U.N. Women’s Groups Boosting Hamas Massacre Deniers | Doomsday Clock Should Move Away from Midnight | Milei Inherits an Economically Devastated Argentina. And more

Why a Russian Nuclear Expert Thinks the Doomsday Clock Should Move Away from Midnight  (Pavel Podvig, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)
There is a good reason why the Doomsday Clock stands at 90 seconds to midnight. Over the recent years, the hands of the Clock dutifully registered the steady deterioration of the international security environment, the erosion of arms control processes, and rising tensions in various regions of the world. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 brought the nuclear risk to an entirely new level. From the very first day of the war, Russia made no secret of counting on its nuclear weapons to ensure that nobody would come to Ukraine’s rescue. Western countries have offered massive help to Ukraine anyway, making the prospect of a direct confrontation with Russia more real than it has been for decades. The Clock had to reflect this development. And, surely, it did by moving 10 seconds forward in January 2023. But now, a year later, there is a good case for moving the hands of the Clock back.
To some, the level of risk may appear to have continued to go up. Having so openly put its nuclear weapons on the table in the early days of the war, the Kremlin has kept looking for ways to remind the world of its nuclear status. And this year alone, Russia suspended participation in New START (the only treaty that limits the number of nuclear weapons), made plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, and withdrew its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. But, however concerning and visible, these developments are only part of the story. At least as significant—albeit much less commented on—has been the strong and united response from the international community against nuclear threats, let alone the possible use of nuclear weapons.

How China and the U.S. Are Competing on Trade  (Alexandra Sharp and Olatunji Osho-Williams, Foreign Policy)
As U.S. President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in San Francisco, other leaders from around the world might have been waiting anxiously for signs that the two sides will calm tensions that have risen in recent years. Although there are several reasons to want a more stable U.S.-China relationship—more cooperation on climate change, for example, or fewer chances of a military misstep—the data shows how most big economies are largely reliant on steady trade with the world’s two top consumers.

Rishi Sunak Goes Back to the Future  (Vernon Bogdanor, Foreign Policy)
When David Cameron resigned as prime minister in 2016 the morning after Britons voted to leave the EU, he must have thought that his political career had come to an untimely end. Declining, like most recent prime ministers, the customary offer of a seat in the House of Lords, he has devoted himself to business and charitable activities.
But he has now been brought back to Rishi Sunak’s government as foreign secretary—and into the House of Lords to make the position possible. He is the first ex-prime minister to return since Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who became foreign secretary between 1970 and 1974 after having served as prime minister from 1963 to 1964.
The Cameron appointment was made for three reasons. First, he brings a much-needed element of experience to the government. Second, the Cameron appointment signifies that Sunak seeks to govern not from the right, but from the center. 
Third, and perhaps most importantly, Sunak badly needs to rejuvenate the Conservative Party, which appears tired, uncertain, and lacking direction—having been in government for 13 years either alone or in coalition. The Conservatives have, according to survey evidence, been between 15 and 20 percent behind the Labour Party in the polls for many months.
Were this to be replicated in a general election, which must be held some time before January 2025, Labour would win a landslide greater than that secured by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who in 1997 gained a majority of 179 seats. Indeed, since 1964, no party that has been so far ahead at this stage of a parliamentary term has failed to gain the most votes in the ensuing general election.

What the U.S. Should Do Better in Its Engagement with the Pacific  (Richard Clark, The Strategist)
The US should provide the bulk of its funding that’s unrelated to the Compacts of Free Association through the Pacific Islands Forum and the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific. By treating these organizations with the respect Pacific islanders are asking for, the US will accrue the soft power it seeks. The US should also make sure to send an envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum who is culturally aware—who knows not to wear pants when meeting the king of Tonga and is happy to drink sakau with Pohnpeians. Then the US principles of peace, liberty, democracy, human rights and justice may be better amplified throughout the region.
The US must also reconsider how traditional security issues are discussed. On the margins of the forum, former and current US officials privately commented on anti-US sentiment among some Pacific islanders. They gave examples of people equating China’s militarization and its efforts in the South China Sea to the US Armed Forces’ build-up in Guam. There was also talk about hostility towards AUKUS and its relationship to nuclear-powered submarines, and the fortification of Guam and Palau with dual-use facilities. At least four islanders said, ‘We are not naive’ in reference to the defense build-up in the region; understandably they would prefer their homes not to become battlegrounds as they did in World War II.

China Aims to Corner the Undersea Mineral Market, Too  (Christina Lu, Foreign Policy)
Hungry for more critical minerals to power the energy transition, a slew of countries and companies are desperate to start mining the seafloor for a potential cache of metals—including cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese—that will be critical to the scramble to build ever more batteries.
Lying thousands of feet underwater are an estimated billions of dry tons of polymetallic nodules, which are potato-shaped formations packed with critical minerals. The appeal in those little chunks of rock is just how rich they seem to be, with ore concentrations potentially much, much higher than many mainstream veins on land. But tapping those resources in the high seas, the waters that lie beyond nations’ exclusive economic zones, has long been off limits—until now, potentially.
International negotiations are now underway to craft a mining rulebook for the high seas, and China doesn’t want to be left out of the race. Eager to maintain its command of the world’s critical mineral supply chains, experts say that Beijing is positioning itself for success in the prospective industry by ramping up investment and shaping negotiations, even though it doesn’t appear to be in a rush to begin mining.

Milei Inherits an Economically Devastated Argentina  (Milagros Costabel, Foreign Policy)
Argentina’s second round of presidential elections produced a surprising—and substantial—victory for the right-wing populist Javier Milei. But the libertarian economist, who has promised a radical shakeup of the Argentine economy, has a grim task ahead. Ordinary life is increasingly painful. With year-on-year inflation exceeding 124 percent this September and more than 40 percent of the population living in poverty, the economic and social challenges that the next president will have to face are stronger than ever.
When President Alberto Fernández took office, Argentina was already in a long-term crisis, with inflation running at 55 percent and a third of the population living in poverty. His government sparked an even bigger crisis. A multitude of economic problems, from the need to refinance the public debt to the high domestic deficit—caused in part by the government’s large spending on energy subsidies and social assistance—have pushed Argentina into a situation that seems practically insurmountable.