Periscope Depth 06/01/2023

Water Dispute Turns Deadly On Afghan-Iranian Border
Julian Lark

On May 27, Iranian and Taliban forces in Afghanistan exchanged small-arms and mortar fire near the town of Kang in Afghanistan's southwestern Nimruz province, on the border with Iran.

The state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Afghan forces fired first. Taliban-controlled media did not immediately report on the fight.

The Pakistan-based blog, “Khorasan Diary,” reported that two Iranian border guards were killed and three injured in the skirmish, citing Iranian state media. Nimruz provincial officials said one Taliban border guard was killed and several people wounded in the exchange.

The skirmish ended quickly, but not before senior Taliban commander Abdulhamid Khorasani (aka Nasser Badri) said his forces would "conquer Iran soon if Taliban’s leaders give the greenlight for jihad..."

Lula Welcomes Maduro In Drive For Regional Autonomy
Tom Freebairn

Ahead of a summit of South American leaders this week in Brasilia, Brazilian President Lula da Silva welcomed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for talks and called for an end to U.S. sanctions on its northern neighbor. Since 2015, Washington has sanctioned the Maduro government over alleged human-rights violations and anti-democratic actions. Lula’s embrace of Maduro highlights the Brazilian president’s intent to stamp South American foreign policy with his signature left-wing regionalist style.

Lula and Maduro used the Brasilia summit to push for collective efforts at eroding U.S. sanctions as part of a broader campaign to take advantage of the current left-wing governments in South America to shape a regional political consensus. A cornerstone of this strategy is an effort to create a new cooperation bloc to replace the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), which was established in 2008 as a forum for economic and social integration. All 12 South American countries initially participated, but it fell out of favor when several South American countries elected right-wing governments. Lula seeks to capitalize on the resurgence of left-wing governments to reignite efforts to develop strategic autonomy and counter U.S. influence.

Lula’s vision of a new bloc and deeper regional integration is ambitious. Without adequate institutional roots, a new UNASUR may be doomed to the same fate as new administrations come to power. Grand initiatives such as the call for a common currency face hurdles such as divergent monetary policy and financial situations. Success is contingent on consistent left-wing electoral victories in the region, which seems a weak branch upon which to hang such ambitions...

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