China Population Decline, New Zealand Resignation – Foreign Policy

A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.
Machu Picchu has closed indefinitely as unrest spreads from the country’s south.
From American academics to viral public intellectuals in Germany.
Why the latest controversy over depictions of Mohammed was completely unnecessary.
Quiz: What in the World? What in the World?… | View Comments ()
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1. Italy’s most wanted mob boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, was arrested on Monday after 30 years on the run. Which organization did he lead?
The Sicilian Mafia aka Cosa Nostra
The Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta
The Neapolitan Camorra
Apulian Organised Crime
Italians may be forced to depend on mafias for loans as a pandemic recession looms, Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern predicted in February 2021.
2. Japanese economists on Monday began reconsidering Japan’s long-standing fiscal and monetary policies—known as “Abenomics” for late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—after the country last month registered its highest annual consumer inflation rate in how many years?
11 years
26 years
39 years
41 years
To ensure economic security, Japan’s new National Security Strategy calls for counterstrike capabilities—a stark reversal from its post-World War II policy of pacificism, David E. Adler argues.
3. Also on Monday, 39 people were charged in connection with Brazil’s Jan. 8 attempted insurrection. Which was not one of the charges prosecutors filed against them?
Trying to violently subvert democracy
Trespassing on government land
Damaging public property
Attempting to stage a coup
Although efforts to overthrow President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva failed, the attempted coup highlights the endurance of Bolsonarism in Brazilian society, FP’s Catherine Osborn argued last week.
4. The German government announced on Tuesday that Boris Pistorius would replace whom as Germany’s defense minister?
Annalena Baerbock
Christian Lindner
Don Farrell
Christine Lambrecht
Pistorius takes office as Berlin’s defense policy undergoes a Zeitenwende, or epochal shift. Emily Tamkin explored the term in our roundup of 2022’s biggest geopolitical words.
5. On Tuesday, authorities in Beijing reported that China’s population declined by how many people in 2022?
652,000 people
850,000 people
1.2 million people
1.9 million people
It’s the first time China’s birthrates have fallen since the 1959-61 Great Famine. The government will likely respond with policies to encourage population growth, FP’s James Palmer forecasts in China Brief.
6. In the past year, most of the world’s largest economies have decreased their dependence on Russian oil. Which nation bucked the trend and now imports more oil from Russia than from any other country?
India
Colombia
Morocco
Thailand
The Indian and Russian energy sectors are closely interlinked, Charu Sudan Kasturi argued in July 2022.
7. On Thursday, New Zealand’s prime minister unexpectedly announced that they would resign from office due to burnout. Who is the now-outgoing leader?
Jacinda Ardern
John Key
Helen Clark
Bill English
Ardern was chosen as a 2019 FP Global Thinker for her policy of kindness in a world of increasing polarization, Helen Clark spotlighted at the time.
8. On Friday, Western defense leaders met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss the war in Ukraine. Which issue was at the top of their agenda?
Possible Ukrainian land concessions to end the war
Speeding up the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Ukraine
Russia’s push to advance nuclear warfare technology
German and U.S. reluctance to send tanks to Ukraine
“[Ukraine has] been very blunt with the Pentagon that what we’re providing them is not addressing these critical gaps,” a senior U.S. congressional aide recently told FP’s Jack Detsch and Amy Mackinnon.
9. Australia and China are reportedly considering meeting in the coming weeks to discuss trade. Which is not a reason Canberra-Beijing relations have been rocky in recent years?
China’s tariffs on Australian products, including wine
Australia’s push for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19
China’s embargo on Australian tourist and education visas
Australia’s growing defense ties with the United States and Japan
Australia would welcome closer relations with China if Beijing removes sanctions on Canberra, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd explained to FP’s Amelia Lester in May 2022.
10. Last week, Sweden’s coalition government proposed abolishing an old requirement that restaurants and nightclubs do what?
Serve Swedish meatballs and lingonberries
Force chefs to wear their hair short
Apply for a permit to let patrons dance
Enforce a 2 a.m. curfew
If the parliament removes the Footloose-esque law, revelers across Sweden would be allowed to dance anywhere starting July 1, The Associated Press reported.
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Alexandra Sharp is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @AlexandraSSharp
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With a Russian offensive brewing in the southeast region of Ukraine, Western governments are scrambling to keep up arms shipments. Has Russian President Vladimir Putin learned the lessons fr…Show moreom his last, disastrous mobilization? And what does Ukraine need from the West to prepare for the next one?  Alongside land war in Europe, increased tensions between the United States and China have caused alliances to shift. With new players on the rise and geopolitical interests changing dramatically, FP reporters will share what they’ve been hearing from key global players. For the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war and a look at what’s to come in geopolitics, join FP’s executive editor, Amelia Lester, and FP’s team of reporters for a timely conversation.
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