The National Interest Foundation Newsletter
Issue 16, October 17, 2019
Welcome to the latest edition of the NIF Newsletter. In this week’s domestic headline: two associates of President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani are arrested on campaign finance violations. Meanwhile, around the world: the European Union (EU) threatens sanctions against Turkey, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Chinese President Xi Jinping visits India for a summit amid Kashmir tensions.
United States
Giuliani Associates
Two businessmen tied to President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, were arrested trying to board a one-way international flight at Dulles Airport in Virginia. (Photo from AP)
Two Giuliani Associates Arrested on Campaign Finance Violations
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two businessmen tied to President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, were arrested last week on federal campaign finance violations. The men were apprehended while trying to board an international flight with one-way tickets at Dulles Airport in Virginia. The charges against Parnas and Fruman consist of two counts of conspiracy and one count each of false statements and falsification of business records. Among other things, this includes setting up a company with the purpose of funneling large amounts of foreign money to multiple political action committees (PACs).
Around the World
Turkey
The European Union looks at taking actions against their ally and one-time accession hopeful, Turkey. (Photo from Public Domain Pictures)
A Rapidly Deteriorating Relationship Between Turkey and the EU
On Monday, October 14, members of the European Union (EU) voted to place an arms sales ban on Turkey in connection to their actions taken against the Kurds in northeastern Syria. The EU bloc will meet again in the coming days to vote on whether or not to place sanctions on Turkey for their energy drilling in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Cyprus. Both discussions come at a tumultuous time in the relationship, with Turkey threatening to allow the 3.6 million refugees they have kept out of Europe into the continent should the EU continue to criticize them.
Ethiopia
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has won international plaudits for ending his nation’s conflict with Eritrea, and has now been awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. (Photo from Reuters)
2019 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister
Since taking office in April 2018, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has made restoring relations with neighboring Eritrea a priority. Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a war between 1998-2000 over their shared border, and there have been sporadic clashes ever since. In July 2018, Prime Minister Ahmed met with his Eritrean counterpart, President Isaias Afwerki, and the two signed a treaty which officially ended the conflict and normalized relations between the two countries. The deal opened the border to allow movement of people, goods, and services, and established diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. For his efforts in negotiating the treaty and ending the conflict, Prime Minister Ahmed was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
China/India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping share a drink during their recent summit. (Photo from the Times of India)
Modi and Xi Meet for a Summit Amid Tensions in Kashmir
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a summit over the weekend in the southern Indian coastal town of Mamallapuram. The summit came during a period of heightened tensions between the two neighboring countries. While observers expected the two leaders to focus on the border dispute in Kashmir, the conversations centered around trade, bilateral relations, and religious radicalism. The leaders of the world’s two most populous nations set aside their thorny political differences and discussed issues where they were able to find common ground.
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