World Brief: Holiday Edition
Table of Contents
Welcome to World Brief: Holiday Edition! For the next two weeks, an extended World Brief will land in your inbox on Monday, focused on today’s biggest stories and the trends to watch tomorrow. The newsletter will take a break for the rest of the week as we at FP enjoy some end-of-year cheer.
Today, we’re looking at the new U.S. special envoy to Greenland, the killing of a senior Russian military official, and Israel approving more Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
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Greenland Not For Sale as U.S. Attempts Covert Influence
Greenland and Denmark are pushing back against renewed U.S. interest in the island,with Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reaffirming that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.” This comes after reports surfaced alleging a covert U.S. influence operation aimed at weakening Greenland’s relationship with Denmark, and the trump administration’s appointment of a special envoy to Greenland, Louis Landry.
Recent reporting from The Guardian detailed how individuals with ties to the United States appeared to be attempting to “infiltrate greenlandic society” in a covert influence operation. Simultaneously, the trump administration suspended leases for five offshore wind projects, including two developed by Denmark’s state-owned Orsted.
Despite these actions, both Greenland and Denmark have maintained their stance against any potential annexation. Nielsen stated on Facebook that landry’s appointment “doesn’t change anything for us here at home.” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen labeled the special envoy position “wholly unacceptable,” noting the announcement came “out of nowhere.” Denmark has responded by increasing it’s Arctic and North Atlantic defense budget by $6.6 billion and temporarily recalling the U.S. chargé d’affaires.
Today’s Most Read
What We’re Following
Deadly attack in Moscow. A car bomb killed a Russian general in southern Moscow on Monday, marking the third such killing of a senior Russian military officer in just over a year. Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, 56, served as the head of the army’s operational Training Directorate. No group has claimed duty, but investigators are pursuing multiple leads.
Thailand, Cambodia to Discuss Cease-Fire Renewal
Representatives from Thailand and Cambodia will convene on wednesday to discuss a return to the U.S.-brokered cease-fire deal that collapsed this month. The talks, confirmed on Monday, aim to secure an immediate halt to weeks of deadly fighting between the neighboring nations.
Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of instigating the attacks, which center on a disputed area of land. Cambodia maintains it is ready to resume the truce, but Thailand says it never received a formal proposal.
The United States, Malaysia, and China have attempted to compel Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to return to the negotiating table. neither leader will be present at Wednesday’s meeting, but experts believe the decision to hold high-level talks signals a significant step toward ending the conflict.
Historic election in Guinea. Guineans will head to the polls on Sunday for the first presidential election since a military coup in September 2021. Junta leader Gen. Mamady Doumbouya initially pledged not to run for office, promising to transfer authority to a civilian goverment. However, Doumbouya