Chilean Right Buoyed by Rise in Crime, Scandals on Left
NEED TO KNOW
Chilean Right Buoyed by Rise in Crime, Scandals on Left
CHILE
Outgoing Chilean President Gabriel Boric is lobbying hard in the capital of Santiago for progressive legislation that would expand abortion rights and permit euthanasia.
The bills are vital to Boric’s legacy because he has failed to fulfill other left-wing pledges he made when he assumed office three years ago, including liberal tax reforms that never passed, pension reforms that did not eliminate private pension fund administrators as promised, and a proposed liberal constitution that voters rejected in a 2022 referendum, according to Reuters.
The abortion bill would decriminalize the procedures for as long as 14 weeks after conception. The euthanasia bill would permit euthanasia and assisted suicide for citizens older than 18, the Associated Press reported.
Boric’s urgency highlights his tough political position. Unable to run for a consecutive, four-year term under the Chilean constitution, Boric won’t be on the ballot in the upcoming election in November. Now, unless he shows that he can deliver on his campaign promises, Boric’s successors are likely to be conservatives who try to erase any influence he has had on the South American country.
Boric’s approval ratings stand at around 22 percent, United Press International wrote, despite enacting some leftist policies like limiting the workweek to 40 hours and increasing the minimum wage. Still, Chileans are far more worried about spiking levels of crime and political scandals involving his administration, analysts said.
Frontrunners in the presidential race, meanwhile, are all on the right.
Leading the pack is conservative economist Evelyn Matthei, 71, the daughter of a general who served under dictator Augusto Pinochet, who ruled the country for 17 years, World Politics Review explained. She had campaigned to allow Pinochet to remain in power and to defeat efforts to bring perpetrators of crimes against humanity during his regime to justice. She has pledged to crack down on immigration but also supports gay marriage and abortion. She compares herself to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a noted pragmatist.
A close contender is far-right candidate, José Antonio Kast, 59, the son of a Nazi émigré to Chile and who lost to Boric in the last election. A long-serving congressman for the south side of Santiago, his late brother served as a minister under Pinochet, whose regime Kast has defended. He is rising in the polls.
Another candidate is Axel Kaiser, 43, a libertarian who styles himself after Argentine President Javier Milei, who has slashed government programs and criticized left-wing policies. Kast and Kaiser have pledged to crack down on immigration, too.
“I worked as a laborer, as a waiter, as a bond salesman, I’ve done a thousand different things,” Kaiser told America Quarterly. “(Boric) was a student activist, entered Congress, and became president. He’s never worked a day in his life.”
All three want to put an end to Boric’s policies, added the American Conservative, and the public is receptive: “Boric, once the shining star of the young Latin American left, is now an exhausted political figure, as the region’s youth turn rightwards in concert with much of the world.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Russia Offers To Mediate Iran-Israel Conflict, Warns US to Stay Out of It
IRAN/ ISRAEL
Russia warned the United States against military intervention in the escalating Iran-Israel conflict, with President Vladimir Putin offering to mediate between the two sides even as diplomatic efforts gained traction in Europe amid continuing strikes and mounting casualties, Agence France-Presse reported.
On Thursday, Kremlin officials said Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a call that led to both leaders “strongly condemning Israel’s actions” and demanding an immediate ceasefire.
The two leaders emphasized that the end to the hostilities “should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”
Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that any US military involvement would be “an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences.”
In recent days, US President Donald Trump has given mixed signals about joining Israel’s strikes against Iran.
The conflict began a week ago after Israel launched surprise airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, which widened to include other targets. Iran responded by bombarding Israeli cities with hundreds of missiles and drones.
Amid the fears of escalation, Putin has presented himself in recent days as a possible mediator for the warring parties.
The Russian president has spoken to both Israeli and Iranian leaders, emphasizing that a peaceful resolution would need to ensure Iran’s “peaceful nuclear activities” and the “interests of Israel from the point of view of the unconditional security of the Jewish state,” Al Jazeera wrote.
Putin insisted that despite Russia’s close ties with Iran – including cooperation on Iran’s civilian nuclear program – it has not supplied Tehran with weapons but continues to support operations at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant, where more than 200 Russian personnel remain stationed.
However, many Western leaders have rebuffed Putin’s overtures, with Trump saying, “Let’s mediate Russia first,” referring to Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The diplomatic efforts come as Iranian missiles struck Israeli territory on Thursday, including one that damaged the old surgical wing of Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. No fatalities were reported, but Israeli authorities said at least 42 civilians were wounded in the latest barrage, NPR added.
Israeli officials condemned the strike as “a war crime,” while Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to “exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.”
In response, Israel said it intensified strikes on “strategic and government targets” in Iran, including a reported hit on the Arak heavy-water reactor.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are scheduled to meet Iranian counterparts in Switzerland on Friday, aiming to extract guarantees that Tehran’s nuclear activities remain civilian.
Some analysts remained skeptical that the meeting would yield any results.
As the fighting continues, questions have emerged over the longevity of the Iranian regime and the fate of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli strikes have targeted senior military leaders and nuclear scientists, with Netanyahu not ruling out plans to assassinate Khamenei and Trump telling him, “we know where you are,” according to Newsweek.
On Thursday, Putin refused to comment on the Iranian leader’s potential assassination when asked by reporters, Al Jazeera added.
Elsewhere in Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah has so far refrained from entering the conflict, citing internal pressure and battlefield losses from last year’s war with Israel, wrote the Washington Post.
While praising Iran’s “steadfastness,” Hezbollah’s leadership has stopped short of direct involvement but warned that “nothing is off limits” if the situation deteriorates.
Thai Government Faces Instability Following Prime Minister’s Leaked Call
THAILAND
Thailand’s Bhumjaithai Party on Wednesday left Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s coalition government following the leak of the audio of a phone call between her and a former Cambodian leader, leaving the country’s ruling coalition in danger of collapsing, Reuters reported.
The Bhumjaithai Party, the second largest member of the ruling alliance, said its move was due to the dishonor the June 15 phone call brought to the country. The call, between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, the former prime minister of Cambodia, who still holds considerable influence there, was posted to Hun Sen’s Facebook page.
Thailand and Cambodia are currently involved in an escalating border dispute, which saw the two exchange fire in May at the cross-border area shared by Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, Al Jazeera wrote.
In the leaked audio, Paetongtarn said she was under domestic pressure and urged Hun Sen to opt for a peaceful resolution to the dispute. She told him not to listen to “the other side” in Thailand, including an outspoken Thai army general who oversees the army in the border area and is pushing for aggression.
The mobilization of troops from both sides has sparked fears of confrontation, which, combined with the current political instability, has led to growing calls for Paetongtarn to step down: On Thursday, anti-government demonstrators demanding her resignation protested in front of her office.
Paetongtarn publicly apologized at a press conference, saying that she was trying to “help stabilize the situation” and “never expected the conversation to be leaked,” according to Agence France-Presse.
It’s uncertain for now if the other 10 members of her coalition will remain. If any leave, it’s likely to trigger snap elections less than a year since Paetongtarn took office.
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda Moving Closer to Peace Deal
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/ RWANDA
Officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have agreed on the draft of a peace agreement that could end decades of conflict in the region, an agreement that is expected to be formally signed next week in Washington, the Associated Press reported.
The deal, mediated by the US and Qatar, “includes provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups.”
The agreement is the latest attempt at peace between the two parties after previous efforts, mediated by Angola and then by Qatar, fell apart, the BBC noted.
Still, in April, Rwanda and the DRC signed a deal in Washington, promising to respect each other’s sovereignty and to move ahead with a draft peace deal.
The long-running conflict between the two sides escalated in January, when M23 rebels – backed by Rwanda and 4,000 of its soldiers – seized the city of Goma and later the city of Bukavu in the mineral-rich eastern Congo. The group, one of about 100 armed militias that have been fighting for a foothold in the region, has since set up governing structures in the area it controls.
Following the territorial loss, the DRC government asked the US for help, reportedly offering access to their mineral wealth in exchange.
Rwanda continues to deny supporting the M23, justifying its military presence in the region as only to protect Tutsis in the country.
The conflict, which has killed thousands over the past few months, has displaced more than seven million people.
DISCOVERIES
The Other Wall
The Great Wall of China has long attracted attention, particularly from archaeologists and tourists. But now, archaeologists are turning their attention to lesser-known fortifications across Asia, such as Mongolia’s Gobi Wall – a vast, enigmatic structure stretching nearly 200 miles across the Gobi highland desert.
Built from rammed earth, stone, and wood, the wall is part of a broader fortification system extending from China into Mongolia. It is also the “least understood” section, researchers wrote in a new study, due to limited knowledge about its origins and function – until now.
New excavations and satellite mapping have revealed that the Gobi Wall was primarily constructed during the Western Xia dynasty, also known as Xi Xia, which ruled from 1038 to 1227 CE. Archaeologists noted that this period was marked by intense geopolitical competition and sophisticated frontier systems.
“The Gobi Wall was not just a barrier – it was a dynamic mechanism for governing movement, trade, and territorial control in a challenging environment,” study co-author Gideon Shelach-Lavi said in a statement. “This research challenges long-standing assumptions about imperial frontier systems in Inner Asia.”
Far from a simple military structure, the Gobi Wall formed part of a broader network of garrisons, mountain pass forts, trenches, and watchtowers, according to the Debrief.
Some of the excavated garrison sites yielded ceramics and coins dating from the second century BCE to the 19th century CE, but most artifacts point to a peak of activity during the Xi Xia dynasty.
Many forts shared rectangular layouts with corner towers and outer ditches, suggesting administrative as well as military roles. Researchers believe the system was designed to regulate movement, control trade, and exert influence over the border.
The wall’s alignment was also shaped by strategic terrain and access to local resources, such as water and Saxaul shrubs, used as construction material. In some places, sections were built along steep ridges, likely to signal power and deter movement.
Despite its sophistication, the Gobi Wall ultimately failed to stop Genghis Khan’s Mongol invasion in 1226.
The Western Xia dynasty collapsed the following year, and the wall fell into disuse.