Top Chinese generals ousted
For more than a decade, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has as his signature project brought to heel the once extravagantly corrupt leadership of the People’s Liberation Army. But recent unexpected upheavals in the Chinese military suggest suspicions of graft or other misconduct in the sensitive arm of the military that manages conventional and nuclear missiles.
Last week, Xi abruptly replaced two top generals in the Rocket Force. A scandal involving the top brass of the armed forces would be a major setback for Xi, who has taken pride in turning the Communist Party and the Chinese military into unquestioning enforcers of his rule.
Signs of misconduct are likely to reinforce Xi’s conviction that China’s officials can be kept from straying only with intense scrutiny and pressure from above. Days earlier, he removed the foreign minister, Qin Gang, in another troublesome dismissal.
Analysis: “Obviously, something has gone wrong in the system, which is probably related to discipline and corruption,” Andrew Yang, an expert on the Chinese military, said. “It’s like a virus in the system that has come back. It’s a deep-rooted problem, and it has survived in the system.”
Deadline for coup leaders in Niger passes
Niger’s military junta had a hard deadline: Restore democracy — and reinstate the ousted president — by Sunday, or face military action from a bloc of other West African nations. Yet, as of Monday, the president has not returned to power, and there was no sign of a military intervention by neighbors.
The ultimatum seems to have rallied many Nigeriens behind their new military leaders. On Sunday, tens of thousands of defiant junta supporters thronged the largest stadium in the capital, Niamey, chanting the name of the military official who claims to be in charge, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani.
The mutineers who were holding the president, Mohamed Bazoum, said they would resist any effort to remove them from power, leaving Niger’s future — and that of its people — hanging in the balance. On Sunday, the country closed its airspace, citing the potential threat of outside military intervention.
Response: Most analysts said that a conflict appeared unlikely, at least in the near term. But other West African military officials said that they did have a plan for an intervention, if needed. “Democracy must be restored, through diplomacy or force,” Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Nigerian chief of defense staff, said.
Inside Ukraine’s counteroffensive
In order to understand Ukraine’s slow counteroffensive, The Times spent two weeks with Ukrainian marines trained and supplied by NATO. The troops said they were prepared for the long and grinding fight ahead. “It’s not a sprint,” one commander said. “It’s a marathon.”
Details: Casualties are heavy. Experienced commanders lead undertrained recruits. And some brigades are trying to fight with vehicles better suited to fighting a counterinsurgency…
2023-08-07 23:51:02
Link from www.nytimes.com