Thursday, May 13, 2010

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily News Brief, May 13, 2010

 

From the Council on Foreign Relations

May 13, 2010

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Obama and Karzai Soothe Tensions
- U.S. Warns on East Jerusalem
- Thai Army to Seal Off Protest Site
- UK's New Coalition Cabinet Convenes

Top of the Agenda: Obama and Karzai Soothe Tensions

U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai cleared the air of residual tensions during Karzai's extended visit to Washington (WashPost). Both leaders acknowledged the political difficulties in maintaining their, at times troubled, partnership. Obama discussed the need to protect Afghan civilians, while Karzai spoke of his visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center the previous day. Obama told reporters he believed the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy was on schedule, allowing U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan to begin in July 2011. Karzai secured Obama's endorsement of his Taliban reintegration plan. The visit comes ahead of Karzai's plans to convene a peace conference, as well as a U.S. military push into Kandahar. Obama's senior advisors, who have disagreed over whether Karzai is a reliable partner in the U.S.-led war effort, said the meeting was constructive.

The success of the coming Kandahar offensive largely depends on whether Afghans can overcome their distrust of Karzai's government (NYT).

Analysis:

In the Washington Post, Zalmay Khalilzad says normalizing U.S.-Afghan relations requires a credible agreement on specific issues, such as a new division of labor on security in Afghanistan, and clarifying Karzai's strategy in dealing with the Taliban.

Karzai's visit gave the White House an opportunity to reassure him and the Afghan public of the U.S. commitment to long-term success in Afghanistan, writes CFR's Brett McGurk.

Background:

This Backgrounder analyzes the Taliban's role in Afghanistan.

MIDDLE EAST: U.S. Warns on East Jerusalem

The U.S. administration warned against (BBC) the Israeli government's announcement Wednesday that it could continue to demolish buildings in East Jerusalem.

Iraq: Seven people were killed and twenty-two others injured in a car bomb attack (al-Jazeera) in Baghdad's Shia neighborhood of Sadr City.

PACIFIC RIM: Thai Army to Seal Off Protest Site

The Thai army said it will surround a protest camp (BangkokPost) in Bangkok to increase pressure on opposition demonstrators.

China: Concern is growing that a prolonged European debt crisis could delay the expected revaluation (FT) of China's currency against the U.S. dollar.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Afghan Poppy Harvest Marred by Disease

Up to one-third of Afghanistan's poppy harvest has been destroyed this season by a mysterious disease (NYT), leading Afghan farmers to blame the American and NATO militaries.

AFRICA: China Defends Role in Africa

China's vice commerce minister Fu Ziying addressed Western criticism (WSJ) of China's involvement in Africa, describing Chinese investment as "more market-driven" while acknowledging the need for more laws and protections.

Nigeria: Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan nominated Kaduna state governor Namadi Sambo (Reuters) to be his vice president.

AMERICAS: Congress Blames Defective Device in Oil Rig Mess

U.S. congressional investigators said the device meant to stop oil leaking from the Gulf of Mexico well after last month's rig explosion was defective (BBC).

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is not just a problem to clean up, says CFR's Michael Levi, it has serious commercial implications for some oil firms and has dimmed the prospects of U.S. climate legislation.

Venezuela: An offshore Venezuelan natural gas platform sank in the Gulf of Paria to the east of Venezuela, but the nearly one hundred workers on it were safe, according to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The country's energy minister said it posed no risk to the environment (DowJones).

EUROPE: Britain's New Coalition Cabinet Convenes

Newly minted British Prime Minister David Cameron convened his first cabinet session of the new coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats (Telegraph).

The British election "may prove to be a hinge point" in the evolving relations between Britain and the United States, says Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House in London.

Portugal: Portugal will announce new austerity measures (FT), including a "crisis tax" on companies and wages, to accelerate cuts in the country's worrisome budget deficit.

Saving the European Union requires a plan to allow fiscally weak member countries to fail, as well as painful lifestyle changes and some loss of national sovereignty, says the Centre for European Policy Studies' Daniel Gros.

TRANSNATIONAL: Nuclear Posture Review Over-Relies on Missile Defense

In the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Yousaf Butt says the Obama administration's Nuclear Posture Review wrongly relies on missile defense as an element of nuclear deterrence. He says such systems are "useless, dangerous, and destabilizing."
 

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