Democratic.net: [RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, September 16, 2009

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, September 16, 2009

To view this newsletter as a web page, click here. http://www.cfr.org/about/newsletters/editorial_detail.html?id=NUMBER

September 16, 2009

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Adm. Mullen calls for troop increase in Afghanistan.
- Green Zone attacked upon Biden's arrival in Baghdad.
- New prime minister named in Japan.
- Bernanke says recession likely over.

Top of the Agenda: More Troops for Afghanistan

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee an increase in troops in Afghanistan is "probably" necessary (WashPost), but did not specify a number. Mullen did say two thousand to four thousand additional NATO and U.S. military trainers would help "jump start" the building of Afghan security forces.

The Wall Street Journal says the support of Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates for a troop surge in Afghanistan would make it "easier" for U.S. President Barack Obama to approve the recommendations of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Kabul. McChrystal will likely submit a request later this month for some forty thousand additional troops in Afghanistan. There are sixty-two thousand U.S. troops there now.

Analysis

On Foreign Policy, CFR's Daniel Markey says the United States and NATO should press Kabul to organize a second constitutional convention to "ratify a new structure for democratic governance."

Military strategist Kimberly Kagan tells CFR the only way to ensure victory is a better-resourced counterinsurgency campaign focused on securing population centers.

Background

A CFR Backgrounder looks at the Afghan national security forces.

An interactive CFR timeline tracks the history of the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan.

MIDEAST: Biden’s Arrival

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of being behind a rocket attack (Aswat al-Iraq) that coincided with the arrival in Baghdad's Green Zone of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Biden arrived unannounced (NYT) for a two day visit to meet with Iraqi and Kurdish leaders.

Gaza: A UN-backed probe report says both sides committed war crimes (Haaretz) in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza last winter. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the report's findings are "a prize for terrorism."

PACIFIC RIM: Hatoyama Named Prime Minister

Japanese parliament named Yukio Hatoyama the prime minister (Japan Times), two weeks after his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won national elections in a landslide. The election ended fifty years of almost uninterrupted rule by the Liberal Democratic Party.

A CFR Backgrounder looks at the rise of the DPJ.

China: The Wall Street Journal looks at the growing market for rural land in China.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Vote Fraud in Afghanistan

EU election observers say one in three votes (Times of London) cast in the Afghan elections were fraudulent. Some 1.1 million votes in favor of Karzai met Afghanistan's electoral fraud criteria, and 300,000 cast for main opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah.

AFRICA: MEND Ceasefire Extended

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) announced it would extend its ceasefire agreement (NEXT) for an additional thirty days. The ceasefire is intended to allow an opportunity for talks with the government on weapons amnesty.

A CFR Backgrounder profiled MEND.

Somalia: Somali Islamic militants are vowing vengeance (BBC) for a U.S. helicopter raid that killed a top al-Qaeda suspect, Kenyan-born Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan. Nabhan, who was a leader in the Somali militant group al-Shabaab, is believed to have been behind attacks on a hotel and an Israeli airliner in Kenya in 2002.

CFR profiles al-Shabaab in this Backgrounder.

AMERICAS: Bernanke says Recession Over

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. economic recession is "very likely over," (MarketWatch) but it will still "feel like a very weak economy for some time." Bernanke predicts labor markets remain frail through 2010 as growth will be too anemic to create new jobs.

The full text of Bernanke's remarks is available here.

Car Sales: The U.S. "Cash for Clunkers" program boosted retail car sales by 2.7 percent (WashPost) in August from the previous month, according to figures from the Department of Commerce. But economists say the new car sales may have come at the expense at other major purchases.

EUROPE: Barroso Reelected

European parliament reelected European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to a second five-year term in office . Barroso, a former Portuguese prime minister, ran unopposed (BBC) for the position.

Norway: Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, leader of the Norwegian Labor Party, was reelected for a second term (Christian Science Monitor) after a close contested race, dimming the prospects of Norway's joining the EU.

Bosnia: Former Bosian Serb President Biljana Plavsic was granted early release (Deutsche Welle) from an eleven-year war crimes sentence by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Plavsic was convicted of the persecution of Croats and Bosnian Muslims in the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.

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.

To subscribe to the Daily Brief or other newsletters offered by the Council on Foreign Relations: http://www.cfr.org/about/newsletters.html

To pause your subscription, to switch between HTML and text-only versions of the newsletter, to change your the email address, or to unsubscribe: http://www.mailermailer.com/x?u=101077382y-6e02f00d.

Council on Foreign Relations 58 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065 Tel. +1 212.434.9400 Fax: +1 212.434.9800

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