This is’Global Village Today’ that delivers major news from various countries around the world.
Moderator) What’s the news today?
Reporter) Yes. US President Joe Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since taking office. Joe Biden’s administration has reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution of Israel and Palestine. We will follow up with the news that the gap between the rich and the poor has been further increased due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Host) This is the first news of the global village today. Let’s start with the news of the calls from the leaders of the United States and Russia.
Reporter) Yes. US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 26th. The two leaders’ calls were made for the first time since President Biden took office on the 20th.
Moderator) Did you know what kind of story the two were talking about?
Reporter) Yes. From the issue of extending the’New Strategic Arms Reduction Agreement’ (New START), the biggest issue between the two countries, the arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalni and recent protests, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, allegations of cyber hacking, Afghanistan The White House said a number of issues were discussed between the two countries, including the suspicion of killing US troops stationed there.
Moderator) Isn’t the deadline for the extension deadline for New Start?
Reporter) Yes. It’s the 5th of next month, so less than 10 days remain. The leaders of the two countries agreed to extend the news start on the call that day and decided to hurry up the follow-up procedure.
Moderator) What follow-up procedures are required?
Reporter) The issue of the agreement to extend the news start does not require approval from the US Congress. In Russia, parliamentary ratification is required. However, the extension of the newsstart has become a fixed fact, as the Russian parliamentary leadership has announced that it will quickly finish the extension process within this week through the’Fast Track’.
Host) Isn’t New Start the only nuclear control treaty that remains between the two countries?
Reporter) That’s right. Since the United States and Russia alleged that each other violated each other in 2019, and withdrew from the “Medium-Range Nuclear Power Treaty (INF),” NewsStart is the only nuclear disarmament treaty between the two countries. NewStart aims to limit the number of nuclear warheads deployed by the two countries to less than 1,550, and to reduce the number of vehicles such as missiles and bombers to 700 or less.
Moderator) But why haven’t the two countries agreed on an extension so that the deadline is imminent?
Reporter) This is because the former Trump administration called for a new disarmament agreement. Former President Donald Trump proposed a nuclear control agreement that includes China, saying that a new security order is needed because China’s nuclear power has been strengthened. China protested, and Russia disagrees, which took longer. Russia basically wanted a new start extension.
Moderator) Is there a background in which the two leaders’ calls were made this time?
Reporter) Yes. It is known that Russia initially sought contact with Biden on the first day of his inauguration. President Biden also agreed to speak with President Putin, but he said he would first prepare with his staff and talk with traditional American allies before making contact.
Moderator) Which country does President Biden refer to as the traditional American allies?
Reporter) Britain, France, and Germany. In fact, President Biden spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the 23rd, and French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the 25th, pledged for cooperation and support. Shortly before the call with President Putin, I had a conversation with the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg.
Host) NATO and Russia are historically subtle, right?
Reporter) Yes. NATO is a US-led military alliance created after World War II to stop the military threat of the Communist Soviet Union. However, former President Trump criticized NATO as being a product of the old world, and member states are free riding with a large security burden on the United States without paying the ante properly.
Moderator) What is President Biden’s position on this?
Reporter) President Biden reaffirmed US support for NATO and strengthening the alliance in a call with Stolttenberg. The White House says President Biden has made it clear that he will act decisively in response to actions by Russia that harm the United States or its allies.
Moderator) There is a massive protest in Russia now calling for the release of the opposition leader Navalni. Is it any known what President Biden said about this?
Reporter) Yes. In a report released after the two summit calls, the White House said President Biden expressed concern over an attempt to poison Navalni. Not only that, they reaffirmed the firm’s strong support for Ukrainian sovereignty. The White House said it raised concerns about allegations involving Russia, including hacking US federal agencies, intervening in the presidential elections last year, and killing US troops in Afghanistan.
Host) Shall we see the reaction from the Russian side?
Reporter) Yes. The Kremlin said the two leaders were satisfied with the extension of the New Start, and said they would complete the necessary procedures in the near future so that New Start could become a major nuclear control instrument with international legal effect. The Kremlin said the two leaders also discussed other major issues, including the Open Skies Treaty, which the former Trump administration withdrew.
Host) Global Village Today is the next news. Biden’s US administration reaffirmed its support for the Middle East two-state solution?
Reporter) Yes. US Ambassador Robert Mills announced the position of the new US government on Israel and Palestine at a high-level meeting held on the 26th. Acting Mills stressed that the United States supports the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine, recognized by the international community.
Moderator) Can you briefly summarize what the’two-state solution’ is?
Reporter) Yes. 2 The national solution is a plan that the United Nations and the international community have steadily pursued to resolve the territorial dispute between Israel and Palestine. The main point is that Palestine, currently occupied by Israel, will become independent as a sovereign state in the future and peacefully coexist with Israel as a state-to-state state. It was the same that the two sides signed the Oslo Agreement in 1993 through US arbitration, but they have not made any progress amid continued conflict and hatred.
Moderator) But during the Trump administration, there were many changes in the U.S. public dong policy, right?
Reporter) Yes. Former President Trump’s pro-Israel policy throughout his tenure has intensified conflict with Palestine. Former President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017, his first year in office. The following year, the US embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv moved to Jerusalem, receiving concerns and criticism from the international community as well as Palestine.
Moderator) Why is it a problem that Jerusalem is recognized as the capital of Israel and the embassy is moved?
Reporter) Jerusalem is a place that not only Israel’s state religion, Judaism, but also Palestinian religion, Islam, and Christians all regard it as a holy place. Until now, it has been regarded as an international city that does not belong to any country by the international community. In particular, Palestine has pledged to make East Jerusalem its capital if it becomes independent in the future. But former President Trump overturned 70 years of US popular dong policy by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Moderator) So, did the former President Trump not support the two-state solution?
Reporter) That’s not it. Former President Trump has also made frequent comments that he supports the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine. But, saying that it was a real decision for the interests of the United States and peace between Israel and Palestine, he argued that it was time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Moderator) The Trump administration also came up with a new Middle East peace initiative, right?
Reporter) That’s right. Last year, the Trump administration announced the Middle East Peace Initiative, led by former President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former White House senior advisor. While promising economic support for Palestine, the international community acknowledged the Jewish settlements in Israel, which were illegally regulated, attracting opposition from Palestinians as well as Middle Eastern countries.
Moderator) Isn’t the relationship between the US and Palestine entangled?
Reporter) Yes. US Ambassador to the United Nations Miller told the Security Council meeting today that the Biden administration will work to build trust with Palestine, just like Israel. Agent Miller also stressed that the two-state solution is still the best option, although it is under severe pressure.
Moderator) So, does the Biden administration have any plans to move the Israeli embassy back to Tel Aviv?
Reporter) That’s not it. President Biden previously criticized Trump’s relocation as a shortsighted and light decision. He said he will seek to improve relations with Palestine through a two-state solution when he takes office, but he said he has no intention of relocating the Israeli embassy.
Moderator) How is Israel reacting to this move by the new US administration?
Reporter) Envoy Gilard Erdan, who attended the meeting, said that Israel has always said that peace can be achieved if there is a congruent partner. He stressed that it is willing to negotiate and find viable solutions.
Host) Shall we see the reaction of Palestine?
Reporter) Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh Almalki said at the meeting that the last four years, former President Trump, were a test of a joint solution. Secretary Al Malki said he now looks forward to reversing the damage left by the former US government and reversing aggressive and illegal actions.
Host) Global Village Today, let’s look at one more news. This is news that the gap between the rich and the poor has widened as the novel coronavirus pandemic?
Reporter) Yes. An international aid organization, Oxfam International, recently released a report titled’The Inequality Virus’. The report explained that during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the rich have become richer and the poor have become poorer.
Moderator) How much more of the wealth have been called by the rich during this period?
Reporter) Yes. The report found that from March to December last year, the total wealth of billionaires increased by $3.9 trillion to about $11.95 trillion.
Facilitator) You can’t get a sense of how much money it is for 11 trillion dollars?
Reporter) Yes. Reports say that this money can prevent people from falling into poverty due to the coronavirus outbreak. He also explained that it is money that can provide the coronavirus vaccine to everyone in the world.
Reporter) Isn’t there a lot of the world’s richest people in America?
Reporter) Yes. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, Bill Gates, former chairman of Microsoft, and Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The wealth of these top 10 billionaires is said to have increased by $540 billion during this period.
Moderator) On the other hand, those who are economically vulnerable have become more needy because of the coronavirus, right?
Reporter) Yes. As the coronavirus outbreak made normal economic activities impossible, people like women and low-income workers lost their jobs. The World Bank warned that the aftermath could push more than 100 million people into extreme poverty.
Moderator) There is news that some countries’ economies are showing signs of recovery these days. So, isn’t it possible that the number of poor people will decrease?
Reporter) That’s right. But time matters. The report predicts that it will take more than 10 years for the number of poor people to recover to pre-coronavirus levels. On the other hand, the report explained that it took only nine months for the wealth of the top 1,000 billionaires to recover before the coronavirus outbreak.
Facilitator) Then, what can we do to improve this situation, where the gap between rich and poor is so deep?
Reporter) Yes. The Oxfam report urged high taxes to be levied on the wealthy and companies that saw huge profits during the coronavirus pandemic while protecting vulnerable workers. The report also stressed that international cooperation is essential to realizing this change.
Moderator) You said that the world economy is recovering. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised the global economic growth rate this year, right?
Reporter) Yes. In a report released on the 26th, the IMF predicted that the global economy would grow 5.5% this year. This is a 0.3 percentage point higher than the growth rate forecast by the IMF in October last year. The United States, which grew 3.4% last year, will show a 5.1% growth this year, and the IMF predicted that it will recover to its pre-corona crisis level. It is expected to grow at 8.1% in China, 11.5% in India, and 3.1% in Korea.
Moderator) Yes. The global village, I’ll listen to you today.