Thursday, November 12, 2009

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

 

From the Council on Foreign Relations

November 12, 2009

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

-U.S. envoy expresses Afghanistan concerns.
-Yemen rejects Iran's offer on Houthi fighting.
-Former Thai president criticizes Cambodia.
-Obama administration considers TARP to correct budget.

Top of the Agenda: U.S. Envoy on Afghanistan

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry expressed his reservations (NYT) about deploying additional troops to the country as the Obama administration deliberates on a new Afghanistan strategy this week. The ambassador opposes the position of U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal, who has requested an additional forty thousand troops.

Eikenberry recently expressed concern about the reliability of President Hamid Karzai. A senior military official said last year that General McChrystal's relationship to Eikenberry has occasionally been tense. Eikenberry has been critical of McChrystal's push for commando missions, citing safety concerns, according to the New York Times.

The White House issued a statement after a top-level meeting on Afghanistan strategy Wednesday, apparently reflecting Eikenberry's concerns (WashPost). "The President believes that we need to make clear to the Afghan government that our commitment is not open-ended," the statement said. "After years of substantial investments by the American people, governance in Afghanistan must improve in a reasonable period of time."

Analysis

The Washington Post reports that Eikenberry's late interventions have highlighted the difficulties of creating a strategy in which the United States is dependent on a partnership with the Karzai government, despite concerns about its incompetence and corruption.

In the Nation, Aram Roston writes that U.S. contracting in Afghanistan is rife with shady connections between former U.S. officials and former Taliban members aimed at collecting U.S. government funds in the name of the war effort.

In the Los Angeles Times, CFR's Max Boot says that although corruption, drug-trafficking and other civil issues are important priorities, Karzai needs to become more engaged with the war raging around him.

Background

A CFR Backgrounder examines the troubled Afghan-Pakistani border.

MIDDLE EAST: Yemen Conflict

The Yemeni government rejected Iran's offer (al-Jazeera) to help restore security and mediate an end to the government's conflict with Houthi fighters, saying the issue is internal.

Israel: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah criticized U.S. President Barack Obama (YNet) Wednesday, saying he favors Israel's interests and security over Palestinian concerns.

PACIFIC RIM: U.S.-China Trade

Given China's surging trade surplus and rising unemployment in the United States, the Asia Times reports that trade will likely be a sticking point during President Obama's visit to Beijing next week.

Cambodia: Former Thai president Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup, accused Thailand's leaders (Bangkok Post) of "false patriotism" during his first lecture as Cambodia's economic adviser.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Sri Lankan Military

Sri Lankan defense minister Sarath Fonseka, who led the military victory against Tamil Tigers, has resigned (al-Jazeera) amid speculation that he will run for president next year.

AFRICA: Ivory Trade

Illegal ivory trade volume spiked in 2009 (AllAfrica), according to new analysis by the Elephant Trade Information System, indicating increased involvement of organized crime in the trade.

Mozambique: Incumbent President Armando Guebuza won the Mozambican 2009 elections (AngolaPress) by a landslide amid claims by opposition parties of election fraud.

AMERICAS: U.S. Budget Deficit

The Obama administration is considering (WSJ) using part of the seven hundred billion dollars in Troubled Asset Relief Program funds to help reduce the country's massive budget deficit.

Brazil: The Brazilian Senate has decided to postpone a vote (MercoPress) on admitting Venezuela as a full member to South American trade bloc Mercosur, given Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's comments on a war with Colombia.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at Mercosur.

EUROPE: Medvedev Reforms

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called for broad reforms (BBC) to the Russia's "primitive" economy and political system, including modernization of democratic institutions, hi-tech investments, and increased accountability and transparency.

Britain: Oxford Iran Scholarship

Iran has condemned (Guardian) Oxford University's creation of a scholarship in the name of Neda Agha-Soltan, the Iranian student who died during election protests in June.

TRANSNATIONAL: Science and Politics

In the New Republic, climatologist Stephen Schneider discusses whether it is possible to draw a line between science and activism.
 

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