What in the World? |
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1. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew criticism during his Senate confirmation hearing in mid-January when he failed to name a single member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Which of the following countries is not a member of the group?
Malaysia
Thailand
Bangladesh
Vietnam
Hegseth has lived up to his billing as one of President Donald Trump’s more controversial cabinet picks. FP’s Rachel Oswald reported in early in December that Congress’s annual defense policy bill contained sections imposing constraints on the Defense Department.
2. Which multilateral group did Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso formally withdraw from in late January?
Economic Community of West African States
African Development Bank
BRICS
African Groundnut Council
The bloc has pledged to keep its doors open to the exiting members—prompting criticism that it hasn’t done enough to stand up to the region’s spate of coups, Jessica Moody wrote in June 2024.
3. In mid-February, officials met in Kyiv to discuss a deal that could grant the United States access to about $500 billion worth of which resource from Ukraine?
Wheat
Rare-earth metals
Potatoes
Iron ore
Trump has spent a majority of the year attempting to build critical-mineral supply chains to counter China’s dominance of the industry, FP’s Christina Lu reported in October.
4. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Feb. 25 that the United Kingdom would increase its defense spending to what percent of its GDP by 2034?
2.5 percent
7 percent
5 percent
3 percent
Starmer is one of the least popular prime ministers in modern British history, John Kampfner wrote in September.
5. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in Manila in March to face charges of crimes against humanity at The Hague. The charges relate to what actions that Duterte allegedly took during his time in office?
Police brutality during student protests
Persecution of opposition politicians
Mass killings during drug crackdowns
Disappearances of members of the Moro ethnic minority
Duterte’s arrest was an exceedingly rare case of the international justice system holding a strongman accountable, Nick Aspinwall