NEWS WRAP

Justice for Ahmaud

• Vigilantes brought to justice | The three men who fatally shot unarmed black man, Ahmaud Arbery, in February 2020 were found guilty of committing federal hate crimes and violating civil rights, with a jury finding their pursuit of Arbery to be inspired by racial hate. Convicted of murder in November 2021, the men now each face additional life sentences. Meanwhile, ex-police officer Kim Potter who killed black teenager Daunte Wright in April 2021 after allegedly mistaking her taser for her gun was sentenced to two years in prison. READ MORE HERE
   

• Up and up | US inflation climbed to 7.5 per cent (a forty-year high) with the consumer price index rising 0.6 per cent throughout January, spurred by surges in the cost of petrol, used cars and meat. Senate Democrats facing re-election in November look unlikely to support further spending related to Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, which Republicans argue would worsen inflation. The Senate also voted (65-27) to pass a bill in order to extend the funding of federal agencies until 11 March, averting a government shutdown. READ MORE HERE
   

• Can’t handle the truth | A year on after his ban from Twitter, former President Donald Trump launched the test phase of his ‘Truth Social’ social media app. After suffering some technical glitches, Truth Social climbed to first place on the App Store’s top free apps. The former president’s enduring influence in US political conversation is also on display as Trump’s endorsements continue in the lead up to the midterms, having endorsed 98 candidates so far. READ MORE HERE
   

• A defining month for AUKUS | The third meeting of the joint steering group of senior Australian, US and UK defence officials working to secure eight nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy is expected in Adelaide this week, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead told the Australian Senate estimates last week. The meeting comes at the end of what Mead, head of the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Task Force, said was a "defining" month for AUKUS. READ MORE HERE

ANALYSIS

If Putin triumphs, Xi may copy that playbook in Taiwan: The high stakes for Biden

Bruce Wolpe
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, United States Studies Centre

When a foreign policy crisis first hits, presidents generally benefit from Americans instinctively standing with their leaders to face the challenge – even when news is one of failure. John Kennedy in the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, Jimmy Carter in the attempt to rescue the American hostages in Iran, George W Bush in the aftermath of September 11: all received a bump in approval as the country moved to unite and see the crisis through. When there is unvarnished success, a president’s standing can soar, as with George H W Bush in the first Gulf War.

When Russian missiles, troops and tanks invade Ukraine, will Americans rally to Biden’s call for condemnation and resolve, or will there be a bitter debate about “who lost Ukraine?” – with the President in its crosshairs.

America’s political culture has degraded over many years, most especially under Donald Trump’s presidency. Partisanship has metastasised and the cancer is everywhere. Even though there has been a degree of bipartisan dialogue on the core components of Biden’s efforts to deter Putin from invading Ukraine – punishing sanctions, beefing up NATO’s troop presence on the eastern front, and arming the Ukrainians with weapons to fight off the Russians – leaders in the Senate could not agree on sanctions legislation.

And there is significant sentiment among “America First” Trumpist Republicans that Ukraine is not America’s fight and there is no need to mess with Putin – even as he messes with the future of Europe and all the Western allies.

This is an excerpt from an article published by The Sydney Morning Herald

BY THE NUMBERS

Only 16% of Americans support mandatory voting

USSC polling conducted in December 2021 indicates the idea of mandatory polling remains unpopular with the US public. Respondents were asked whether they thought "voting in elections should be mandatory for adult American citizens, like jury duty" or not. In total, just 16 per cent of respondents agreed voting should be mandatory.

There was, however, a significant partisan gap with nearly a third (27 per cent) of Biden voters agreeing compared to 8 per cent of Trump voters. 

Read more By the numbers analysis here

VIDEO

NATO Expert Talks | Australia's relationship with NATO

As part of the jointly presented USSC and NATO expert talks series, guest speaker James Mackey (NATO’s Director for Security Policy and Partnerships Directorate, Political Affairs and Security Policy Division) weighed in on the value of the NATO-Australia relationship, how it's progressed and how it continues to develop.

Catch more analysis on the United States on the USSC YouTube channel.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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