WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The State of the World: 3 Ceasefires, 2 Trade Wars, and 1 Conference

Episode Date: March 6, 2025

The State of the World breaks down top headlines in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Key topics include the Zelenskiy-Trump negotiations, Thailand's deportation of Uyghur Muslims, and the future of the Gaza Strip.

Hello, my name is Aaron Osborne, and you are listening to the State of the World on Radio Free Hillsdale, WRFH, 101.7 FM. Starting off with the tumultuous week in Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, faced criticisms for its behavior in the Oval Office, after which Zelensky and President Trump did not sign an expected critical minerals agreement, but instead argued over the terms of a ceasefire, leading President Trump to declare that Ukraine was not ready for peace or negotiations with Russia. On March 4th, Zelensky relented and called the conversation regrettable on X, where he proposed a partial ceasefire framework. In the meantime, the Trump administration froze American military assistance to Ukraine and the European Union, in a break from an absence of military buildup, proposed an almost $160 billion fund to bolster EU military spending and Ukraine. Shifting to Asian news, Thailand forcibly deported dozens of U.S. China, where the Muslim majority is facing prosecution that is deemed genocide but the United

States. A press release by the American State Department called the Thai government's action, deporting over 40 men back to the Xinjiang province of China, alarming, and charged the Chinese Communist Party with genocide and crimes against humanity involving the Uyghur Muslims. Also in China, Chinese tariffs will increase by up to 15% on American farm products as a response to increasing Trump tariffs on China by the United States and the Chinese government has blacklisted more than 20 American companies, according to the Washington Post. In the Middle East, members of the League of Arab States met in Cairo to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip.

As ceasefire negotiations continue in the Hamas, Israel, conflict, the 22 members of the League of Arab States are expected to vote on a reconstruction proposal created by the Egyptian government, according to the Washington Post. The plan reportedly involves the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the temporary rehousing of Gaza residents, and a police force, according to a statement by the Egyptian president. Under the proposal, the new government would be overseen by a group of technocrats called the Gaza Administrative Committee and a potential peacekeeping force would be installed by the United Nations. In other Middle East news, the American State Department is re-designated

and Serala, also known as Hezbollah, as a foreign terrorist organization. It was previously taken off the list by the Biden administration. In Africa, the rapid support forces and allied military forces in Sudan are making steps toward peace. The rapid support forces and Sudanese armed forces have been at war for over two years in a conflict that has raised many human rights concerns after mass displacement and internal violence. The two parties, nonetheless, signed a transitional constitution on March 4th. The document reportedly outlines a federal and secular vision for Sudan that will be split into eight separate regions, although some experts say that the conflict is unlikely

to end soon. In addition, the United Kingdom, will not pay the 50 million pounds originally outlined for Rwanda in a failed Rwanda migrant deal. The United Kingdom listed Rwandan support for M23 as the reason for aid withdrawal, although Rwanda insists it's a violation of trust. Last but not least, the Western Hemisphere has also seen its fair share of trade shake-ups this week, as President Trump's 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, took effect on March 4th. Canada has responded with

reciprocal tariffs and Mexico is expected to respond within the week. The move also comes with conjunction with Trump's continued crackdown on illegal immigration. Mexican authorities extradited 29 jailed drug lords to the United

States on February 27th including the murderer of a U.S. drug enforcement agency agent. The United States Department of Justice also announced the capture of four Guatemalan human traffickers in conjunction with the smuggling of over 20,000 illegal migrants to the United States. And that's all that we have for you today. My name is Aaron Osborne, and this is WFH Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.7 FM.