What Actually Mattered This Week: Twitter/X Goes Dark in Brazil

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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK

Top Brazil court upholds ban of Musk's X

Brazil blocked the platform formerly known as Twitter after Elon Musk refused to comply with court orders to suspend accounts spreading disinformation, which the country’s Supreme Court says breaks Brazilian law.

The population is pretty evenly divided on supporting/opposing the move.

Worth noting: the ban gives a new domestic political boost to Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro…who hadn’t been doing well as of late.

Putin gets lavish welcome in Mongolia despite ICC warrant

The International Criminal Court issued a warrant last year obliging the court’s 124 member states to arrest Vladimir Putin and send him to The Hague if he sets foot on their territories.

And during his first trip to a member state since the warrant was issued…he was met with a red carpet. Not handcuffs.

France's Macron names Brexit negotiator Barnier as new prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron finally broke a political deadlock and chose a new prime minister: veteran right-wing politician Michel Barnier, former top Brexit negotiator for the European Union.

But let’s see how long he actually lasts…

Christmas in October? Venezuela's leader moves holiday to boost support after disputed election

First stealing elections, now stealing Christmas. What a Grinch.

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TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS

Current status of Twitter/X censorship.

(dark blue: currently blocked, light blue: formerly blocked, purple: partially blocked)

-? Wikipedia

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THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN

THE GRAPHIC TRUTH

MY QUICK TAKE

In Israel, the largest social dissent since the October 7 attacks erupted this week after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages in Rafah.

A broader point of anger underneath the surface: the way Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to prosecute the war.

Let me explain:

DIG DEEPER: GZERO DAILY BY IAN BREMMER

Maduro won’t go

American presidents have tried for years to force Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro to hold free and fair national elections.

Will the latest tactic—seizing his airplane—undermine his hold on power?

Don’t hold your breath.

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

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BECAUSE THE INTERNET

JD Vance trying his best:

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WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK

Human Rights for Pragmatists: Social Power in Modern Times by Jack Snyder

How does the fight to protect human rights work in the real world? This is no simple morality play. Jack Snyder’s Human Rights for Pragmatists offers real-world analysis and compelling, credible answers.?

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DEEP THOUGHTS

“It is always better to ask a question than to answer one.” - Lemony Snicket

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Thanks for reading!?Please subscribe to GZERO Daily for coverage of 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.