Good morning, readers!

In today's dose of geopolitics, we find a mix of radiation, firearms, and espionage.

We have everything from:

• China's claim of the CIA's global spy recruitment, to

• allegations of Saudi Arabia's migrant massacre at its border.

These narratives seem to encapsulate the essence of the 20th and 21st centuries’ geopolitics.

Today’s geopolitics hotspots:

Japan dumps radioactive water into the ocean

Mark your calendars for August 24th.

This is the day Japan will begin dumping its radioactive wastewater into the ocean—more than a million tons to be more precise.

After receiving months of protests and outrage, Japan finally announced the date today.

🌊 What’s in the water?

• The water comes from rain, groundwater, and cooling of the damaged reactors at the Fukushima plant, which had a meltdown in 2011 after a huge earthquake and tsunami.

• The water is treated to remove most of the radioactive elements, except for tritium, which is a form of hydrogen that is hard to separate from water.

• Tritium is considered to be "low-risk" for human health and the environment, but some scientists and activists disagree.

☢️ How will they release it?

• According to the plant operator, Tepco, they will dilute the water to meet safety standards before pumping it into the ocean through an underwater tunnel.

• This will take 30 to 40 years to complete.

❌ Who is against it?

Many people are not convinced by the safety claims and fear the consequences of releasing radioactive water into the ocean.

Some of them are:

• Local fishers: who worry that their products will be shunned by consumers and that their livelihoods will be ruined.

• China and South Korea: who have banned seafood imports from some areas of Japan and have accused Japan of violating international law and endangering public health.

• Greenpeace: which says the water treatment process is flawed and that releasing the water will harm marine life and human health for decades.

The Japanese government says it has no choice but to release the water, as there is no more space to store it at the plant site.

Saudi massacre of Ethiopian migrants

A damning report from Human Rights Watch has unveiled a distressing account of Saudi Arabia border guards ruthlessly killing Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who are striving to cross the border from Yemen.

📚 Background.

• Many Ethiopians cross the Gulf of Aden in dangerous boats and then face extortion and abuse by Houthi forces (an Islamist armed organization) and smugglers in Yemen.

• After surviving the atrocities on their side, they are met with lethal force by Saudi border guards.

📄 The report.

• Human Rights Watch interviewed 42 survivors, witnesses, and relatives of those who tried to cross the border between March 2022 and June 2023.

• They also analyzed hundreds of videos, photos, and satellite images that show evidence of the killings.

• The report documents:

  • 28 incidents of Saudi border guards using explosive weapons, such as mortars and grenades, to target large groups of migrants—many of them being women and children.

  • 14 incidents of Saudi border guards shooting migrants at close range, or beating them with rocks and metal bars.

  • some survivors being forced to rape other survivors or witness executions.

🤔 Why do this?

The report concludes these acts are part of a deliberate policy by Saudi authorities to deter migrants from entering their territory.

Here is the full 73-page report (link).

🌟 Today’s gem

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