Italy’s Pivotal Election, Putin’s Referendums, U.S.-Pacific Island Summit, and More

Italians vote in a snap general election with an expected populist surge; occupied territories in Ukraine stage referendums on whether or not to join Russia; and the Joe Biden administration holds a summit with Pacific Island leaders to counter growing Chinese influence.

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Hosts
  • James M. Lindsay
    Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
  • Robert McMahon
    Managing Editor
Credits

Ester Fang - Associate Podcast Producer

Gabrielle Sierra - Senior Producer

Show Notes

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Jason Horowitz, “Giorgia Meloni May Lead Italy, and Europe Is Worried,” New York Times

 

Australia

The International Atomic Energy Association reports on the nuclear-powered submarines that the United States and the United Kingdom will provide to Australia within the AUKUS alliance; world leaders and defense officials meet in Singapore for Asia’s premier security event– the Shangri-La Dialogue; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wraps up his Nordic tour with his final stop in Helsinki, meeting with Finnish officials to discuss North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) priorities; and NATO sends additional troops to Kosovo to respond to ethnically-charged clashes.

Nigeria

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his opponent Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu face off in Turkey’s runoff election; U.S. government leaders contend with a looming deadline to avoid a disastrous default; president-elect Bola Tinubu is sworn in as Nigeria contends with an economic crisis; Evan Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention is extended; and Sudan struggles to find a lasting solution to the conflict between the military and a paramilitary group, exacerbating its humanitarian crisis. 

Syria

The Arab League summit marks the return of Syria and its president, Bashar al-Assad; Japan hosts the leaders of the Group of Seven democracies in Hiroshima, Japan, with concerns over China and Russia at the fore; the UN Security Council discusses sanctions on North Korea amid the country’s missile buildup; and migration slows at the southern U.S. border after the lifting of Title 42.

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Pakistan

Sadanand Dhume, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a South Asia columnist for the Wall Street Journal, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the political, economic, and climate crises roiling Pakistan.