FP This Week: Where Lula Stands on Ukraine

Plus, how Kyiv woos the global south MAY 23, 2023  |  [VIEW IN BROWSER](  |  [SUBSCRIBE](     An undated picture shows a session of the League of Nations Extraordinary Council in Geneva. Mondial Photo Presse/AFP via Getty Images If you’re reading this in the West, it might be easy to forget that—as Howard French [put it]( shortly after Russia’s invasion last year—“a majority of the human population” is not taking a position one way or another on the war. If you’re reading this in Brazil, you’ll likely be aware of the centrality of Russia to that country’s own foreign-policy goals over the years. As Oliver Stuenkel [argues](, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s ambition to play a mediating role in Ukraine is part of a long tradition of politicians on both the left and right using the Brazil-Russia relationship to their benefit. And if you’re reading this from anywhere else in the global south, you may even be aware of Ukraine’s outreach as it plans to massively scale up its diplomatic presence in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as FP’s Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer [report](. You can learn more about Ukraine’s strategy for winning the hearts and minds of half the world from an [FP Live]( with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova. The [transcript]( of that interview is available exclusively to FP Insiders. Thank you to all our subscribers, as ever, for supporting our journalism on this and other critical international issues.—The editors   New and Noteworthy - The Global Race to Regulate AI: Even though AI technology is in its early days, a patchwork of different regulations with a wide range of priorities is emerging worldwide. In particular, there is a significant East-West divide, FP’s Rishi Iyengar [writes](. - The Paradox of Hiroshima: At various points in time, the city’s status as a global symbol of peace has coexisted more or less easily with the country’s security and defense posture. This weekend’s G-7 summit was not the first time Japan’s national context has complicated Hiroshima’s status, [argues]( Jane Darby Menton.   FP Live Should Governments Regulate AI?June 1, 2023 | 11 a.m. EDTIs U.S. President Joe Biden’s White House prepared to deal with the remarkable growth of artificial intelligence? What are the current and potential risks to Americans? Join Alondra Nelson, the architect of the White House’s “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,” and formerly the head of the White House’s science and technology policy, for a wide-ranging discussion with FP’s Ravi Agrawal. [Register here](. Inside the U.S.-China Tech WarJune 20, 2023 | 11 a.m. EDTWhere is the new tech war between the United States and China headed? How are other countries being impacted as a result? In what ways are they reassessing their relationships with the world’s largest economic superpowers? Join FP’s Ravi Agrawal in conversation with technology expert Dan Wang for a discussion about China’s technological rise and whether U.S. actions can really stop it. [Register here](. Never miss a live conversation: [Sign up]( for FP Live emails.   Get the daily magazine for people interested in the world. [Subscribe today](.   Five Novels to Read Right Now As the northern hemisphere’s summer approaches, we wanted to share some of the novels that FP contributors and staff have raved about in recent years. They may not exactly be light beach reads, but these books offer a window into how moments in foreign policy and world history—World War I, the Sri Lankan civil war, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime—are passed into fiction. - [Trysts With Sri Lanka’s Ghosts](: In the Booker Prize-winning The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, the past haunts a country racked by unresolved death. By V.V. Ganeshananthan - [In the Trenches With the Colonizer](: The French Senegalese writer David Diop revises the modernist archetype with a protagonist long excluded from World War I literature: the African soldier on the front lines. By Jessi Jezewska Stevens - [A Portrait of India on Fire](: Megha Majumdar’s bestselling novel A Burning begins with a train in flames. But what really gets torched is the Indian Dream. By Ravi Agrawal - The Wizard of the Kremlin](: A French novel offers a fascinating, fictionalized look at Vladimir Putin’s longtime spin doctor. By Caroline de Gruyter - [In ‘The Committed,’ Revolution and Colonialism Turn Into Crime](: Viet Thanh Nguyen’s sequel moves from the United States to France but stays revolutionary. By Noah Berlatsky   Most Popular on FP [Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo waves to journalists in Bogor, Indonesia, on April 21.]( [In Jakarta, Political Kingmaking Starts Now]( Indonesia’s presidential election is less than a year away, and the race to replace Jokowi has begun. By Joseph Rachman [A general view of houses in the Gecamine district (General Society of Quarries and Mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the edge of the abyss of the Chinese mining company COMMUS (Musonoïe Mining Company Global SAS), downtown Kolwezi, Congo, on Oct. 13, 2022.]( [U.S. Apathy Paved the Way for China in Africa]( Despite a strong foothold during the Cold War, Washington has since fumbled on the continent. By Howard W. French [Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis celebrates with supporters of the New Democracy Party after winning the Greek elections on May 21.]( [Greece’s Mitsotakis Rejects Coalition Government in Reelection Bid]( The conservative New Democracy party hopes a second election will secure a parliamentary majority. By Alexandra Sharp [A member of the Estonian Defense Forces sits next to a large-caliber machine gun during the Spring Storm military exercises by Estonian and allied NATO forces near Kadrina, Estonia, on May 19. ]( [Russia Is Already Looking Beyond Ukraine]( Moscow’s massive losses may not neutralize its threat to NATO countries. By Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch [Britain's King Charles III (suited, from left), German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Brandenburg state premier Dietmar Woidke meet British and German soldiers in Finowfurt, Germany, on March 30. ]( [A German-U.K. Defense Deal Can Strengthen NATO]( At a moment of profound change, Berlin and London must work together. By John Healey, Nils Schmid [In Jakarta, Political Kingmaking Starts Now]( Indonesia’s presidential election is less than a year away, and the race to replace Jokowi has begun. By Joseph Rachman [U.S. Apathy Paved the Way for China in Africa](Despite a strong foothold during the Cold War, Washington has since fumbled on the continent. By Howard W. French [Greece’s Mitsotakis Rejects Coalition Government in Reelection Bid](The conservative New Democracy party hopes a second election will secure a parliamentary majority. By Alexandra Sharp [Russia Is Already Looking Beyond Ukraine](Moscow’s massive losses may not neutralize its threat to NATO countries. By Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch [A German-U.K. Defense Deal Can Strengthen NATO](At a moment of profound change, Berlin and London must work together. By John Healey, Nils Schmid   From Around FP - Why in Turkey It’s Not the Economy, Stupid: Do Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ideas make sense on their own terms? Has Turkey emerged as a Middle Eastern power? And how could its current economic dilemmas ever get resolved? Those are a few of the questions FP deputy editor Cameron Abadi posed in a [recent conversation]( with FP economics columnist Adam Tooze on the podcast Ones and Tooze. - Prioritizing Diagnostics on the Global Agenda: FP, in partnership with Roche, will convene policymakers and stakeholders for a high-profile discussion on access to diagnostics, their contribution to universal health care, and global health system resilience. The discussion will explore the strategies and partnerships that can meaningfully expand equitable access to diagnostics, and the health and socioeconomic impacts from greater access for individuals and communities around the world. May 24, 2023 | In-Person & Virtual | Geneva, Switzerland. [Register here](. Are you interested in learning more about FP Analytics’ cutting-edge research services, hosting an FP Virtual Dialogue event, or building a podcast with FP Studios? [Explore partnership opportunities](. [Subscribe to Foreign Policy]( [Open up a world of insight]( [Take on the world with Foreign Policy. Get daily analysis at the intersection of politics and international affairs, plus the full digital archive from 1970 to today.]( [SEE OFFERS](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( You’re receiving this email at {EMAIL} because you signed up for the FP This Week newsletter. [MANAGE YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES]( | [VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Reach the [right online audience]( with us. [Foreign Policy]( is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2023 Graham Digital Holding Company LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20005.