Plus: Photo of the day
IN TODAYâS EDITION
1ď¸âŁ 3 quotes from the Quad |
2ď¸âŁ South Korea investigates Morgan Stanley |
3ď¸âŁ Photo of the day |
Hi Intriguer. A smug thing to do at parties is to slip the Italian word âsprezzaturaâ into conversation. Allow me to give it to you in all its espresso-sniffing, prosecco-sipping, Alfa Romeo-driving glory.
Like any good foreign word, sprezzatura has multiple translations, including âconsidered effortlessnessâ, ârehearsed scruffinessâ, and âstudied nonchalanceâ. To understand, just picture that Italian socialite with ruffled hair, or a dash of stubble, or a collar slightly askew. The genius of sprezzatura is that it captures the fact theyâve just spent four hours nailing each and every touch of their aloof scruffiness to perfection.
So whatâs that got to do with anything? The leaders of the US, Japan, India and Australia have released their latest Quad leader statement, and overall it looks a tad âmehâ. But if youâre willing to squint with me a bit (or a lot), todayâs briefing teases out why thereâs arguably a touch of sprezzatura behind it all.
Sri Lanka elects new president.
Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken the oath of office as Sri Lankaâs new president, a day after winning the weekendâs election. Dissanayake has pledged to break completely from the old ways he says tumbled Sri Lanka into a deep political and economic crisis in 2022, and is vowing to establish a âclean political cultureâ.
Israel conducts âextensiveâ strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
The Israeli military has called on civilians to move away from Hezbollah sites as it intensifies its airstrikes in northeastern and southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Hezbollah also fired scores of missiles and rockets into Israel over the weekend. The Israeli strikes come a day after the US cautioned Israel not to pursue an all-out war on its northern front, with a White House spokesperson saying, âwe donât believe that escalating this military conflict is in their best interestâ.
Scholzâs SPD takes narrow victory in state election.
Germanyâs ruling party has retained a small lead over the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern state of Brandenburg. While the AfD still made strong gains, the end result will be welcomed by Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrats (SPD), whoâve been punished in other recent state ballots.
UN General Assembly adopts âpact for the futureâ.
The pact, approved after months of negotiations, lays out 56 broad actions to improve the way the world approaches peace and security, global governance, and climate change. Russia has criticised the pact after it failed to insert an amendment (with backing from North Korea, Iran and others) that the UN âshall not intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any stateâ.
Modi pitches âMade in Indiaâ to US tech leaders.
The Indian prime minister, in the US for the Quad summit (see below), has also attended a tech roundtable and urged top executives to consider India as a destination for manufacturing and innovation. India has benefitted from the âfriend-shoringâ trend thatâs seen Western corporations diversify away from China, but it still lags behind Taiwan and others.
TOP STORY
Three key quotes from the weekendâs Quad summit
Joe Biden, Australiaâs Anthony Albanese, Japanâs Fumio Kishida, and Indiaâs Narendra Modi
Joe Biden hosted the leaders of Japan, India, and Australia in his home state of Delaware over the weekend, culminating in Saturday night's joint Wilmington Declaration.
So let's dive in with three choice quotes to get you what you need to know.
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"As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region"
The âweâ here is the Quad. And what's the Quad?
That's an insightful question, dear Intriguer, because you'll get very different answers depending on who you ask. Beijing will tell you it's an attempt to contain China and incite conflict. And the Quad members themselves (the US, Japan, India, Australia) will give you the above innocuous quote about peace and stability.
And yet the truth is – as always – more nuanced: the Quad first emerged while coordinating aid after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but it soon faded as some members got nervous at China's objections that the Quad was ganging up on it: India had 100,000 Chinese troops along its border, while Australia didnât want to risk its billions in exports to China.
But then after disappearing⌠the Quad suddenly reappeared a decade later and even got elevated to a leader-level summit from 2021. What changed? The Quad members themselves would say China changed under Xi Jinping: more border clashes with India, more claims over the South China Sea (rejected by an international tribunal in 2016), more economic coercion against Australia, etc. So they got the band back together again.
And what'd they say this time?
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"We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated â one where all countries are free from coercion"
After this line, the leaders went on to deliver some blunt language on who they assess is doing the dominating and the coercing: China. They even name-dropped the above 2016 ruling against it, and âcondemnedâ China's use of "dangerous manoeuvres" in the area.
But here's the thing: the statement, in all its 6,000-word glory, never specifically mentions China. Not once. That's the result of lengthy negotiations among the four Quad members on how to approach China, with the US generally wanting to call a spade a spade, while the others have – to varying degrees – long been wary of then getting hit with that spade.
So the result? This Wilmington Declaration is somehow the Quad's strongest-ever language on China, without ever actually mentioning China. Isnât diplomacy fun?
Okay, but any action?
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"The Quad is… a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact"
Quad members have received a lot of feedback from countries tired of feeling forced to 'pick a side' between China and the US. And the region has also voiced criticism which weâll summarise here by paraphrasing an infamous quote a Kenyan official once dropped: every time China visits, we get a hospital; and every time the US visits, we get a lecture.
So Quad members have been hustling to make the Quad both more positive and more concrete. And you can see this in the declaration itself, featuring pledges on everything from eradicating cervical cancer and issuing more scholarships, through to transporting more aid, rolling out more solar panels, doing more coast guard cooperation, and beyond.
The idea, in theory at least, is to give the region options rather than force any choices.
INTRIGUEâS TAKE
Thereâs still a pretty widespread view (encouraged by this latest broad Quad declaration) that the group is struggling to find its feet, kinda begging the question – whatâs the point? And with one Quad leader (Biden) leaving office in January, and another (Kishida) leaving office this week, why even host the summit now?
Well, itâs worth zooming out and remembering that the Quad is just one of many regional initiatives seeking to grapple with a more confrontational China. Each one might not seem much on its own, but collectively the hope is theyâre enough to deter a war over, say, Taiwan or the South China Sea.
So if youâll forgive the circular logic here, the point of this Quad summit was really to ensure there'll be more Quad summits in the future, as leaders come and go and the group finds its feet. Thatâs also why, despite not getting a single direct mention in the statement, China's state media outlets have still devoted several editorials to criticising the Quad yet again.
Also worth noting:
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India is due to host next yearâs Quad summit. It was scheduled to host this year, but agreed to a swap with the US once it became clear President Biden was concluding his term in office.
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MEANWHILE, ELSEWHEREâŚ
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đ°đżÂ Kazakhstan: Authorities have detained a Russian citizen at Kazakhstanâs Almaty airport after Moscow placed him on a wanted list for criticising Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine. Kazakhstan has notably pushed back a little more as Russiaâs regional influence has waned, but it still hands over Russian citizens on request.
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đŽđŞÂ Ireland: Attending the UN General Assembly in New York, Irish President Michael Higgins has accused Israel of leaking a letter he wrote congratulating Iranâs new president Masoud Pezeshkian in July. While Ireland never published the letter, itâs been circulating – and drawing criticism – online. Israel denies any involvement.
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đ°đˇÂ South Korea: Seoulâs securities exchange operator has announced itâs investigating Morgan Stanley after the US-based firm sold shares in SK Hynix (a chipmaker) just before releasing a report that crushed its stock price. While Korea Exchange says itâs approaching the matter with caution, industry sources have noted that offloading a million shares in a day is unusual.
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đŞđ¨Â Ecuador: Much of Ecuador was dark yesterday (Sunday) after the government shut down electricity in half the countryâs 24 provinces, as historic droughts reduce water levels at the Andean countryâs hydro plants. Starting this week, thereâll be nationwide, eight-hour, nightly power cuts from Monday to Thursday as the government enlists the military to help manage key dams.
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đ¨đŠÂ DR Congo: Congo has released 600 prisoners from the countryâs main Makala prison on Saturday in an effort to decongest the overcrowded facilities. The move comes just weeks after an attempted Makala jailbreak left 130+ people dead.
EXTRA INTRIGUE
𤣠Your weekly roundup of the worldâs lighter newsÂ
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A cat has somehow managed to travel from Wyoming back to California after running away during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park.
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Authorities have fined a British woman $650 for leaving IKEA furniture outside for passers-by to take.
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Thereâs some controversy emerging out of another zoo in China, after visitors captured footage of dogs painted to look like pandas.
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Apple orchards in Canadaâs Saskatchewan province are being swamped with callers asking to buy their purple apples that taste like cinnamon – but it turns out the viral images were just AI-generated fakes.
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And UK authorities have had to cancel a morning train to Gatwick after two squirrels boarded a carriage then refused to leave.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credits: KCNA
North Koreaâs supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, popped over to inspect one of his special forces units earlier this month. But a photo of the occasion has turned heads: while the troops conducted target practice, Kimâs armed security stood over each soldier.
Why? NK News, a specialised publication, wrote that the image was potentially a sign that âsecurity concernsâ have risen in the country, with Kim becoming more paranoid.
DAILY POLL
What do you think about the Quad? |
Last Thursdayâs poll: If you were nominated to a cabinet, which portfolio would you choose and why?
đŠđŠđŠđŠđŠđŠÂ đ¤ Foreign policy (25%)
đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ đ˘ Trade (5%)
đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ đ¸ Economy and finance (7%)
đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ đź Justice (8%)
đ¨đ¨đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ đŹ Innovation, science and technology (13%)
đ¨đ¨đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ đ Education (13%)
đ¨đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ đł Environment (10%)
đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ 𩺠Health (7%)
đ¨đ¨âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ đď¸ Defence (9%)
âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸âŹď¸ âď¸ Other (write in!) (2%)
Your two cents:
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đŹÂ D.S: âInnovation, science, and technology will become the areas of most long-lasting and pervasive influence in every country.â
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đ A.K: âThe future of our democracy is with our youth.â
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𩺠M.R: âHealth is key for all other cabinets. No health, no economy, no innovation, no education.â
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đ˘ L.V: âTrade after all makes the world go around, and I would relish the opportunity to promote access to new markets to rising entrepreneurs.â
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