![Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks to European lawmakers](/content/images/size/w1304/2024/06/belarussian-opposition-leader.jpg)
Assassination to intimidation: dissidents targeted across borders
Assassination and unlawful deportations are some of the methods that regimes use against activists and dissidents.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, started with 12 countries in 1949 and has since grown into a military alliance among Canada, the United States and 27 European nations. It requires members to commit to helping each other defend against any attack. NATO's initial purpose was to defend Western Europe from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
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Assassination and unlawful deportations are some of the methods that regimes use against activists and dissidents.
NATO welcomed decisions by Finland and Sweden to seek membership in the military alliance as foreign ministers met to discuss fast-tracking an expansion.
Finland’s president and prime minister announced support for immediately applying to join NATO, a major reversal due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden and Finland are expected to decide by the middle of May whether to seek to join NATO's 30-nation membership.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine set off global alarm over a new Cold War and dire challenges to power structures and international organizations.
NATO's secretary general said there is no indication that Russia is backing away from possibly invading Ukraine, and the military buildup continues.
The leaders of Russia and China called on NATO to rule out Eastern European expansion and criticized other security blocs around the Asia Pacific region.
U.S. and Russia reported no breakthroughs at talks to defuse the crisis in Ukraine, where 100,000 Russian troops await near its border.
Afghanistan needs more than $5 billion in aid to avert looming crises, the U.N. said in its largest-ever such appeal.
U.S. and Russian diplomats met for talks over Russia's troop buildup by Ukraine, the first in a series of discussions that could be vital to Europe's security.
U.S. President Joe Biden used his first address to the United Nations to reassure other nations his administration is committed to multilateralism.
Calling it "a new phase for peace in Libya," Germany and the U.N. ended a conference with diplomats expressing confidence in Libya's rebuilding.
The G-7 summit wrapped up with vows to end the pandemic, fight climate change and incorporate U.S. President Biden's pledge to “build back better."
The U.S. and the U.K. signed a "revitalized" version of the 1941 Atlantic Charter to focus on 21st century risks such as cyber attacks and rising temperatures.
The U.N. chief remained determined to bring Cypriot leaders together despite acknowledging failure to surmount differences over how to restart formal talks.
Foreign ministers to NATO agreed to elevate the importance of global warming and other major environmental threats in military planning and strategy.