The World Next Week

Biden’s Gaza Dilemmas, 80 Years Since D-Day, Mexico’s Milestone Election, and More

U.S. President Joe Biden faces increasing international and domestic pressures on his policy toward the Israel-Hamas war amid worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip; Western leaders commemorate the eightieth anniversary of D-Day with Russia’s war in Ukraine front of mind; Mexico holds massive general elections that are likely to usher in the country’s first woman president; and North Korea tests new satellite and missiles.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

“Mexico’s Next President Can Reset Relations With the United States,” The Economist

 

Shannon K. O'Neil, The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter

 

Eli Stokols and Alexander Ward, “White House Not Thrilled by Macron’s D-Day Invite to Russia,” Politico

 

Sue Mi Terry, “The Coming North Korean Crisis,” Foreign Affairs

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/bidens-gaza-dilemmas-80-years-d-day-mexicos-milestone-election-and-more 

Iran’s Succession Woes, ICC Angers Israel, South Africa’s Election, and More

Iran’s regime carefully vets candidates for new presidential elections after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash; Israeli leadership reacts to the International Criminal Court (ICC) request for warrants to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant; South Africa prepares for a general election that could contest the ruling African National Congress’ long-standing majority; and Taiwan inaugurates Lai Ching-te as the new president, aggravating China.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Elbridge Colby, “America Must Face Reality and Prioritize China Over Europe,” Financial Times

 

Virtual Media Briefing: Iran After Raisi and New ICC Charges, Council on Foreign Relations

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/irans-succession-woes-icc-angers-israel-south-africas-election-and-more 

Ukraine Tries To Halt Russian Advance, Biden Woos Kenya, the Fate of Assange, and More

Ukraine rushes to push back against a new Russian offensive in its northeast Kharkiv region; U.S. President Joe Biden invites Kenyan President William Ruto for a state visit, the first U.S. state visit for an African leader since 2008; London’s High Court decides on whether to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to stand trial; and tens of thousands protest in Tbilisi, Georgia, after its parliament passes the controversial “foreign agents” bill.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Rachel Chason, “U.S. Threats Led to Rupture of Vital Military Ties, Nigerien Leader Says,” Washington Post

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ukraine-tries-halt-russian-advance-biden-woos-kenya-fate-assange-and-more 

Israel’s Rafah Plans, Greece and Turkey Boost Diplomacy, Cannes Festival Unveils New Films, and More

Israel’s newest military operation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah stirs concerns of catastrophe for Palestinians in Gaza, and prompts the United States to condition its offensive military aid for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war broke out; Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Ankara, Turkey, to continue their diplomatic efforts; the seventy-seventh Cannes Film Festival showcases new films ranging from niche to blockbuster; and Russian President Vladimir Putin orders tactical nuclear weapon drills as a signal to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice 

 

“Anyone Who’s on the Ground in Gaza is in ‘Danger,’ WFP Chief McCain Says,” NBC News

 

Jacques Audilard, Emilia Perez

 

Christina Bouri and Diana Roy, “Few Options for Gazans as Israel Enters Rafah,” CFR.org

 

Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis 

 

David Cronenberg, The Shrouds 

 

“Emmanuel Macron In His Own Words,” Economist

 

Yorgos Lanthimos, Kinds of Kindness 

 

George Miller, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga  

 

War in Gaza Update: The Rafah Incursion and Negotiations Over Hostage Release and Ceasefire, Council on Foreign Relations

 

“Why Lithuania is Considering Sending Soldiers to Ukraine,” Financial Times

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/israels-rafah-plans-greece-and-turkey-boost-diplomacy-cannes-festival-unveils-new-films  

World Press Freedom Day 2024: Mounting Threats, Renewed Purpose

In this special episode to mark World Press Freedom Day, Jeffrey Gedmin, cofounder and editor-in-chief of American Purpose and former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, joins Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins to discuss the global state of press freedom. They cover the challenges that a growing number of journalists face in exile or imprisonment, the U.S. role in upholding freedom of the press, and more. 

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

“Exile Journalists Map—Fleeing to Europe and North America,” Reporters Without Borders

 

“Media Freedom,” Freedom House

 

2023 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders

 

Journalists: 

 

Parnaz Azima

 

Jamal Khashoggi

 

Alsu Kurmasheva

 

Monica Lovinescu

 

Georgi Markov

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/world-press-freedom-day-2024-mounting-threats-renewed-purpose 

Blinken Visits China, May Day Stirs Workers’ Rights Concerns, the U.S. Resumes Ukraine Aid, and More

Secretary of State Antony Blinken wraps his second visit to China as tensions mount over Beijing’s military support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and ongoing threats in the South China Sea; International Workers’ Day on May 1 comes at a time of revived labor activism over wages and inequality; and U.S. President Joe Biden approves a $61 billion foreign aid package providing critical military assistance to Ukraine, potentially improving the situation on the ground in the war with Russia.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

“2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State

 

“Global Military Spending Surges Amid War, Rising Tensions and Insecurities,” Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

 

Max Boot, “Weapons of War: The Race Between Russia and Ukraine,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/blinken-visits-china-may-day-stirs-workers-rights-concerns-us-resumes-ukraine-aid-and-more

Aftermath of Iran’s Attack on Israel, EU Talks Ukraine, India’s Massive Election, and More

Concerns grow over the widening Middle East conflict after Iran launches three hundred ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones at Israel; European Union (EU) leaders discuss how to bolster aid to Ukraine amid an uptick in Russian attacks and the situation unfolding in the Middle East; India kicks off the world’s largest democratic election—spanning more than forty-four days—where the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win again; and warming water temperatures cause a mass bleaching of coral reefs.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Steven A. Cook, “Iran Attack Means an Even Tougher Balancing Act for the U.S. in the Middle East,” CFR.org

 

“How India’s Imports of Russian Oil Have Lubricated Global Markets,” Economist

 

Andy Bounds, Laura Dubois, Christopher Miller, “Germany Urges Dozens of Allies to Send Air Defense Systems to Ukraine,” Financial Times

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/aftermath-irans-attack-israel-eu-talks-ukraine-indias-massive-election-and-more 

Congress’s Urgent Agenda, Sudan’s Year of War, Ecuador-Mexico Embassy Fray, and More

Congress returns from recess and grapples with contentious agenda items, including reauthorization of a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and a Ukraine aid package; Sudan enters a second year of civil war with more than half of the country’s population in need of aid and millions more displaced; and Ecuadorian police breach international law by raiding the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Regina Garcia Cano and Gabriela Molina, “Mexico Severs Diplomatic Ties with Ecuador After Police Storm Its Embassy to Arrest Politician,” Associated Press

 

“Sudan Crisis Sends Shockwaves Around the Region as Displacement, Hunger, and Malnutrition Soar,” World Food Program

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/congresss-urgent-agenda-sudans-year-war-ecuador-mexico-embassy-fray-and-more 

Rwanda 30 Years After Genocide, U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit, ABBA’s Eurovision Legacy, and More

Rwanda marks thirty years since its genocide against the Tutsis; U.S. President Joe Biden hosts the first trilateral leaders’ summit with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.; music fans celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Swedish pop group ABBA’s Eurovision win; and Ekrem İmamoğlu is elected mayor of Istanbul, in a rebuke to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Eurovision Winners, Eurovision World

 

Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda, PBS

 

Mariel Ferragamo, “Thirty Years After Rwanda’s Genocide: Where the Country Stands Today,” CFR.org 

 

“Rwanda: Freedom in the World 2024,” Freedom House

 

“Three Decades After Rwanda’s Genocide, the Past is Ever-Present,” The Economist

 

When Abba Came to Britain, BBC 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/rwanda-30-years-after-genocide-us-japan-philippines-summit-abbas-eurovision-legacy-and 

Biden and Netanyahu at Odds, Putin Responds to ISIS-K Attack, Cuba Food and Electricity Shortages, and More

The fallout after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip ​​and release of all hostages further reveals a growing strain between the United States and Israel; Russia reels from the ISIS-K terrorist attack on concertgoers near Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin deliberating how to respond; the Cuban government cracks down on recent protests across the country over food shortages and power outages; and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is found to have stayed overnight at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília in February 2024.  

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Barak Ravid, “Netanyahu Cancels Meetings with Biden Officials Over UN Ceasefire Vote,” Axios

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/biden-and-netanyahu-odds-putin-responds-isis-k-attack-cuba-food-and-electricity-shortages