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The week in Global Affairs
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The expiring Hormuz arrangement gave way to threats, casualties, sanctions and a possible ship-passage fee, while the UAE halted trade with Iran and Tehran threatened Gulf oil flows. Diplomatic contacts continued, but Washington and Tehran increasingly used economic pressure and regional access as leverage.
Canada and the United States moved from threatened duties and brief pauses to collapsed talks, 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and planned retaliation. The dispute shifted from temporary bargaining pressure to a direct threat against integrated supply chains.
Israel faced mounting disputes over settlement expansion, settler violence, military accountability and strikes in Syria, including an operation that risked drawing in Turkey. US-mediated talks opened a de-escalation channel, but the week showed territorial and regional tensions advancing alongside unresolved Gaza negotiations.
Russian attacks moved from Kyiv and Odesa to a deadly shopping-center strike in Kryvyi Rih, combining civilian casualties with pressure on air defenses and grain exports. The damage increased demands for outside military support while exposing the wider economic cost of the war.
Washington and Seoul reduced joint drills while Trump signaled interest in renewed engagement with Kim Jong Un. North Korea dismissed the significance of the changes and rejected the diplomatic opening, leaving nuclear diplomacy stalled and South Korea questioning US backing.
Former Ukrainian officials escalated calls for an election despite martial law, turning an initial challenge to Zelenskyy into a broader dispute over wartime governance. Corruption allegations and the firing of a senior aide added to the political strain.
The United States considered excluding countries from its China-linked AI coalition while also examining controls on overseas cloud access to advanced chips. China meanwhile permitted limited Nvidia H200 shipments, showing that the technology contest is shifting from hardware sales to computing access and political alignment.
An airstrike attributed to Myanmar’s military killed 14 people at a Buddhist monastery, with reports of a second strike raising further accountability concerns. The repeated coverage underscored how the conflict is reaching civilian and religious sites beyond conventional battle lines.
Day’s Recap