When the world's at stake,
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A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***On July 17, 2023, Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a Turkish- and United Nations-brokered wartime agreement with Ukraine to ensure the safe passage of grain from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. Ukraine is one of the world’s top producers of grain, but after Russia invaded in February 2022, more than 20 million tons of it were trapped in the country’s Black Sea ports. Under the agreement, more than 33 million tons of grain were shipped out of Ukraine, much of it to developing countries (some 57 percent). Since the deal expired, however, Russia has attacked both Ukraine’s grain supply and ports, destroying an estimated 60,000 tons of grain and putting global food supply at risk.We asked three experts to tell us more about why the deal expired and how this could affect countries around the world. Read more below. Ayla Jean Yackley Freelance JournalistThe collapse of the pact that allowed Ukraine to export more than 30 million tons of grain to some of the world’s hungriest nations threatens global food supplies while casting doubt on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s much-touted powers of persuasion with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Erdogan argues that his refusal to join NATO allies in sanctioning Russia won him influence to broker the grain deal last year. Russia’s withdrawal comes as the recently re-elected Erdogan pivots back to Turkey’s Western allies, looking for ways out of a painful economic crisis. Erdogan and other world leaders are scrambling to salvage the deal, but Putin is digging in his heels. It’s the