LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN

Morales Steps Down as President
Evo Morales resigned as Bolivia’s president in the wake of a disputed election, while thousands of pro-Morales protesters marched toward the nation’s Legislative Assembly on November 11. Tensions between pro-Morales protesters, anti-Morales protesters, and police reached a boiling point following his resignation, with anti-Morales forces attempting to block pro-Morales forces from marching into La Paz, the capital, from El Alto. Sources told Reuters that police officers in the unit charged with protecting the Legislative Assembly were loading live ammunition and expected a confrontation. Mexico’s government, calling the situation a “coup” because of the military’s involvement in Morale’s resignation, came out in support of the ousted president by offering him asylum. Morales’ resignation still needs to be approved by the Legislative Assembly, convened by both chambers of Congress. The legislature’s meeting, however, is delayed until at least November 13 due to some legislators being unable to reach La Paz in the wake of the political unrest.

INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC

North Korea Claims Nuclear Talks on ‘Verge of Extinction’
Following comments from Japanese President Shinzo Abe criticizing North Korea’s recent missile test, the North Korean government said Japan risks killing off nuclear talks already “on the verge of extinction.” The North Korean government’s criticism also comes in response to planned joint military exercises next month between the United States and South Korea, which it says will “throw a wet blanket over the spark” of negotiations to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang says it considers the drills to be rehearsals for an invasion. Relations between North Korea and the United States have cooled since the February 2019 meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, which broke down when Kim left early.

MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA

U.A.E. Calls For International Talks With Iran
A senior United Arab Emirates official declared on November 10 that Iran should come to the negotiating table with world powers to seek a new deal and revive its economy. The hypothetical deal would go beyond Iran’s nuclear capabilities and would include the country’s ballistic missile program and its destabilizing actions via proxies in the region. Such a deal would necessitate the Gulf’s involvement, which would pit Saudi Arabia and Iran against each other. Anwar Gargash, the U.A.E. minister of state for foreign affairs, emphasized that the United States and the European Union would have to be on the same page for the potential deal to be successful. The U.A.E. is seeking to carry out the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which involves the reinstatement of sanctions and withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. However, it is unlikely that Iran will heed the call, as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered that Iranian delegates not hold talks until the U.S. removes the current sanctions.

EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA

Thousands Attend Far-Right Independence March in Warsaw
Thousands of Poles attended a far-right Independence March in Warsaw, which has become an annual nationalist event in the capital to celebrate Polish independence. According to local officials, at least 47,000 people attended the march. In 2018, the centenary of Poland's independence, about 200,000 people participated in the event, which was attended by President Andrzej Duda. The march this year was centered around “protecting traditional values” and repudiating greater acceptance of LGBT communities. The continued prevalence of the march is part of a larger trend toward nationalism in Poland, where the ultra-conservative Confederation Liberty and Independence party won nearly seven percent of the popular vote in October’s elections for a total of eleven seats. Rafal Pankowski, sociologist and political scientist at Collegium Civitas, told Al Jazeera, "The Independence March is a sad event as it shows that Poland has a huge problem with national identity, especially the youth, who are looking for answers in ethno-nationalism."

AFRICA

Tunisia’s Ennahda Party Considers Candidates From Outside Party
Tunisia’s moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, is exploring choosing a candidate from a different party in order to strengthen its coalition. Ennahda won the most seats out of any party in this year’s October elections but only has 52 out of 217 seats and needs to form a coalition in order to make a cabinet. The party previously said that one of its members should lead the country due to its electoral mandate. This offer, however, was rejected by all but one of the other parties it reached out to. Possible outside candidates include a former-speaker of Parliament and two former-finance ministers.

WESTERN EUROPE & CANADA

French Tides Wash Up Huge Haul of Cocaine
Over the course of this month, more than 1,650 pounds of cocaine have washed up on the coast of France. It is not yet known where the drugs have come from, but its value is estimated to be more than $60 million. While the source of the drugs is unclear, a French prosecutor said that it “probably comes from South America.” French officials have also issued warnings that the cocaine, most of which is 83-percent pure, poses health risks to those making contact with it. French prosecutors are currently working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and European police on the matter.