I know what you’re thinking, and I already checked: I haven’t accidentally sent the answers to this week’s quiz to anyone over Signal, which means you’ll need to rely on your own knowledge of international events!
1. Why did Germany’s Foreign Office temporarily close its embassy in South Sudan’s capital of Juba on Saturday?
The decision was made following clashes between forces loyal to South Sudan’s president and those loyal to the vice president at a military camp near Juba, FP’s Nosmot Gbadamosi writes in Africa Brief.
2. U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday aimed to reach an agreement on a limited cease-fire in Russia’s war in Ukraine. What was the initial goal of the negotiations?
As negotiations continue, Washington can avoid falling into the Kremlin’s trap by better understanding what Russian President Vladimir Putin sees as the “underlying causes” of the conflict, Laurie Bristow argues.
3. In which country did Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva begin a four-day trip on Monday?
Ramping up Brazilian exports to Japan was a key agenda item for Lula, whose country faces a slow-burning economic crisis resulting from years of poor fiscal policy, Stan Veuger and Mikkel Davies argued in February.
4. Which European leader accused the United States on Tuesday of exerting “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland ahead of U.S. officials’ unsolicited trip to the territory this week?
U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire for Greenland may be inexplicable to European leaders, but it is in their interest to try to glean what he wants, Luke McGee argues.
5. A Japanese court ordered the dissolution of which religious organization on Tuesday?
The controversial group was put under scrutiny in Japan after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had ties to the church, William Sposato wrote shortly after Abe’s death in 2022.
6. What did President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuse Turkey’s political opposition of doing on Wednesday as protests rage across the country in response to the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor?
Erdogan’s plan may be to force the opposition to eventually select a candidate palatable to his right-wing nationalist regime, Halil Karaveli argues.
7. On Thursday, South Korea’s military said North Korea had sent approximately how many additional troops to Russia in January and February?
North Korea’s continued contribution to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine is further evidence of a brewing geopolitical storm—one that the United States is unprepared to face, James Kitfield argues.
8. On Thursday, the Trump administration said it would restore funding to which news outlet overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media?
The restoration of funding came in response to a lawsuit by the government-funded media outlet, FP’s John Haltiwanger and Rishi Iyengar write in Situation Report.
9. Two members of the British Royal Air Force on Tuesday pleaded guilty to damaging a statue of which famous fictional character?
The judge reprimanded the men for their actions against the “beloved cultural icon,” the New York Times reports.
10. Which popular character became a symbol of resistance this week during anti-Erdogan protests in Turkey?
A protester dressed in a full-body Pikachu costume was caught on camera fleeing police as they rolled out water cannons, USA Today reports.
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