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Can India Turn Global Headwinds into An Opportunity?
Last week frenemy fire from the United States plumbed new lows. The gloves came off as it were, when in a media interview, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the US needed to “fix India”.
It put India’s foreign policy under fresh scrutiny as it tries to undo the damage of President Donald Trump’s presidency. This is because India’s audacious economic ambitions depend on foreign policy resolving these kinds of geopolitical hurdles.
Can Indian foreign policy achieve the impossible? If not, will India get stuck in the middle-income trap?
To answer all this and more StratNewsGlobal.Tech spoke Ambassador Arun Singh, an accomplished diplomat who understands the intersection of economics and foreign policy on Capital Calculus. Among his many postings, he also served as India’s Ambassador to the United States.
China Tightens Rare Earth Export Rules, Targeting Defence, Semiconductor Users
China on Thursday strengthened its rare earth export controls, announcing plans to restrict shipments to foreign defence companies and semiconductor users, while adding five new elements to its regulated list.
The world’s largest rare earth producer also added dozens of pieces of refining technology to its control list and announced rules that will require compliance from foreign rare earth producers who use Chinese materials.
The Ministry of Commerce’s announcements follow U.S. lawmakers’ call on Tuesday for broader bans on the export of chipmaking equipment to China.
They expand controls Beijing announced in April that caused shortages around the world, before a series of deals with Europe and the U.S. eased the supply crunch.
The new curbs come weeks ahead of a scheduled face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
“This helps with increasing leverage for Beijing ahead of the anticipated Trump-Xi summit in (South) Korea later this month,” said Tim Zhang, founder of Singapore-based Edge Research.
China produces over 90% of the world’s processed rare earths and rare earth magnets. The 17 rare earth elements are vital materials in products ranging from electric vehicles to aircraft engines and military radars.
Exports of 12 of them are now restricted after the Ministry of Commerce added five – holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium – along with related materials.
Foreign companies producing some of the rare earths and related magnets on the list will now also need a Chinese export licence if the final product contains or is made with Chinese equipment or material. This applies even if the transaction includes no Chinese companies.
The regulations mimic rules the United States has implemented to restrict other countries’ exports of semiconductor-related products to China.
It is unclear how Beijing intends to enforce its new regime.
The ministry also added dozens of pieces of mining and refining equipment and materials to its control list.
China’s latest restrictions on the five additional elements and processing equipment will take effect on November 8, just before a 90-day trade truce with Washington expires.
The rules on foreign companies that make products using Chinese rare earth equipment or material are to take effect on December 1.
Shares in China Northern Rare Earth Group, China Rare Earth Resources and Technology and Shenghe Resources surged by 10%, 9.97% and 9.4%, respectively, on Thursday.
Chips And Defence
The ministry also said overseas defence users will not be granted licences, while applications related to advanced semiconductors will be approved on a case-by-case basis.
The new rules apply to 14-nanometer chips or more advanced chips, memory chips with 256 layers or more, and equipment used in the production of such chips, as well as to related research and development. These advanced chips are used in products from smartphones to AI chipsets that require powerful computing performance.
The rules will also apply to research and development of artificial intelligence with potential military applications.
South Korea, home to major memory chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, is assessing the details of the new restrictions and will continue discussions with China to minimise their impact, its industry ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
Samsung declined to comment. SK Hynix and Taiwan’s TSMC did not immediately respond to questions.
Shares in TSMC rose 1.8% on Thursday, as the company reported forecast-beating third-quarter revenue. South Korea’s financial markets were closed on Thursday for a public holiday.
Chinese rare earth shipments have been growing steadily over the past few months as Beijing grants more export licences, although some users still complain they are struggling to obtain them.
In a nod to concerns about access, the ministry said the scope of items in its latest restrictions was limited and “a variety of licensing facilitation measures will be adopted”.
(With inputs from Reuters)
National Guard Ready For Chicago Deployment Despite Local Objections
Around 500 National Guard troops were stationed near Chicago on Wednesday under President Donald Trump’s orders, despite protests from the city’s mayor and the Illinois governor, who criticised the deployment as an unnecessary militarisation and provocation.
Trump, in turn, called for the jailing of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, neither of whom has been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Both have emerged as prominent opponents of Trump’s immigration crackdown and deployment of National Guard troops in Democratic-leaning cities.
The National Guard said on Wednesday roughly 200 soldiers from Texas and 300 from Illinois had gathered in the Chicago area, and were ready to protect federal personnel, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and federal property in the city.
While Trump administration officials have sounded the alarm over what they call lawless and violent protests in cities such as Chicago and Portland, Oregon, demonstrations over Trump’s immigration policies have been largely peaceful and limited in size, far from the “war zone” conditions described by Trump.
Several hundred people marched in downtown Chicago on Wednesday evening, protesting the deployment of National Guard troops and reflecting increasing anger at the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign in the Chicago area.
In a new addition to the usual slate of protest chants, people shouted “Todos somos Silverio” or “We are all Silverio” after the fatal shooting of immigrant Silverio Villegas Gonzalez by ICE agents in a Chicago suburb in September.
Otherwise, the streets of downtown Chicago hummed with normal commuter traffic on Wednesday, except for the frequent drone of helicopters overhead, a feature of Chicago’s skies since the Trump administration’s federal incursions began last month.
In Latino and Black neighbourhoods of Chicago, where immigration agents have been most visible, people have come out of their homes and businesses to criticise the perceived mistreatment of their neighbours by federal officers.
Trump Calls For Jailing Democratic Leaders
Trump, elected last year following promises to crack down on immigration and retaliate against his political opponents, accused Johnson and Pritzker of failing to protect immigration officers who have been operating in Chicago.
“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on social media.
Johnson, the Chicago mayor, signed an executive order on Monday creating an “ICE Free Zone” that prohibits federal immigration agents from using city property in their operations.
“This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere,” Johnson said on social media.
Governor Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, likewise said he would not back down. “Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.
What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”
Trump’s call to imprison the two elected officials comes as another high-profile political rival, former FBI Director James Comey, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges. Trump has frequently called for jailing his opponents, but Comey is the first to face prosecution.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaking at a White House event on Wednesday, said federal officers in places like Portland and Chicago had come under threat “on a regular basis.”
“Any elected official that allows this to happen … should absolutely be prosecuted, in my opinion,” Noem said after Trump directed a reporter’s question about arresting Democratic leaders to Noem.
Some official accounts of threats to federal officials have come into question. The lawyer of a woman shot by ICE agents said video evidence contradicts the government’s assertions. Likewise, police records and witness accounts of the shooting death of Villegas Gonzalez differ from the account offered by the Department of Homeland Security.
Legal Battles Over National Guard
Federal courts have placed some limits on Trump’s aggressive and unprecedented deployment of the National Guard where state governors say they are unwanted, but Trump has also threatened to invoke an anti-insurrection law to sidestep any court orders blocking him.
The National Guard deployments will be further tested in two court hearings on Thursday.
An Illinois federal judge will decide whether to temporarily stop the National Guard from deploying to Chicago, and an appeals court in California will review Trump’s initial appeal over his decision to send troops to Portland, which a federal judge blocked over the weekend.
Meanwhile, a federal judge ruled that ICE had violated a 2022 agreement that limits the agency’s ability in several Midwestern states to arrest immigrants without a warrant, in an opinion that could limit some of the aggressive tactics adopted by ICE since Trump returned to office.
Amid the court challenges, Trump has threatened to deploy troops to more U.S. cities, which he said last week could serve as “training grounds” for the armed forces.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday found most Americans oppose deployments without an external threat.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Putin Arrives In Tajikistan For Central Asia Summit On Regional Ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tajikistan in Central Asia on Wednesday to meet with leaders of other ex-Soviet republics, with discussions expected to centre on regional development and their ties with Moscow.
A Kremlin announcement said Putin would take part, beginning Thursday, in a Russia-Central Asia summit, also to be attended by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
They will then be joined by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus at a meeting of the broader Commonwealth of Independent States, bringing together former Soviet republics.
Putin limits his foreign travel in connection with an order for his arrest by the International Criminal Court issued over the deportation of Ukrainian children in the more than 3-1/2-year-old war.
But as the war continues, he has shown increased interest in developing ties with Russia’s Asian neighbours, including a “no limits” partnership with China and cooperation with North Korea, including the dispatch of Pyongyang’s troops to take part in the Ukraine conflict.
Strengthening Moscow-Central Asia Ties
Putin will be trying to bolster ties with Central Asian states and to guard against the re-emergence of periodic bouts of instability in the region attributed to border disputes or internal quarrels between rival groups.
After the 1991 collapse of Soviet rule, Tajikistan was gripped by a five-year civil war in which tens of thousands died.
Russia’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday said Minister Andrei Belousov held talks on military cooperation with his Tajik opposite number Emomali Sobirzoda.
“A lot today depends on cooperation between our two military institutions, most importantly, stability in Central Asia,” the ministry quoted Belousov as saying. “The current situation remains very difficult.”
Russian influence has waned in the region in recent years, with Kazakhstan, for instance, adopting a carefully balanced position on Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Putin was to meet Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, the longest-serving ex-Soviet leader, in office since 1992, as part of a state visit.
At the last Russia-Central Asia summit in 2022, Rahmon berated Putin for failing to treat the region’s nations with sufficient respect.
The Kremlin leader’s discussions with Central Asian leaders are also certain to focus on the position of several million migrant workers from the region who earn wages in Russia to be sent home in remittances.
Putin was also due to meet President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, with whom Russia has had strained relations in recent months.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Malaysian FM Travels To Myanmar For Talks On Elections, Peace Plan
Malaysia’s foreign minister is set to visit Myanmar on Thursday to meet with the ruling junta, discussing the country’s upcoming election and advocating for progress in the stalled peace process, the Malaysian government announced.
Mohamad Hasan will make a one-day visit to the capital Naypyitaw in Malaysia’s capacity as chair of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN and will meet junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, the prime minister and the foreign minister, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Myanmar’s military leaders have been barred from meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since 2022 for failing to honour commitments in an ASEAN five-point peace plan, the top general agreed to after leading a coup a year earlier.
Myanmar, locked in a civil war between the military and rebel forces, will have a first voting round in a general election starting December 28, a ballot widely seen by the junta’s critics as a sham to allow the generals to stay in power via proxies.
Only a few parties are contesting the election on a national level, and opposition groups have either been barred from running or have refused to take part.
Mohamad said in July that ASEAN did not regard the election as a priority, calling on Myanmar to adhere to its peace commitments instead.
Peace Push
The foreign ministry said Mohamad will call on the junta to implement the peace plan, “specifically on cessation of hostilities, allowing unhindered humanitarian access and holding inclusive dialogue with Myanmar stakeholders”.
Myanmar has been roiled by violence since a 2021 coup that unseated an elected civilian government, with its ruling generals facing fierce resistance from armed groups.
In a separate Facebook post on Thursday, Mohamad said recent ceasefire violations were undermining the peace plan efforts, without specifying details.
On Wednesday, at least 20 people were killed in an attack by the junta during a gathering in the central region of Sagaing, according to eyewitnesses, rights groups and others.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Kim Jong Un Hails Ruling Party As Foreign Delegations Visit North Korea
North Korea‘s leader Kim Jong Un lauded the ruling party’s legacy in a speech ahead of its 80th founding anniversary on Friday, as delegations from China, Russia, and Vietnam arrived in Pyongyang to join the celebrations.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a delegation from Russia led by former President Dmitry Medvedev, as well as Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam, are among foreign dignitaries joining events to mark the anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea in the isolated state this week.
Li, who was met by an honour guard at Pyongyang’s airport, said that China and North Korea “as socialist neighbours connected by mountains and rivers had a profound traditional friendship,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Vietnam’s top leader, Lam and his delegation attended a welcome ceremony at a Pyongyang sports centre, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. It is the first visit by a Vietnamese Communist Party leader to North Korea in nearly 20 years, and cooperation agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, according to people familiar with the planning.
Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, is visiting with a delegation that includes Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov and the governor of the Kursk region, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
Kim visited the Party Founding Museum in Pyongyang on Wednesday with senior party officials and delivered what state media called a “significant speech” honouring the party’s founders and revolutionary forerunners, North Korean state media KCNA reported.
‘Solid Cornerstone’
The North Korean leader paid tribute to his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung and anti-Japanese fighters for laying a “solid cornerstone” for the party’s enduring strength and success, the report said.
Reflecting on eight decades of party history, Kim said it was a time for the current generation to renew its understanding of its “revolutionary obligations and duties” to complete the socialist cause begun by its predecessors.
Kim also pledged to preserve the party’s ideological purity and vitality “without decrepitude and discolouration,” calling the Party Founding Museum a “sacred sanctuary” representing the party’s tradition.
Last month, the North Korean leader stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a massive military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat at the end of World War Two, a move aimed at bolstering Kim’s diplomatic standing.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has not yet confirmed whether a military parade will take place to mark this week’s holiday.
South Korean officials said there were signs that Pyongyang will stage a military parade to commemorate the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported last week.
(With inputs from Reuters)
‘New Energy’ In India-UK Ties As Modi, Starmer Meet
India and the United Kingdom have agreed to expand cooperation in trade, defence, technology, and education, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Mumbai.
The two leaders met on Thursday at Raj Bhawan, where they were joined by a high-level UK delegation comprising ministers, business leaders, university heads, and cultural figures. This marks Prime Minister Starmer’s first official visit to India since taking office, and comes just months after the signing of the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in July.
The joint statement issued after the talks said, “The Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction at the upward trajectory of the India–UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed common commitment to global peace, stability, and a rules-based international order.”
Both leaders addressed the India–UK CEO Forum and the Global FinTech Festival 2025, where they encouraged deeper private sector partnerships in areas such as financial services, artificial intelligence, and clean energy.
Technology And Innovation
The two governments will push the India–UK Technology Security Initiative, which includes establishing joint AI research centres and connectivity hubs aimed at linking young innovators across both countries.
They also announced the launch of a Climate Technology Startup Fund and the India–UK Offshore Wind Task Force, signalling greater cooperation in clean energy and climate-focused innovation.
‘These steps will connect the UK’s industrial expertise with India’s talent and scale,’ said Modi. ‘We are also working together on critical minerals through the establishment of an Industry Guild and Supply Chain Observatory.’
Education And Skills
The two leaders highlighted growing cooperation in education and skills development. Nine UK universities now have campuses operational or under development in India, including the newly inaugurated Southampton University campus in Gurugram. More campuses, including those of Lancaster and Surrey, have recently been approved.
Starmer called this development “a win for both sides,” adding, “I am delighted that more Indian students will be able to benefit from a world-class British education in the near future.”
Defence Cooperation
New agreements were reached on co-production, military training, and maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Indian Air Force instructors will now work with the UK’s Royal Air Force as trainers, building interoperability between the two air forces.
Referring to the broader regional context, Modi said: ‘We are fully committed to enhancing maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The two sides also reiterated their support for a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine and endorsed diplomatic efforts for stability in Gaza and the Middle East.
“We support a just and lasting peace through dialogue and diplomacy,” Modi said. The leaders backed efforts for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza, as noted in their joint statement.
Reformed Multilateralism
In their joint declaration, both sides committed to working together on “reformed multilateralism,” including long-standing calls for changes to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
“India is a global player,” Starmer said. “We want to see India taking its rightful place in the UNSC.”
The UK reiterated its support for India’s aspiration for a permanent seat on a reformed Security Council.
The visit reflected what Modi described as “new energy” in the India–UK relationship.
““India’s dynamism and UK’s expertise create a unique synergy, talent and technology-driven, that builds a bright future for the people of both nations,” he said.
The joint statement concluded: “The leaders expressed satisfaction at the strengthening of bilateral ties across a broad spectrum. They welcomed the growing people-to-people links and agreed to continue to work together to realise the full potential of the India–UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
Israeli Hostages Likely To Be Freed On Saturday Following Gaza Ceasefire Deal
Israeli hostages could be freed as soon as Saturday under a U.S.-brokered plan to end the Gaza war, while Israel’s military is expected to complete the initial phase of a partial withdrawal from the enclave within 24 hours of the deal’s finalisation, according to a source familiar with the agreement.
The signing of the agreement is expected to take place at noon Israel time (0900 GMT) on Thursday, said the source.
Israel’s security cabinet and government are due to hold meetings on the agreement at 5 p.m. Israel time (1400 GMT).
Israelis and Palestinians rejoiced after Trump announced that a ceasefire and hostage deal had been reached under the first phase of his plan to end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.
However, Israeli strikes on three Gaza City suburbs continued overnight and in the morning hours of Thursday, residents said. Lines of smoke rose over Shejaia, Tuffah and Zeitoun in the early hours of Thursday, witnesses said, but there were no reports of casualties.
Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants’ cross-border attack that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave.
The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon.
“Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo, a man in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
“I am not the only one happy; all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”
But the agreement announced by Trump late on Wednesday was short on detail and left many unresolved questions that could yet lead to its collapse, as has happened with previous peace efforts.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump added.
Successful completion of the deal would mark a significant foreign policy achievement for the Republican president, who had campaigned on bringing peace to major world conflicts but has struggled to swiftly deliver, both in Gaza and on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“With the approval of the first phase of the plan, ALL our hostages will be brought home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.”
Prisoner-Hostage Swap
The conflict upended the Middle East in Israel’s favour after it assassinated the leaders of Tehran-backed Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah and killed top Iranian commanders, and pounded Yemen’s Houthis.
But global outrage has mounted against Israel’s assault. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after the 2023 Hamas attack.
Hamas confirmed it had reached an agreement to end the war, saying the deal includes an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and a hostage-prisoner exchange.
“We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, and that we will remain true to our pledge – never abandoning our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved,” Hamas said.
Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave has been flattened since Israel began its military response to the Hamas cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.
Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials, with 20 of the 48 hostages still held believed to be alive.
Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas.
In Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that sparked the war two years ago have gathered to demand the return of loved ones, Einav Zaugauker, the mother of a hostage, was ecstatic.
“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare.
“What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him,” she added, referring to her son, Matan. “Just tell him that I love him, that’s it.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
At Least 40 Killed As Army Paraglider Bombs Myanmar Buddhist Festival
At least 40 people, among them several children, were killed and more than 80 others wounded when an army paraglider dropped explosives on a crowd attending a festival and protest in central Myanmar on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the exiled National Unity Government who spoke to the BBC.
Hundreds of villagers had gathered in Chaung U township in the Sagaing region to mark the Thadingyut full moon festival when the military allegedly carried out the aerial bombing, a member of the organising committee told reporters.
The woman, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, explained that the gathering was intended as both a cultural celebration and an anti-junta protest.
Bombs From Sky
“The organisers warned people, and about a third of the crowd managed to escape,” she told AFP. “Then suddenly, a motor-powered paraglider flew directly above the assembly, releasing two bombs right into the heart of the crowd.”
She said organisers had been attempting to wrap up the demonstration early when the paramotors appeared sooner than expected. Moments later, explosions ripped through the area.
“I was still on the ground when the first bomb went off. It struck my knee, but all around me, people were dying,” the organiser recalled.
Local witnesses described scenes of devastation following the attack, with many victims’ bodies mutilated beyond recognition. “Children were completely blown apart,” another organiser told AFP.
Though she was not present when the bombs were dropped, she attended the funerals the next day and said that body parts were still being recovered from the site.
‘Disturbing Pattern’
Amnesty International denounced the assault and the military’s use of paramotors, describing it as part of a “disturbing pattern” of deliberate attacks on civilians by Myanmar’s armed forces.
According to BBC Burmese, the junta has increasingly turned to using paramotors for such strikes because of its dwindling access to aircraft and helicopters—a consequence of international sanctions curbing military imports.
The crowd had gathered not only to celebrate the religious festival but also to protest against the junta’s conscription law and the upcoming general elections.
Demonstrators also called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees.
Myanmar is slated to hold general elections in December, the first since the military coup in 2021.
However, critics contend that the polls will be neither free nor fair, describing them instead as an attempt by the junta to legitimise and extend its rule.
(With inputs from IBNS)
U.S. Senate Rejects Bid To End Military Operations Targeting Venezuelan Ships
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to block an initial effort to end President Donald Trump’s military campaign targeting Venezuelan vessels linked to drug trafficking, unless he first obtains authorization from Congress.
The effort, spearheaded by Democratic Senators Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia – and with the backing of Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky – was stopped by a vote of 48-51.
One other Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined in the effort, which was a procedural step to bring up the legislation for a vote on passage by the full Senate.
“Using the U.S. military to conduct unchecked strikes in the Caribbean risks destabilizing the region, provoking confrontation with neighboring governments and drawing our forces into yet another open-ended conflict without a clear mission or exit strategy…because of one man’s impulsive decision-making,” said Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and sits on the Armed Services panel, said the president is simply following through on a campaign pledge.
“President Trump stated very clearly and repeatedly during the campaign that he would attack these cartels if necessary. This is simply him keeping his word to the American people,” Cotton said, adding that the “strikes were lawfully sound and extremely limited.”
Military Strikes In The Caribbean Sea
The U.S. military has carried out at least four strikes in the Caribbean Sea against vessels allegedly carrying illegal drugs, most recently on October 3 just off the coast of Venezuela. At least four people were killed in that attack, according to U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Trump in recent days has dangled the possibility of land attacks as well.
At least 21 individuals, still unidentified, have been killed, according to U.S. officials.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kaine told reporters that during a classified briefing for Senate Armed Services Committee members last week, administration officials provided no information on why the U.S. military has been ordered to attack and destroy these vessels, rather than intercept them.
He and Schiff said the attacks could mistakenly be launched on innocent people, including those who are victims of human trafficking.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday said the latest vessel bombed by the U.S. was Colombian with Colombian citizens aboard. But further information on those citizens was not immediately available.
Previously, counter-drug operations have been generally carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, the main U.S. maritime law enforcement agency, not the U.S. military.
(With inputs from Reuters)