What We’re Watching: The US is upset about a trade deal, Sudan food stocks run low, Denmark puts boots on the ice

Food fight! Why the US is upset about the EU-Mercosur deal

The US is criticizing a new EU trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc, saying it unfairly favors European farmers at the expense of American importers. The agreement – nearly 25 years in the making – would cut most tariffs across a combined market of toughly 700 million people and grant protections to hundreds of European products like Parmesan-style cheeses, cured meats, and champagne. US officials argue these protections would shut American farmers out from selling similar goods in the region. The dispute comes as trade tensions rise between Washington and Brussels over the EU’s slow rollout of a trade deal that they clinched last year, and as the bloc pushes back against US protectionism by expanding its own global trade ties. The deal is set to be signed tomorrow in Paraguay.

Sudan food stocks running dry

The UN World Food Program warned that war-tornSudan could run out of food stocks by the end of March, calling on the international community for an additional $700 million to keep operations running through June. Nearly half of Sudan’s population of 42 million people face severe food insecurity in what is described asthe world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis. Conditions are worsening as a civil war between the Sudanese military and rebel Rapid Support Forces passes the 1,000-day mark. Mediation effortsled by the US and regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have so far failed to achieve a ceasefire in the conflict.

Denmark puts boots on the ground in Greenland

Seeking to seize the initiative amid its spat with the United States over future control of Greenland, Denmark said Thursday it has started sending troops along with aircraft and ships to the semi-autonomous island France and Norway also deployed a small contingency of troops there, meaning if the US did take military action, there would be a NATO-on-NATO confrontation. The White House said the European deployment doesn’t change their ambitions to claim the island. US President Donald Trump has said that he wants Greenland “from the standpoint of national security,” yet he already has troops there and can station more. The larger reason for Trump may have something to do with Greenland’s large deposits of rare earths – but there’s a larger question about the cost of extracting those minerals.