombian or Guatemalan authorities on the way, those who do make it to the US border still face steep challenges to resettlement.
Though roughly 52,000 Afghans have applied for humanitarian parole – a Biden administration policy that allows refugees to work in the US for two years while their asylum claims are being processed – just 760 of these claims have been approved to date.
Indeed, this messy dynamic gets to the heart of Biden’s biggest political pains – the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was the beginning of the end of his approval rating, and the ongoing migration crisis, which is a boon for Republicans ahead of the 2024 presidential race.
A US military vet reckons with America's failures in Afghanistan
On Aug. 15, 2021, the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan, after the US departed following two decades of war. Ian Bremmer speaks to former Marine and author Elliot Ackerman on GZERO World. According to Ackerman, when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US had a degree of objectivity it had lost after 20 years in Afghanistan. The war, he explained, had come to define our military thinking and intelligence capability because the US was involved there for such a long time.
The US could have done a better job getting out of Afghanistan, according to Ackerman. Requests for an evacuation plan fell on deaf ears in the Pentagon and the White House, especially when it came to securing visas for Afghans who had helped the US military effort.
For Ackerman, leaving no man behind was part of a code of honor when he served as a Marine in the United States military. But that principle was not followed when American troops departed Afghanistan a year ago. Troops, he said, were expected to turn their backs on allies they had worked closely with for 20 years. Ackerman also shares his thoughts on whether an all-volunteer military is what America needs amid deeply dysfunctional domestic politics.
This interview was featured in a GZERO World episode:The fallout from US Afghanistan withdrawal: a Marine's perspective
- The fallout from US Afghanistan withdrawal: a Marine's perspective ... ›
- NATO's darkest chapter: Afghanistan withdrawal (in contrast to unity ... ›
- US Afghanistan withdrawal: a “digital Dunkirk” - GZERO Media ›
- Afghanistan: Four key failures - GZERO Media ›
- Geopolitical fallout over US exit from Afghanistan less than feared ... ›
The volunteer US military & America's shame post-Afghanistan
For Elliot Ackerman, leaving no man behind was part of his code of honor when he was first a US marine and later a CIA officer. But the US military principle was not followed when American troops departed Afghanistan a year ago.
"There was no process to get our allies out," he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Ackerman laments how US forces were forced to turn their back on Afghans they'd cultivated personal relationships with for 20 years — when they most needed help.
He also shares his thoughts on whether an all-volunteer military is what America needs amid deeply dysfunctional domestic politics.
Watch the GZERO World episode: The fallout from US Afghanistan withdrawal: a Marine's perspective
The Taliban surprise & ongoing Afghan agony
On Aug. 15, 2021, the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan. By the end of the month, US forces had departed after two decades of war.
President Joe Biden made good on his promise to bring the troops home before the 20th anniversary of 9/11. But the withdrawal was very messy, and Afghan institutions and army were not ready to resist the Taliban.
A year on, the country remains in shambles, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World.
For the Taliban, winning the war was easier than running Afghanistan under sanctions and with no friends. They've focused on wiping out women's rights.
Meanwhile, Afghans who risked their lives to help US forces are either stranded inside the country or in legal limbo waiting to resettle stateside.
Still, most Americans believe the president made the right call. And the Biden administration felt vindicated last month when al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul.
Watch the GZERO World episode:The fallout from US Afghanistan withdrawal: a Marine's perspective
Petraeus on the Afghanistan crisis
Former CIA chief and four-star general David Petraeus, who once commanded US forces in Afghanistan, has been a harsh critic of President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from the country. Now, as Afghans face one of the worst humanitarian crises of the modern era, Petraeus tells Ian Bremmer how he thinks the United States can still help avert total disaster.
But when it comes to sending aid to the Afghan people, Petraeus acknowledges that challenges remain. “The question is, how do you bring that to bear for the people without enabling the Taliban government, which we won't recognize, I'm sure, if ever?”
Petraeus’ spoke with Bremmer in an interview for GZERO World, which took place at the 2022 Munich Security Conference – just days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Ukraine War: Has Putin overplayed his hand?