Mutually assumed destruction
India, Pakistan, the Caucasus, Israel, Palestine, the UK, and Venezuela.
Hello,
Here are the five things you need to know today:
INDIA. PAKISTAN. Nuclear antagonists jump to blame each other.
THE CAUCASUS. A crash garners speculation in a crowded region.
ISRAEL. PALESTINE. The possibility of a Turko-American Gaza emerges.
BRITAIN. Trump’s attack on the BBC highlights old anxieties.
VENEZUELA. As an aircraft carrier nears, the drug narrative wears off.
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INDIA. PAKISTAN. Attribution bias
Nuclear antagonists jump to blame each other.
Pakistan blamed India-backed Afghan terrorists for a blast in Islamabad that killed 12 Tuesday. A blast in Delhi that killed 13 Monday evening was linked to the recovery of 350kg of explosives at a house rented by a Kashmiri Muslim doctor.
INTELLIGENCE. The blast in Delhi will almost inevitably be tied to Pakistan. Islamabad has already jumped the gun in linking India to its suicide bombing, which the Pakistani Taliban has claimed. Denials by both sides offer the chance for an offramp, but these are the worst attacks in the capitals since 2011 and 2008, at the Delhi High Court and the Islamabad Marriott, respectively. Calling it a “conspiracy”, Narendra Modi said the perpetrators would “not be spared.”
FOR BUSINESS. After the Kashmir attack in April, which killed 26, India and Pakistan fought a brief war in May, involving missile strikes on military bases. Following US interventions, hotlines were restored, but relations are still tense. US influence in Delhi has also decreased, following Washington’s subsequent pivot to Islamabad and the imposition of tariffs linked to Russian oil. Donald Trump has talked up a deal but, as in May, remains unpredictable.
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THE CAUCASUS. The night the flight went down in Georgia
A crash garners speculation in a crowded region.
A Turkish C-130 cashed near Georgia’s border with Azerbaijan Tuesday, killing 20 personnel. Donald Trump Jr reportedly cancelled a visit to Armenia Wednesday, allegedly after watching a Tucker Carlson interview with opposition figures.
INTELLIGENCE. Carlson spoke to Narek Karapetyan, the nephew of a Russian-