The World Next Week

Senegal and Slovakia Elections, Pakistan and Afghan Taliban Clash, Nuclear Energy Gains Favor, and More

Senegal holds its postponed presidential election amid fears of democratic backsliding; Slovakia chooses a new president in voting that could bolster Prime Minister Robert Fico’s illiberal tilt; Pakistan and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan exchange blows after a string of terrorist attacks on Pakistani territory; nuclear energy gets a boost at a first-ever summit in Brussels, Belgium; and the European Union provides Egypt with $8 billion worth of aid. 

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/senegal-and-slovakia-elections-pakistan-and-afghan-taliban-clash-nuclear-energy-gains 

Russia’s Gloomy ‘Elections’, U.S. Budget Divisions, Elton John-Bernie Taupin Awarded, and More

Russia holds its presidential election with the Kremlin aiming to orchestrate a sweeping endorsement of President Vladimir Putin; the U.S. Congress continues its partisan battles over the 2024 budget as concerns of shutdown and aid to allies mount; the U.S. Library of Congress flexes its soft power by awarding Elton John and Bernie Taupin with the Gershwin Prize; and the crisis in Haiti worsens. 

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman, “UNRWA Funding Emerges as Sticking Point in FY 2024 Spending Talks,” Punchbowl

 

Liana Fix and Maria Snegovaya, “Leadership Change in Russia,” CFR.org

 

From the Catbird Seat, Library of Congress

 

Thomas Graham, “Why Russia’s Election Matters to Putin,” CFR.org

 

Michael Kimmage and Maria Lipman, “Forever Putinism: The Russian Autocrat’s Answer to the Problem of Succession,” Foreign Affairs

 

Putin's Approval Ratings, Levada-Center

 

Brett Zongker, “Elton John & Bernie Taupin = 2024 Gershwin Prize,” Library of Congress Blog

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/russias-gloomy-elections-us-budget-divisions-elton-john-bernie-taupin-awarded-and-more 

 

Ramadan Cease-Fire Prospects, Portugal’s Snap Election, Oscars Go International, and More

Negotiators attempt to establish a six-week cease-fire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas before the start of the sacred Islamic month of Ramadan; Portugal holds a snap parliamentary election with a far-right party gaining traction; international films gain prominence at the ninety-sixth Academy Awards; and Chinese President Xi Jinping breaks with the thirty-year tradition of the premier’s press conference after the National People’s Congress.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

J.A. Bayona, Society of the Snow

 

Ilker Çatak, The Teachers’ Lounge

 

Manohla Dargis, “‘The Zone of Interest’ Review: The Holocaust, Reduced to Background Noise,” New York Times

 

Matteo Garrone, Io Capitano

 

Greta Gerwig, Barbie

 

Johnathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

 

Andrea Kannapell, Hwaida Saad, and Michael D. Shear, “‘We Need a Cease-Fire,’ Biden Says.” New York Times

 

Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things

 

Françoise Mouly, “Barry Blitt’s ‘Slappenheimer’,” New Yorker

 

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

 

Celine Song, Past Lives

 

Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

 

Wim Wenders, Perfect Days

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at:  https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ramadan-cease-fire-prospects-portugals-snap-election-oscars-go-international-and-more 

Biden Addresses SOTU, Iran Holds Elections, Bosnia’s Pipeline Feud, and More

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his last State of the Union address before elections to a polarized Congress; Iran holds its first parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections since the 2022 protests sparked by the death of activist Mahsa Amini; Bosnia and Herzegovina marks independence as ethnic divisions fester; and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) welcomes Sweden as its newest member state.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Arash Ghafouri and Alex Vatanka, “Five Key Takeaways From New Poll Ahead of Iran’s Parliamentary Elections,” Middle East Institute

 

Andrew Higgins, “A Land Once Emptied by War Now Faces a Peacetime Exodus,” New York Times

 

Andrew Osborn and Vladimir Soldatkin, “Putin Warns West of Risk of Nuclear War, Says Moscow can Strike Western Targets,” Reuters

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/biden-addresses-sotu-iran-holds-elections-bosnias-pipeline-feud-and-more 

Grim Ukraine War Anniversary, WTO in Limbo, Blinken’s Lula and Milei Tour, and More

Ukraine marks the second anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion; the World Trade Organization (WTO) holds its thirteenth ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi amid deep uncertainty about progress on dispute settlement system reform; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Argentina and Brazil to forge stronger U.S.-South America ties; and the World Health Organization raises alarm about the situation at the Gaza Strip’s Nasser Hospital.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

“Is Anyone Still Afraid of the United States?: A Conversation With Robert Gates,” Foreign Affairs

 

Inu Manak and Manjari Chatterjee Miller, “Responsible Consensus at the WTO Can Save the Global Trading System,” CFR.org

 

Stephanie Nolen, “War and Illness Could Kill 85,000 Gazans in Six Months,” New York Times

 

“Year Three of the Ukraine War, With Miriam Elder and Carla Anne Robbins,” The President’s Inbox

 

Recommended Reading

 

Keith M. Rockwell, “A Moment of Truth for the WTO,” Hinrich Foundation

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/grim-ukraine-war-anniversary-wto-limbo-blinkens-lula-and-milei-tour-and-more 

 

60th Munich Security Conference, African Union’s Conflict-Laden Agenda, Bellicose North Korea, and More

World leaders gather for the sixtieth Munich Security Conference with growing concerns about a continued war in Ukraine and threats to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) cohesion; the African Union holds its annual summit as multiple crises mount, including armed conflict and democratic blacksliding; Kim Jong Un increases aggressive language and acts as North Korea prepares to celebrate the late father and leader Kim Jong Il’s birthday; and former Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is nominated to lead a coalition government as the new prime minister.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

“Eight Priorities for the African Union in 2024,” International Crisis Group

 

“How We Have Portrayed North Korean Leaders on The Economist’s Covers,” Economist

 

Joshua Kurlantzick, “Pakistan’s Election Results: Imran Khan Claims Victory, But He’s Unlikely to Get It,” CFR.org

 

Munich Security Report 2024, Munich Security Conference 

 

Munich Security Index 2024, Munich Security Conference

 

Scott A. Snyder, “Why is North Korea Turning More Aggressive?” CFR.org

 

Uzair Younus, “Five Ways Imran Khan’s Party Used Technology to Outperform in Pakistan’s Elections,” Atlantic Council

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/60th-munich-security-conference-african-unions-conflict-laden-agenda-bellicose-north-korea 

Chile’s Inferno, NATO Ramps Up Security Exercises, Indonesia’s Presidential Election, and More

Chile works to recover from the devastating wildfire in its central Valparaíso region; the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continues with its 2024 Steadfast Defender exercise, the largest since the Cold War, while uncertainty over members’ commitment grows; Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, holds vast general elections; and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attempts to reach a deal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and hostage release.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Nicolas Camut and Jakob Hanke Vela, “As Trump Looms, Top EU Politician Calls for European Nuclear Deterrent,” Politico

 

Joshua Kurlantzick, “Indonesia’s Presidential Election: The Old Guard Faces the New,” CFR.org

 

Brad Setser, “Mobilizing Russia’s Immobilized Reserves,” CFR.org

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/chiles-inferno-nato-ramps-security-exercises-indonesias-presidential-election-and-more 

Biden Confronts Iran, China’s Lunar New Year Economic Slowdown, Pakistan’s Flawed Elections, and More

The Joe Biden administration contends with how to respond to a deadly attack on U.S. service members at a base in Jordan while also preventing a wider regional war; a faltering economy clouds festivities as millions of Chinese travel home for Lunar New Year; Pakistan will elect a new prime minister and National Assembly, but lackluster candidates, economic crisis, and unraveling security situation loom over the vote; and Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announce their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States, increasing security concerns in western Africa.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Noah Berman and Clara Fong, “Pakistan Is on Edge Ahead of 2024 Elections,” CFR.org

 

Joshua Kurlantzick, “Pakistan’s Election Will Have One Major Winner: The Military,” CFR.org

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/biden-confronts-iran-chinas-lunar-new-year-economic-slowdown-pakistans-flawed-elections 

Rebels Gain As Myanmar Marks Coup Anniversary, EU's Ukraine Aid Challenge, Kenya’s Pending Mission to Haiti, and More

The Three Brotherhood Alliance and other armed ethnic groups in Myanmar pose a significant threat to regime control as the country enters its third year under junta rule; the European Union (EU) meets for a special summit on military aid for Ukraine, but concerns remain over Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; Kenya’s high court will decide whether if it is constitutional for Kenya to lead a multinational peacekeeping mission to Haiti; and hundreds of thousands across Germany protest against the Alternative for Germany’s anti-immigration policies.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware, God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America

 

Ebenezer Obadare and Robert I. Rotberg, “1100 Kenyans Will Not Save Haiti,” CFR.org

 

Avinash Paliwal, “Could Myanmar Come Apart?,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/rebels-gain-myanmar-marks-coup-anniversary-eus-ukraine-aid-challenge-kenyas-pending 

U.S.-Iran Proxy War Intensifies, Sudan Conflict Rages On, Sundance Film Festival Marks Forty Years, and More

More than one hundred days into the war in the Gaza Strip, hostilities continue to escalate region-wide, marked by clashes between proxies of Iran and U.S. forces; Sudan’s civil war worsens as a new diplomatic initiative stalls; the Sundance Film Festival celebrates its fortieth anniversary; and the small island nation of Nauru cuts ties with Taiwan.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Films, Sundance Film Festival 2024

 

Joshua Kurlantzick, “Taiwan’s Presidential Election Elicits Strong Response in Indo-Pacific,” CFR.org

 

Kali Robinson, “Who Governs the Palestinians?,” CFR.org

 

Michelle Gavin, “New Deals Open Old Wounds in the Horn of Africa,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-iran-proxy-war-intensifies-sudan-conflict-rages-sundance-film-festival-marks-forty