Democratic.net: [RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, October 28, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, October 28, 2009

To view this newsletter as a web page, click here. http://www.cfr.org/about/newsletters/editorial_detail.html?id=1698

October 28, 2009

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- A car bomb kills more than eighty in Peshawar, Pakistan
- Insurgents attack UN workers in Kabul
- UN says U.S. drones may violate international law
- Merkel re-elected as German Chancellor

Top of the Agenda: Bomb Blast in Peshawar

A car bomb went off in Peshawar on Wednesday, killing more than eighty people (NYT) roughly three hours after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. The militant attack is the deadliest in a wave of violence sparked by the Pakistani military's campaign against Pakistani militants in South Waziristan.

Clinton is visiting senior officials (Al Jazeera) as part of a three-day visit with U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. The talks will center on issues including U.S. drone strikes inside Pakistan and a $7.5 billion U.S. aid package that conditions aid on Pakistan's commitment to fight the Taliban. Clinton also plans to discuss growing anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.

Analysis

The Washington Post reports that U.S. actions in Pakistan have placed the Pakistani government on the defensive against political opposition, and that the Obama administration needs to balance its desire for calm U.S.-Pakistan relations with Congressional concerns that U.S. aid will be wasted.

In a Washington Post op-ed, CFR's Richard Haass says a stable Pakistan is essential to a successful U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and that U.S. efforts should aim for Pakistan to exercise total control over terrorists within its borders.

Background

A CFR Backgrounder discusses Pakistan's new generation of terrorists.

A CFR interactive timeline explores the history of U.S.-Pakistan relations.

MIDEAST: Iran Nuclear Deal

A senior Iranian official said Tuesday that Iran plans to present its answer (Reuters) to a United Nations-brokered nuclear deal on Thursday. The official said on Iranian state television that Iran would accept the agreement but demand certain amendments.

Lebanon: The Lebanese army discovered four rockets (AFP) ready to be fired at Israel on Wednesday, the day after a rocket was launched into Israel, landing in Kiryat Shmona, an Israeli border town. The attack Tuesday came amid growing cross-border tensions between the two countries.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: The UN Questions U.S. Drones

A United Nations top investigator has said in a report to the UN General Assembly that U.S. drone strikes against suspected terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan could be breaking international laws (AFP). The report questioned whether civilian deaths, resulting from drone attacks, violated international humanitarian law and human rights law and urged the United States to be more forthright about its use of drone aircrafts.

Afghanistan: Insurgents attacked two guesthouses and a hotel in downtown Kabul housing United Nations staff, killing at least eight people (WSJ). The attackers also fired rockets on Kabul's largest luxury hotel, which houses foreign diplomats, UN officials, and journalists.

PACIFIC RIM: U.S.-China Military Ties

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for an end to "on-again, off-again" relations (Sydney Morning Herald) with China in a meeting with General Xu Caihou, China's second-ranking officer. The talks were the highest-level visit by China's military since 2006 due to tensions over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and U.S. surveillance of Chinese waters.

Australia: Australian authorities have refused to take in (BBC) seventy-eight Sri Lankan asylum seekers from a ship in Indonesian waters. The group is the latest in a stream of asylum seekers trying to reach Australia.

AFRICA: Elections in Mozambique

Mozambican presidential elections began Wednesday. President Armando Guebuza, whose Frelimo party has been in power since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975, is expected to win (AP).

Guinea: Human Rights Watch has said the crackdown on Guinean protesters in September was planned and premeditated by high-up government officials, the BBC reports. The EU has joined Human Rights Watch and other activist groups in calling for members of the military junta to be tried for human rights violations.

AMERICAS: Mujica Faces Runoff Elections

Socialist former guerrilla fighter, José Mujica, won Sunday's presidential elections but did not win enough votes to avoid a November runoff (NYT). Mujica won 47.5 percent of the vote, according to official results released Monday.

EUROPE: Germany’s Merkel Re-elected

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was elected for a second term (Deutsche Welle) to govern Europe's largest economy. Merkel has transferred her alliance with the Social Democrats (SPD) to the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), a more business-friendly party that supports tax cuts and less regulation.

Lisbon Treaty: The Czech constitutional court has said it will rule on whether the Lisbon Treaty is compatible with national law (EU Observer) next week, making it difficult for EU leaders at this week's summit to take a decision on dividing the top job positions in the European Union. Meanwhile, Slovakia and Hungary have opposed Prague's demands to be exempted from the treaty's rights charter.

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