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Transnational Thursday for February 20, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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India imposes direct presidential rule (rather than local elected government) in rebellious state

Drone strike on Chernobyl

IRGC holds large-scale military exercises in southwest Iran

Last week I was worried about Congo affecting more african nations. Since then:

  • Uganda deploys troops in Congo to help the local government against local militias
  • 4K deaths, 4K wounded in Congo civil war since Jan 21st 2025
  • DR Congo seeks Chad’s support to combat M23 rebels: Report
  • Bukavu, the second largest city in DR Congo falls to M23
  • US imposed sanctions to M23 members

And in Sudan:

  • Rapid Support Forces in Sudan kill 200 civilians in three days, are considering establishing their own government.
  • Sudan’s army-backed government recalled its ambassador from Kenya in protest over Kenya reportedly supporting Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.

Transmissible brain disease is spreading through Canadian deer.

US seizes weapons shipment to Yemen's Houthis from Iran; Iran denies provenance.

NK building capability for missiles to reach US

South Korea stages military drills near inter-Korean maritime border, and air drills with the United States

Zelensky warns of Russian invasion of NATO countries.

US/Russia holding talks without EU or Ukraine

Stray Russian drones hit Moldova and Romania

Former Bangladeshi PM Hasina accusses Yunus of deploying terrorists, pledges to return and avenge police officers. This seems unlikely, as she doesn't control the state apparatus. However, if she does return, it would lead to wider turmoil in the region.

Southern California has a 36% chance of a M7.5 or greater earthquake in the next 30 years," Elizabeth Cochran with the USGS Earthquake Science Center says. This would wreak havoc upon the state's most populated cities, causing roughly 1,800 deaths, 50,000 injuries, and $200 billion in damage.

How does this:

The President and the Attorney General, subject to the President’s supervision and control, shall provide authoritative interpretations of law for the executive branch. The President and the Attorney General’s opinions on questions of law are controlling on all employees in the conduct of their official duties. No employee of the executive branch acting in their official capacity may advance an interpretation of the law as the position of the United States that contravenes the President or the Attorney General’s opinion on a matter of law, including but not limited to the issuance of regulations, guidance, and positions advanced in litigation, unless authorized to do so by the President or in writing by the Attorney General.

affect injunctions and rulings? In a plain reading,

  1. if the Trump administration does something,

  2. and a judge disagrees and issues an injuction and then a ruling,

  3. the Trump administration can still disagree with that

  4. Until it goes up to an appelate court, and then to the Supreme Court.

At which step does the president/AG's interpretation cease to be binding?.

Washington post article on the topic: https://archive.is/XIMum

Geologists warn of an "overdue" very large earthquake for Istambul, and warn that Turkey doesn't have the infrastructure to mitigate it, and millions could die.. Die Erdbebenwarte Kandilli gibt die Wahrscheinlichkeit für ein Beben mit einer Stärke über 7 bis zum Jahr 2030 mit 60 Prozent an.

H5N1 also in India. They were doing less testing so they've caught it later. Or it could be that it only reached them now (unlikely). Authorities in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have issued an alert and a series of containment measures following the outbreak of bird flu (Avian Influenza H5N1), officials said Thursday.. The outbreak has been reported in Eluru, West Godavari, East Godavari, Krishna and NTR districts of the state, where over half a million poultry birds had died over the last three days

CDC conducted a small survey of 150 bovine veterinary practitioners; 3 had H5N1 antibodies. Also wow is this very little testing still.

Nevada and Ohio report first human cases of bird flu; nominal egg prices hit record high – The Moderate Voice

41 Former Bangladesh Police Officials Arrested Over Crackdown On Hasina Ouster Protests

India imposes direct presidential rule (rather than local elected government) in rebellious state

Following up. The headline is misleading.

The state of Manipur is in the midst of a tribal civil war. It isn't a separatist war. It's between the state's 2 main tribal groups. Certain events sparked the civil war in 2023, but the social tensions were already like dry tinder, ready to pop off. In that sense, the inciting event is less relevant. The incompetent governance that let the issue spiral into a wildfire is pertinent.

For 2 years now, tribal militant groups have killed and raped on opposing sides. Having being called ethno-nationalists before, the center wants to avoid being seen as taking sides on a sub-ethnic conflict. This is a border state (think Puerto Rice), and mainland Indian voters haven't shown concern towards the conflict. So the BJP has let the conflict rage on. Direct interference would only hurt their electoral outcomes.

The center and the state are ruled by the same coalition (BJP-NDA). Once things went haywire, the BJP employed a dual strategy. They let the chief minister (state governor) be a lightning rod for blame, nominally keeping him in power. behind the scenes, they've been running the state through bureaucrats who're attempting to limit damages. Last week's change simply reduces indirection. The only shame is that the BJP didn't do this sooner.


Yunus of deploying terrorists

She's right. But it changes nothing.

Former Bangladeshi PM Hasina accusses Yunus of deploying terrorists, pledges to return and avenge police officers. This seems unlikely, as she doesn't control the state apparatus. However, if she does return, it would lead to wider turmoil in the region.

To be fair, this isn't her first post-coup exile. At least this time her entire family wasn't genocided.