The Sunday Subject – March 19, 2023
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
The warrant alleges Putin bears responsibility for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Russia is not a member of the ICC, so any Russian officials charged would either have to be handed over by Moscow or arrested outside of Russia. The Kremlin called the ICC’s decision “outrageous and unacceptable.”
SVB Financial Group, the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, has filed for bankruptcy.
Last week, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, which was a big lender to startups. California Congressman Ro Khanna called the bank “the lifeblood of the tech ecosystem,” asserting that “they can’t let the bank fail.” While intervention would be unpopular, some experts believe it may be the best option.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his country would start the process of ratifying Finland’s bid to join NATO.
Turkey and Hungary are the last remaining NATO countries to ratify Finland and Sweden’s membership. Fidesz, Hungary’s ruling party, has delayed the vote on both Nordic countries’ accession to NATO. Unlike Finland, there is little indication as to whether Sweden will gain approval from Turkey and Hungary.
