Democratic.net: [RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, September 9, 2009

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, September 9, 2009

September 9, 2009

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Call for international summit on Afghanistan's future.

- Drone strike in Pakistan.

- Deadly day for U.S. troops in Iraq.

- U.S. company signs major solar panel deal with China.

Top of the Agenda: Appeal for Int'l Summit on Afghanistan, Possible Vote Recount

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling for an international summit (AP) to discuss Afghanistan's future.

This comes following last month's disputed elections in Afghanistan. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai appears to have the votes to avoid a runoff vote in the country's presidential elections, but the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), which can veto the outcome, ordered a partial recount (Reuters), citing "clear and convincing evidence of fraud."

Separately, a NATO military raid freed Stephen Farrell, a New York Times reporter who had been held hostage since Saturday by Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan. Farrell's Afghan interpreter and a British commando were killed in the effort, and there were unverified reports of civilian casualties.

Analysis:

Journalist Ahmed Rashid, in an interview with RealClearWorld, says the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan needs a minimum of two to three years to work, and says impatience among the American public is "misplaced and unfair."

In an interview with the Christian Science Monitor, former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski says he supports the European proposal for an international summit, as U.S. allies in Europe "might be less likely to pull out entirely, which would leave the U.S. alone in the lurch."

Background:

The New York Times looks at the difficult position of the United States in Afghanistan's disputed vote.

A CFR Backgrounder looks at the rise and current state of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

MIDEAST: U.S. Troop Deaths in Iraq

Four U.S. soldiers were killed in bomb blasts in Baghdad and Salahuddin province on Tuesday, making it the deadliest day (LAT) for U.S. troops in Iraq since U.S. forces withdrew from the country's major cities in late June. Six Iraqi police were also killed in roadside bomb attacks.

The New York Times looks at life on U.S. military bases in Iraq since the drawback from major cities.

Iran: Iranian authorities raided and shut down (PRESS TV) the offices of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi. The incident came a day after security forces carried out a similar raid (CNN) on former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi's offices in Tehran.

CFR's Ray Takeyh says a widening political split in Iran casts greater doubt on prospects for nuclear talks with the West.

PACIFIC RIM: U.S.-China Solar Deal

U.S. energy group First Solar signed a deal (China Daily) to build the world's biggest solar power plant in China. The company plans to build a two-gigawatt power plant that could power about three million Chinese households, at Ordos City, in Inner Mongolia.

North Korea: The United States froze the assets (Yonhap) of General Bureau of Atomic Energy and the Korea Tangun Trading Corp, two North Korean companies believed to be supporting North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The United States also banned U.S. companies from doing business with them.

Korea expert Victor Cha, in a recent CFR interview, says prospects for North Korea to give up nuclear weapons in future talks still appear remote.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Drone Attack

A U.S. drone attack killed twelve people in Pakistan's North Waziristan, most of them suspected militants reports Dawn. Pakistani intelligence officials said the attack targeted a house near the Afghan border used as a militant hideout.

AFRICA: U.S. Envoy Visits Sudan

U.S. special envoy Scott Gration arrives in Sudan today, where he will meet with political leaders in hopes of salvaging the peace deal (AFP) that ended the country's civil war between the north and south. Gration will also visit camps for internally displaced persons in Darfur.

An interactive CFR Crisis Guide looks at the conflict in Darfur.

Kenya: Kenya replaced (BBC) the majority of its senior police officers amid allegations from human rights groups that the police killed hundreds of people in post-election violence in 2007.

AMERICAS: Investigation Against Argentina's de la Rua

An Argentine appeals court overturned the dismissal (Buenos Aires Herald) of murder charges against former President Fernando de la Rua in the 2001 deaths of five protesters in demonstrations ahead of his resignation. The investigation into de la Rua's possible responsibility for the deaths, and for the injuries of more than one hundred others, will be reopened.

EUROPE: EU Concern over Israel

The European Union expressed "serious concern" about the Israeli government's approval (Reuters) of more than 450 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank. In a statement, the Swedish EU presidency said the settlements are "illegal" and called on Israel to immediately end settlement activity.

Bosnia-UK: Former Bosnian Serb leader Momcilo Krajisnik, convicted of crimes against humanity in the Bosnian war, was sent to the United Kingdom to serve his twenty-year sentence (BBC). The United Kingdom agreed to take Krajisnik as part of its support for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

TRANSNATIONAL: Energy Use in the Developing World

The Washington Post looks at rising energy use in developing nations, noting that countries like India and Kenya face frequent blackouts as infrastructure struggles to keep up with demand.

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