Armenian voters cement country’s shift toward West
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan pledged to “continue the course of rapprochement with the West” after his ruling Civil Contract party won comfortably in yesterday’s parliamentary elections. Early results show the incumbent party received 49.8% of the vote, while the Russian-aligned Strong Armenia Alliance finished in a distant second, with 23.8%. Once part of the Soviet Union, Armenia has increasingly shifted away from Moscow recently toward the US and Europe. Just this year, Yerevan signed a nuclear energy agreement and a strategic partnership deal with Washington. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin – whose government allegedly attempted to interfere in this election – has threatened to hurt Armenia economically. Given that Russia is Armenia’s largest trading partner, and provides it with large amounts of gas, Yerevan does stand to lose something.
China’s Xi visits North Korea
It’s been seven years since China’s president visited Pyongyang, and this time the message to his secretive nuclear-armed ally seems to be something along the lines of: “chilllll.” North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un recently threatened to “exponentially” grow his nuclear arsenal, just months after formally rejecting “reunification” with South Korea. But China, North Korea’s main economic lifeline and partner, is reportedly concerned that Kim’s feistiness may destabilize an already tense situation on the Korean peninsula, where there hasn’t been any movement on denuclearization talks in years. What’s more, Beijing may be uneasy about Kim’s deepening ties with Russia, which Pyongyang has supported in Ukraine with both weapons and troops. Still, despite some differences, Kim remains a close ally, and Xi will be keen to close ranks with him on other key regional issues, such as Japan’s increasing military assertiveness, and the future of Taiwan.
Geopolitical unrest exacerbates Ebola epidemic
The epicenter of the current Ebola epidemic is in a disputed portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a complication that is hindering efforts to contain what is threatening to become the worst outbreak of the disease since 2014. For example, the DRC government has leaned on park rangers in Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga, to act as a firewall to prevent the spread of the virus, yet they have been preoccupied dealing with the ISIS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces that have threatened nearby communities. What’s more, international health workers face threats from armed rebel groups. Meanwhile the M23 rebels, a separate paramilitary group that controls large portions of eastern Congo, hasn’t said whether it will work with the Congolese government (its rival) to contain the crisis.
BONUS: Trump to attend NBA Finals in New York City today
Nearly two years after his dramatic pre-election rally Madison Square Garden, the US president returns to the famed Manhattan venue today, this time for a basketball game. Trump will attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. The hometown Knicks lead 2-0. Trump isn’t exactly the most popular person in the liberal-leaning city, although he did win a higher share of the Big Apple’s vote than any Republican candidate since the 1980s. His appearance has stirred an interesting debate here at GZERO: why exactly is he going? Tell us what you think here.
