Democratic.net: [RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, August 12, 2009

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, August 12, 2009

August 12, 2009

View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

-International response to Myanmar conviction.
-Clinton meets Nigerian leaders.
-Kuwait foils terror plot.
-Pakistani police files charges against Musharraf.

Top of the Agenda: Reaction to Myanmar Conviction

World leaders, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, retired South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, condemned a Myanmar court's conviction of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and called for her release (VOA). For violating the terms of her house arrest, Suu Kyi was sentenced to additional eighteen months of detention.

In a statement, U.S. President Barack Obama said the conviction runs "counter to Burma's commitments under the ASEAN charter" and disregards UN Security Council statements. He also called for the release of the "thousands of other political prisoners" in Myanmar.

But China said the international community should respect Myanmar's judicial sovereignty (Reuters), and implied it would not support UN action against the country.

The Security Council met after Suu Kyi's conviction, but could not immediately agree on a response (Myanmar News).

Analysis:
The Christian Science Monitor says U.S. sanctions against Myanmar have allowed China to dominate the country and its economy, "providing wealth to the regime…even as common Burmese suffer."

The New York Times notes that the extension of Suu Kyi's sentence ensures she will remain isolated through next year's scheduled parliamentary election.

Background:
A CFR Backgrounder looks at the struggle for democracy in Myanmar.

The BBC profiles Suu Kyi.

MIDEAST: Kuwait Terror Plot Foiled

Kuwait says it arrested six members of an al-Qaeda-linked cell who were plotting an attack on a U.S. military base (Kuwait Times). Kuwaiti officials said the militants also planned to bomb the headquarters of Kuwait's internal security agency.

Iraq: At least ten people were killed (Aswat al-Iraq) and eighteen others were wounded in three explosions in a Shiite neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad.

PACIFIC RIM: Hundreds Found Alive in Taiwan Mudslide

Some seven hundred people feared dead after a mudslide in Taiwan have been found alive (Bloomberg). The mudslide was caused by Typhoon Morakot, which struck Taiwan over the weekend, killing at least sixty people.

China: The New York Times reports on China's rapid construction of hazardous incinerators as it runs out of landfill space.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Charges Against Musharraf

Pakistani police filed a criminal complaint (Dawn) against former President Pervez Musharraf, charging that he detained the country's top judges and their families after declaring a state of emergency in 2007. Musharraf, who currently lives in London, could be arrested if he returns to Pakistan.

Afghanistan: A Senate Foreign Relations Committee report says the amount of drug money funding the Taliban in Afghanistan is lower than previously thought (LAT). According to the report, Taliban leaders receive about $70 million a year from the country's poppy crop, much lower than last year's UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimate of $400 million.

AFRICA: Clinton in Nigeria

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting today with Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua and other political and business leaders to discuss the need to reform the country's corrupt political system (This Day). She will urge officials to reform Nigeria's electoral system before the 2011 polls. Clinton will also meet with religious leaders to discuss recent violence (WashPost) that killed more than seven hundred people in the country's primarily Muslim north.

The New York Times has an interactive map tracking Clinton's eleven-day, seven-country tour through Africa.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at corruption in sub-Saharan Africa.

Congo: The Washington Post says an epidemic of rape in eastern Congo has worsened since the January launch of a U.S.-backed military operation meant to protect the region's women.

Sudan: Pagan Amum, the secretary-general of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, said the country's south would declare independence (BBC) if the governing National Congress Party (NCP) obstructs a referendum on the issue. He said the NCP is insisting that 75 percent of southerners vote in favor of independence for the referendum to pass. The NCP has not commented on the voting majority needed in the 2011 poll.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at Sudan's internal politics. http://www.cfr.org/publication/18519/

AMERICAS: Pro-Zelaya Protests

Demonstrations in support of exiled Honduran President Manuel Zelaya became violent after protesters set a restaurant on fire (AFP) in the city of Tegucigalpa. The National Resistance Front, a group opposed to the overthrow of Zelaya, held marches in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula calling for Zelaya's return.

Guantanamo: Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said it has achieved improvements in the conditions (Reuters) and treatment of U.S.-held prisoners at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay through intense scrutiny. Kellenberger also praised the Obama administration's voiced support for international humanitarian law.

Remittances: The Wall Street Journal says the amount of money Latin American expatriates send to their home countries will drop by eleven percent, from $69 billion in 2008 to $62 billion in 2009, as a result of the global recession.

EUROPE: Aid Worker, Husband Killed in Chechnya

Zarema Sadulayeva, the head of children's charity organization Save the Generation, and her husband Alik Dzhabrailov, were kidnapped and shot dead in Chechnya (Moscow Times). The murders come a month after the similar death of human rights activist Natalya Estemirova in Chechnya.

A CFR Backgrounder examines Chechen terrorism.

EXPLORE CFR'S WEBSITE

Browse Content by

Region

Issue

Publication Type

The Think Tank

For the Media

For Educators

About CFR


		Privacy Policy The Council on Foreign Relations does not share email addresses with third parties. Council on Foreign Relations 58 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065 Tel. +1 212.434.9400 Fax: +1 212.434.9800 Learn about this and other newsletters offered by the Council on Foreign Relations. To pause your subscription, to switch between HTML and text-only versions of the newsletter, to change your email address, or to unsubscribe, click here.

Email list management powered by http://MailerMailer.com

__._,_.___

Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic

Red Democratica 10 years "On line" (1998-2008)!
Http://reddemocratica.blogspot.com
Boletin Diario :
Http://reddemocratica01.blogspot.com
Foro Debate :
Http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eleccion

Ahora en FACEBOOK : Red Democratica

Http://www.caretas.com.pe/2000/1631/articulos/protesta.phtml
Http://www.caretas.com.pe/2000/1612/articulos/debate.phtml

Celebrando 10 anos "On Line"..2009

Keep the candle burning

I have a dream
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/interactiveFrame.htm

FORUM TPSIPOL: RED DEMOCRATICA (1998-1999).
Informacion : Http://tpsipol.home-page.org

Para enviar un message , enviar a: eleccion@yahoogroups.com
Para suscribirse al Forum , enviar un mensaje a : eleccion-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Para salir del Forum, enviar un mensaje en blanco : eleccion-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com