Desperation Grows at Kabul’s Airport

Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: Crowds rushed Kabul’s airport over the weekend as the pace of evacuation flights sped up, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could soon grant final approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, and what to watch in the world this week.

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Facing criticism over the chaotic rush to evacuate U.S. and Afghan allies from Kabul, U.S. President Joe Biden gave brief remarks from the White House on Sunday, highlighting that the military had evacuated more than 3,900 passengers, including U.S. citizens and others, over the weekend. “We see no reason this tempo will not be kept up,” he said, adding the administration could extend the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing all U.S. troops.

Biden’s remarks came after a tragic weekend in Kabul: At least seven people died on Saturday in a panicked crush at the gates of the international airport. On Sunday, Taliban fighters fired into the air and used batons to control the crowd, and some U.S. citizens had difficulty reaching the airport. The U.S. government has ordered commercial airlines to assist by carrying people from temporary locations in the Middle East after they have left Afghanistan. The relief flights, which begin today, will not land in Kabul.

The Biden administration has especially come under fire for its slow handling of the special visa application process for thousands of Afghans who helped the United States during its 20 years of war. Around 18,000 applicants are awaiting visas, not including the relatives who would join them. “The evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul is going to be hard and painful, no matter when it started or when we began,” Biden said on Sunday.

G-7 meeting. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for a virtual meeting of the G-7 countries—the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, and Canada—on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, including how to secure safe evacuations and avoid a humanitarian crisis. Johnson is expected to urge the other leaders to consider new sanctions against the Taliban if they commit human rights abuses.

Ticking clock. Meanwhile, Afghanistan faces a quickly deepening economic crisis, with financial hardships increasingly affecting those in Kabul and other cities. Banks remain closed, food prices are rising, and the value of the local currency has plummeted. The suspension of commercial flights to Kabul’s international airport has, in some ways, exacerbated the crisis, halting the flow of some medical supplies and aid.

Monday, Aug. 23: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosts delegates from 44 countries for the inaugural Crimea Platform, a summit intended to increase international pressure on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea. The event comes a day before the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. 

Tuesday, Aug. 24: The suspension of Tunisia’s parliament is due to end. Last month, Tunisian President Kais Saied declared an emergency, suspended parliament, and dismissed the prime minister—moves critics labeled a coup. Saied announced he intends to form a new government in the coming days.

Thursday, Aug. 26: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Dublin, where he will meet with Irish President Michael Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin to discuss Irish-French relations, the European Union, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday, Aug. 28: Iraq hosts a regional security summit intended to ease tensions in the Middle East. Officials from Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Iran, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are expected to attend.

Sunday, Aug. 29: German Chancellor Angela Merkel begins a three-day trip to Israel, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, President Isaac Herzog, and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, among others. The official visit is likely Merkel’s last: She steps down next month after four terms in office.

U.S. FDA could grant Pfizer full approval. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Sunday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could give its full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as soon as this week. The vaccine is currently being distributed in the United States under the FDA’s emergency use authorization, along with those from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

The FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer shot should enable more businesses and universities to implement vaccine requirements, and it could push some vaccine-hesitant people to get vaccinated. The United States is grappling with a major COVID-19 surge driven by the delta variant, particularly in southern states with low vaccination rates. 

Swedish PM announces surprise resignation. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has unexpectedly announced his decision to resign in November, well ahead of next year’s general election, to give his replacement a chance to boost the Social Democratic party in the polls. Lofven has held the office since 2014 but lost a vote of confidence in June.

The Social Democrats have long dominated Swedish politics, but they have gradually lost support in recent years and faced a growing challenge to forming majority governments from the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party.

Qatar’s first elections. Qatar has set Oct. 2 as the date for its first-ever legislative elections. Voters will elect two-thirds of the 45-seat advisory Shura Council while Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will still choose the remaining 15 members. The council will have legislative power and approve the state budget. The polls have been a long time coming: The elections were originally scheduled for the second half of 2013 and have been postponed twice.

Japan’s Olympic venues. Authorities in Tokyo are considering repurposing some of the venues used during the Olympic Games last month into temporary medical facilities as rising COVID-19 cases threaten the health care system. An increase in infections driven by the delta variant in Japan has followed the Olympics. The two-week Paralympics are scheduled to begin in Tokyo on Tuesday without spectators.

The remains of French American entertainer Josephine Baker will be interred in the Panthéon mausoleum in Paris in November, according to an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron. Baker, who died in 1975, will become the first Black woman laid to rest in the monument after years of campaigning.

Only the French president can decide to move someone’s remains to the Panthéon. Of the 80 national figures interred there, just five individuals are women.