Friday, January 8, 2010

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, January 8, 2010

 

From the Council on Foreign Relations

January 8, 2010

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Obama Outlines New Anti-Terror Policies
- U.S. to Renew Push for Mideast Peace
- UN Official Calls for Sri Lanka Inquiry
- Sudan Ethnic Clashes Worsen

Top of the Agenda: Obama Outlines New Anti-Terror Policies

U.S. President Barack Obama detailed (NYT) new policies to respond to terrorism threats and called for an aggressive response to failures that allowed the attempted Christmas Day attack. Obama called for the Homeland Security Department to install $1 billion in advanced-technology passenger screening equipment, including body scanners, and to coordinate with international airports to upgrade their equipment. He said intelligence reports about terrorist threats would be more widely disseminated among agencies and asked the State Department to tighten its visa policy and make them easier to revoke. Obama also called for expanding criteria for terrorism watch lists.

A report on the attempted attack criticized the National Counterterrorism Center and the Central Intelligence Agency for failing to share and connect information. John Brennan, Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, said the intelligence failures on Christmas Day were not similar to those that led to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some agencies were denied access to critical information then, but those problems were resolved and the structure of intelligence agencies changed.

The White House review of the attempted bombing concluded (WashPost) that the United States was more focused on al-Qaeda's plans abroad than those at home. Obama did not blame specific intelligence and homeland security officials for mistakes, saying he was "less interested in passing out blame than I am in learning from and correcting these mistakes ... Ultimately the buck stops with me ... and when the system fails, it is my responsibility."

Analysis:

A Wall Street Journal op-ed says the Christmas Day attack was a failure of bureaucracy and that Obama's response may end up only "shaking settled behavior patterns" for "a while."

An Independent op-ed says Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's averted attack draws needed attention to the desperate plight of Nigeria.

In a CFR interview, Steven Simon says "systemic failures" contributed to the Christmas Day airliner plot, but given the huge volume of intelligence analyzed daily, reforms won't come easily.

Background:

A New York Times Magazine article looks at the Obama administration's war on terrorism.

This CFR Backgrounder explains al-Qaeda's origins and reach.

The BBC profiles al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

MIDDLE EAST: Middle East Peace Talks

The Obama administration is taking new steps (WSJ) to resume Arab-Israeli peace talks, which broke down last year, by February or March.

Iran: Pro-government demonstrators shot (AP) at the car of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi as he was leaving a building in Qazvin, ninety miles west of Tehran, according to Karroubi's website.

PACIFIC RIM: China on U.S.-Taiwan Missile Deal

China warned (Xinhua) the United States that its arms sales to Taiwan will undermine Sino-U.S. cooperation, after the U.S. Defense Department announced a contract for advanced Patriot missiles to be sold to Taiwan.

Malaysia: Three Malaysian churches were attacked (SydneyMorningHerald) with firebombs in an escalating dispute over the use of the word "Allah," after a court ruled last week to give permission for "Allah" to be used as a translation for the Christian "God."

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Sri Lanka Inquiry

UN human rights official Philip Alston called (al-Jazeera) for a war crimes investigation due to video footage that allegedly depicts Sri Lankan troops executing Tamil Tiger fighters last year. Sri Lanka says the footage is fabricated (BBC).

Pakistan: Six people were killed (Dawn) in a blast in Karachi, when explosives stored in a house inhabited by militants detonated accidentally.

AFRICA: Sudan Ethnic Clashes

At least 140 people were killed (BBC) in ethnic clashes between Nuer and Dinka groups in Southern Sudan, as rising ethnic violence threatens to return the country to civil war.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's government halted (Herald) the auction of three hundred thousand carats of diamonds to ensure that their sale complies with the Kimberley Process, an international certification scheme adopted by diamond-trading countries in November.

AMERICAS: Honduran Political Crisis

Charges against six military officers involved in ousting unseated Honduran president Manuel Zelaya are expected to be dropped (NYT) to ease tensions in the country.

EUROPE: Spain's EU Presidency

Spain, the European Union's new president, called (DeutscheWelle) for binding goals to promote European economic growth and penalties for uncooperative member states in a ten-year-plan to revive the bloc's economy.

Sweden: Billionaire and Formula One owner Bernie Ecclestone will join forces (Guardian) with a Luxembourg investment firm in an attempt to rescue Swedish carmaker Saab, which American General Motors plans to close after eight years of losses.

Editor's Note: Please note the relaunch of CFR.org's home page offering improved site navigation, expanded content, and new multimedia options. www.cfr.org

 

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