Five Things You May Have Missed in the US and Americas This Week
(1) The US Ambassador to the UN defends Israel’s response to Palestinian protests.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley defended Israel’s actions while addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, after the Israeli Defence Force killed 60 Palestinians and injured more than 2,700 who were protesting at the border fence between Gaza and Israel. Haley stated that no country ‘would act with more restraint than Israel has’ and instead blamed Hamas for instigating the violent clashes. Haley claimed the UN harboured a double standard towards Israel, and also noted that Hamas, which the US designates as a foreign terrorist organization, ‘has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy’.
The demonstrations coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence day and a ceremony to mark the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. Haley argued that ‘those who suggest the Gaza violence has anything to do with the location of the American embassy are sorely mistaken’. The US ambassador also denied allegations that moving the embassy would erase any hope of a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, claiming that because the embassy’s location had no bearing on Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem, ‘it does not undermine the prospects for peace in any way’. Tensions between Palestine and Israel were exacerbated further as the opening ceremony for the new US embassy was held the day before the 70th anniversary of the Nakba — or ‘the catastrophe’ — which Palestinians commemorate as the date when more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced after the creation of Israel.
(2) Trump intervenes to protect Chinese company ZTE one month after the US banned its export privileges.
President Trump made an unexpected announcement on Sunday stating that he is working with Chinese President Xi Jinping to revive the Chinese telecommunications company ZTE, instructing the US Department of Commerce ‘to get it done’ as ‘too many jobs in China [have been] lost’. His declaration comes in the midst of trade negotiations between the US and China following Trump’s announcement in March of $50 billion in prospective tariffs against China to punish the country for its practice of ‘forcefully acquiring US intellectual property’. In April, the Department of Commerce announced a ban on ZTE that ‘suspend[s]the export privileges of ZTE for a period of seven years’ as ZTE was found to have violated a previous settlement regarding sanctions violations.
The Trump administration has up until now taken a firm stance against Chinese trade practices, but Trump’s announcement appears to be a turnaround. However, Trump stated that his reversal is part of a ‘larger trade deal’ and that there has ‘been no folding’.
(3) Talks between Nicaragua’s president and opposition groups begin after weeks of deadly protests.
After a month of widespread protests and the deaths of at least 50 people, Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, met with opposition groups in a nationally-televised meeting described as the first session of ‘national dialogue’. The protests which began in April in opposition to Ortega’s proposed social security changes — which have since been withdrawn — were quickly morphed into broader anti-government demonstrations, leading to a violent crackdown by security forces. The dialogue, mediated by the Catholic Church was intended as the beginning of a process to end the unrest.
The tone of the meeting, however, suggested that significant divisions remain. The opposition, many of whom are students, sought major concessions from the president, including his resignation to allow for new democratic elections (Ortega’s government scrapped term limits for presidents) and justice for those killed during the protests. Ortega instead argued that the protests were damaging the Nicaraguan economy and claimed he had ordered the police not to open fire on the protesters. The talks broke down as Ortega’s contingent left the meeting. The talks are expected to resume on Friday, although Ortega’s attendance is now unclear, and protests are likely to continue.
(4) The US misses NAFTA deadline.
The United States was unable to negotiate a new North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in time for the 17 May deadline, which would have allowed Congress enough time to vote on a renegotiated agreement before the end of 2018. This notional deadline was set by the speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan. In light of congressional timelines, the NAFTA renegotiation will now likely drag on into 2019.
US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, has engaged in seven rounds of renegotiation meetings with Mexico and Canada since August 2017, but put the eighth meeting on hold in April to engage in high-level discussions between the countries’ trade ministers.
While President Trump has fast track authority that allows him to negotiate international trade agreements without Congressional oversight, Congress is still required to approve these agreements through a vote.
(5) Venezuela’s presidential election this weekend is going ahead amid ongoing disruption.
Venezuelans will head to the polls on Sunday to vote in presidential elections amidst significant political and economic turmoil. President Nicolás Maduro, head of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and Hugo Chávez’s successor, is expected to be easily re-elected as the election has been boycotted by the country’s mainstream opposition after two of its popular leaders were barred from standing. The regional Lima Group, which is largely comprised of Latin American nations as well as the United States, also urged the election to be suspended, as they described it as ‘illegitimate and lacking in credibility’.
Spurring further disruption, authorities seized a Kellogg’s factory on Wednesday following the company’s announcement that it was pulling out of Venezuela. Maduro described the closure as ‘unconstitutional and illegal’ and has re-opened the plant to workers to restart food production. Venezuelans are suffering from vast food shortages due to hyperinflation and the collapse of the currency. On Thursday, there were also reports that inmates had taken control of a notorious political prison — the El Helicoide facility — in the nation’s capital, Caracas. Footage posted on social media purported to show political prisoners escaping from their cells and in control of the facility — an old shopping mall converted into the headquarters of Venezuela’s intelligence agency, SEBIN.
