WORLD ROUNDUPWho’s in Charge of the IDF? | Why the South China Sea Matters, and more
· Who’s in Charge of the IDF?
Evidence is growing of a command and control problem
· How China Could Retaliate Against the EU’s Looming EV Tariffs
China wants to contain growing trade threats without further alienating Europe
· Why the South China Sea Matters
A recent dispute between China and the Philippines underscores China’s desire to dominate one of the world’s most heavily trafficked sea lanes
· Will Botched State Department Diplomacy Lead to a Third Congo War?
U.S. policy in Congo is enabling the slide toward ethnic violence against Congolese Tutsis
Who’s in Charge of the IDF? (Benjamin V. Allison, Foreign Policy)
Despite its reputation as a professional military that prides itself on being “the most moral military in the world,” the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) campaign against Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza has exposed serious command and control problems.
Before proceeding, it is worth noting that while the Israeli military is operating in an incredibly challenging environment in Gaza, where Hamas uses civilians as human shields, the human costs of its operations have been staggering; more than 38,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, are dead, and over a million have been displaced in more than eight months of war. While some have argued that the IDF has done more than any army in history to protect enemy civilians, others have highlighted how Israel has not done nearly enough to protect innocent Palestinians in Gaza.
As Israel continues operations in Rafah, pushing into the city’s center, questions surrounding the use of U.S. military equipment will continue to proliferate, as seen in the catastrophic May 26 Israeli airstrike on a tent camp in Rafah that killed at least 45, which was conducted utilizing U.S. munitions.
Strategically speaking, the regional situation remains fraught. Hezbollah attacks on Israel in May were the most intense since October, as the IDF warns of offensive military action against its northern neighbor. In early June, an Israeli airstrike near Aleppo in Syria killed a top Iranian military advisor. (When the Israeli military killed a top Iranian general in Damascus in April, it led to the first direct Iranian attack on Israeli territory in history.)
Clearly, then, there is plenty of room for escalation. This renders the seeming lack of proper chain of command in Israel an even more urgent problem—and one in which U.S. support and arms are entangled.
How China Could Retaliate Against the EU’s Looming EV Tariffs (Lili Pike, Foreign Policy)
The European Union is expected to launch its latest salvo in a brewing trade battle with China on July 4 when it raises tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles. China, for its part, appears to be preparing for a food fight. (Cont.)
