Soleimani’s Killing, U.S.-China ‘Phase One’ Trade Deal, and More

Tensions between the United States and Iran escalate after the killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, Washington and Beijing finalize their “Phase One” trade deal, and Taiwan holds a pivotal presidential election.

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Hosts
  • Robert McMahon
    Managing Editor
  • Steven A. Cook
    Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Director of the International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars

Show Notes

Tensions between the United States and Iran escalate after the killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, Washington and Beijing finalize their “Phase One” trade deal, and Taiwan holds a pivotal presidential election.

Iraq War

The UN Security Council decides whether to renew the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan; on its twentieth anniversary, Americans and Iraqis take stock of the U.S. invasion of Iraq; and the future of the Ukraine-Russia Black Sea Grain Initiative, a vital food export agreement, is decided.

United Kingdom

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss migration, trade, security, and other issues; the world enters the fourth year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic; and Academy Award-nominated films spotlight international issues.

China

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss U.S.-German security cooperation in NATO and in the Indo-Pacific; China’s National People’s Congress begins its legislative session; Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha awaits the verdict of his treason trial as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s authoritarian grip tightens; and political tensions rise in Nigeria as the country reacts to Bola Tinubu’s presidential win.

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