What Actually Mattered This Week: Putin’s Desperate Move

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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK

Putin orders partial mobilization of Russian reservists and hints using nuclear weapons still possible

Average Russians could support the propaganda and (mostly) ignore the war…until his decision to mobilize 300,000 more troops.

Since the announcement, more than 1,300 Russians have been arrested at anti-war demonstrations across the country.

The order is ripping apart families and communities. It requires immense sacrifice, and in short order, Stalin-level repression.

Biden Focuses on Ukraine, Global Health, Security Council Reform at 77th UN General Assembly

The United Nations Security Council is broken.

Germany, India, and Japan should be permanent members, and Russia should be removed.

Veto power for permanent members of Security Council should also be significantly restricted or diminished.

This has been overdue for decades now.

At least 17 killed as anti-government protests spread in Iran

Days of protests across Iran spread to at least 15 cities in response to 22-year-old Masha Amini’s death in police custody.

She was arrested by the ‘morality police’ for not properly wearing her hijab.

Hoping for a peaceful resolution sooner rather than later.

TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS

% of Ukrainians that want the country to join NATO

December 2021: 48%

August 2022: 79%

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and the European Union

December 2021: 58%

August 2022: 92% (thanks, Vladimir)

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-KIIS/National Democratic Institute

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THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN

GRAPHIC TRUTH

YOUR GZERO WORLD

The UN's blueprint for making the world a better place is on life support. The pandemic wiped out years of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, and right now there's no way they'll be met by 2030.

Secretary-General António Guterres has a message for world leaders converging in New York for the annual UN General Assembly: We need to rescue the SDGs.

But Guterres (and the international community) still has a lot more on their plate. On GZERO World, he warns that we may run out of food next year if the deal to get Ukrainian grain shipments out is not extended to Russian fertilizer.

Still, the UN chief laments that we got here because Russia invaded with impunity — and he worries that'll embolden more countries to become more aggressive amid a deeply divided geopolitical environment.

Also, what happened to the idea that the world was about to fall off the climate cliff? Guterres has some new thoughts on this too.

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

?WORLD IN 60 SECONDS

As high-level week at the United Nations General Assembly gets underway, what is top of mind for visiting world leaders?

Is Putin looking to end the war in Ukraine as President Erdogan of Turkey suggests?

President Biden says, "the pandemic is over." Is it?

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

Do you like what you’ve seen??Sign up for GZERO’s daily newsletter to stay informed.

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DIG DEEPER WITH MY BULLETIN

War in Ukraine looms large as world leaders meet at the United Nations

Tensions are running high at the United Nations General Assembly this year.

Russia/Ukraine is on everyone’s minds, but there’s little hope discussions will change much about it.

Click here for more deep dives from me

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BECAUSE THE INTERNET

Something’s not adding up here.

WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK

Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz

Brevity is the soul of wit, wrote William Shakespeare—ironically in the middle of his longest play. Brevity is also a crucial part of effective communication, particularly in writing. It promotes clarity in thought and word, and it invites readers to think by allowing space for their imaginations. “Smart Brevity” is a landmark guide to the creation of precise and compelling prose. Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei are two of the best in the business, and I’ve been following Mike’s U.S. domestic coverage for decades now. A great read that I highly recommend.

DEEP THOUGHTS

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started” – Mark Twain

Thanks for reading!?Please subscribe to Signal?for daily coverage from GZERO Media and my?Bulletin?for weekly deep dives from yours truly. And make sure to read my new 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?Twitter,?Facebook, and?Instagram.