What Actually Mattered This Week: Putin Blames Ukraine for ISIS Attack, UN Calls for Gaza Ceasefire

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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK

Russia keeps blaming Ukraine for concert attack despite Islamic State claiming responsibility

The idea that Ukraine would be involved in the brutal Moscow terror attack is implausible based on both the evidence and Ukraine’s track record.

But of course, that doesn't matter to Putin.

Even after the Islamic State claimed responsibility, the Kremlin swiftly announced (for the first time) a “state of war” with Ukraine.

Translation: Ukrainians must be made to pay for Putin’s repeated failures.

Gaza: Security Council passes resolution demanding ‘an immediate ceasefire’ during Ramadan

14 members of the UN Security Council voted for a ceasefire resolution that also included a call for an unconditional release of hostages.

The resolution was rejected by Hamas, who demands the ceasefire be permanent.

The resolution was also rejected by Israeli PM Netanyahu, who demands continued attacks in Rafah.

The United States abstained from the vote, allowing a Gaza resolution to pass for the first time.

Netanyahu’s only close ally on the global stage has finally had enough. It’s way past time for him to go.

After canceling top aides’ trip to Washington, Netanyahu now seeking to reschedule

Netanyahu’s outburst—canceling, then reversing on Israel's Washington DC trip post-UN Security Council vote—is ultimately unimportant.?

High in drama, low in impact on the USA-Israel relationship.

Details of millions of UK voters accessed by Chinese state, ministers will say

Now imagine if Beijing could control the algorithm that chooses what info those voters saw.

Oh wait…

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TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS

The world’s oceans officially hit record-high temperatures…for every single day in the last year.

Hard not to be worried about what’s to come.

- CNN

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THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN

THE GRAPHIC TRUTH

YOUR GZERO WORLD

What role will foreign policy play in the upcoming US presidential election? “More than it usually does,” says Harvard Kennedy School’s Stephen Walt in an interview on GZERO World with Ian Bremmer. “Partly because the economy doesn't seem to be helping Biden as much as it should be, partly because it's hard to look at Biden's foreign policy and tout a lot of big success stories."

In a wide-ranging interview comparing US foreign policy under a second Biden or Trump term, Walt suggests that they may not be as different as people expect. “On a bunch of big issues, the daylight between him and Biden just isn't that great.” It may come as little surprise that I disagree. But Walt says this is especially true in areas like China policy, where Biden's approach has been refined and continued. "The Biden people refined the Trump approach in a number of ways—focused it very much on high-tech—but have if anything, doubled down on the policies that Trump adopted starting in 2017."

And while Walt certainly acknowledges an array of crucial differences between Trump and Biden, he argues that both second administrations may have similar outcomes in areas like the Middle East and Ukraine. That said, he makes clear that while Trump's second term may not drastically change US foreign policy, it could lead to a less supportive stance towards Europe and NATO. "Trump is fundamentally a nationalist, fundamentally a unilateralist, whereas Biden is very much a globalist or internationalist, and that's a key difference.”

For a longer, wider-ranging version of my interview check out the GZERO World podcast.

WORLD IN 60

How will the US-Israel relationship be affected by the US backing a Gaza cease-fire resolution at the UN?

Will there be international consequences from the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore?

What message is Russia sending by their public display of torture against accused terrorists?

Find out in this week’s World in 60 Seconds!

DIG DEEPER: GZERO DAILY BY IAN BREMMER

From dove to hawk: Explaining Macron’s Russia-Ukraine journey

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Macron offered Putin countless off-ramps and pressed Ukraine to engage in peace talks.

Now, he's arguably NATO's leading Russia hawk.

What's with the about-face? Let me explain.

Do you like what you’ve seen??Sign up for GZERO Daily by Ian Bremmer

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BECAUSE THE INTERNET

Some things still need a human touch (for now)

WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK

How to Listen When Markets Speak: Risks, Myths, and Investment Opportunities in a Radically Reshaped Economy

In ”How to Listen When Markets Speak,” Lawrence McDonald takes the long view of history to help us understand what market moves have to tell us about what comes next. Whether you believe his provocative forecasts, he’s a thinker unafraid to show his work.?

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DEEP THOUGHTS

"Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated." — Coretta Scott King

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Thanks for reading!?Please subscribe to GZERO Daily for coverage on global politics. And make sure to read my latest book?The Power of Crisis?for a roadmap of this decade's great crises and how they might help us build a better world.

I am president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. I currently teach at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. You can follow me on?X, Threads,?Facebook, and?Instagram.