[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, July 07, 2010

 

July 7, 2010 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - Obama, Netanyahu to Move on Mideast Peace - China Rules Out Dumping U.S. Debt - Kenya's Sharia Courts Divide Christians, Muslims - Sarkozy Faces Campaign Fund Scandal Top of the Agenda: Obama, Netanyahu to Move on Middle East Peace U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to move forward with the Middle East peace process (NYT) after a White House meeting. Obama gave a timetable for peace negotiations for the first time, saying he expected direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians to begin "well before" a moratorium on settlement construction ended in September. Netanyahu promised to take "concrete steps" in weeks ahead to move talks forward. The two leaders also discussed Iran's nuclear ambitions and Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons program. Instead of pushing Netanyahu to extend the existing moratorium on settlements, Obama said moving from U.S.-brokered "proximity talks" to direct talks would incentivize Netanyahu to act on his own. Netanyahu thanked Obama (FT) for successfully pushing for tighter UN sanctions on Iran and for unilateral U.S. measures. To advance the peace process, U.S. and Israeli officials said Netanyahu's government is prepared (WSJ) to grant the Palestinian Authority's security forces more control over areas of the West Bank and to release more prisoners loyal to Abbas. Analysis: In the Guardian, Jonathan Freedland says Obama and Netanyahu are "happy to go along with a strategy of pause and delay" since bold moves would endanger their domestic political support. In the Jerusalem Post, Ray Hanania says the lack of courageous Palestinian leadership has made it easy for Netanyahu's government and Palestinian activists to avoid peace. Background This CFR Crisis Guide looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. MIDDLE EAST: Israel to Discipline Gaza War Troops The Israeli military announced (WashPost) that it has indicted a staff sergeant on manslaughter charges and a lieutenant colonel for deviating from authorized protocol during the country's 2009 military operation in the Gaza Strip. PACIFIC RIM: China Rules Out Dumping U.S. Debt China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange sought to allay concerns that it would dump its vast holdings of U.S. debt (Reuters), and called on the United States to be a responsible guardian of the U.S. dollar. Japan: Japan moved to secure its role (WSJ) in the global, civil nuclear sector by setting up a government-backed organization to promote Japanese technology and fight off competition for multibillion-dollar contracts from rivals such as South Korea. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: U.S. Replaces British Forces in Afghan Hot Spot British forces are pulling out of Sangin (Guardian), the remote district of Afghanistan's Helmand province that has become a "honey pot" to Taliban insurgents and the most deadly area for NATO soldiers. Twenty-thousand U.S. soldiers will take their place. Separately, NATO mistakenly killed (AP) five of its Afghan army allies in an airstrike while the Afghans were attacking insurgents in the country's east. Pakistan's latest moves to exert influence in Afghanistan, including possibly brokering talks with militant Taliban allies, could pose difficulties for U.S. stabilization efforts, says CFR's Daniel Markey. India: Indian troops patrolled tense, curfew-bound cities in Kashmir in a show of force to help quell increasingly violent street protests (AP) over Indian rule. AFRICA: Kenya's Sharia Courts Divide Christians, Muslims Kenya's constitutional vote on sharia courts (WashPost) is pitting Muslims against Christians, as Christian leaders seek to remove them from the proposed new constitution. This Backgrounder looks at how sharia law is increasingly in the spotlight as its political and economic role expands in the Muslim world and even in the West. Sudan: Sudan's intelligence services imposed press censorship (AFP), which was lifted in September, six months ahead of a key referendum on independence for south Sudan. This Backgrounder examines Sudan's fractious internal politics. AMERICAS: Canada-U.S. Pipeline Faces U.S. Resistance The Obama administration is facing growing resistance from U.S. lawmakers (NYT) about a proposed pipeline to bring Canadian crude oil to the United States. The pipeline would increase U.S. dependence on Canada's environmentally unfriendly oil sands. In the wake of the Gulf spill, the U.S. should craft regional pacts with its neighbors to address pollution and liability issues arising from oil and gas exploration, says expert Caitlyn Antrim. Mexico: A left-right alliance in Mexico's mainstream political parties (LAT) could challenge the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in 2011 gubernatorial elections, after similar coalitions performed well in Sunday's local elections. In Foreign Affairs, Robert Bonner says Mexico is currently suffering from the same sort of drug-related violence that plagued Colombia during the 1980s. Mexico and the United States can learn a great deal from Colombia's example, including that they must build law enforcement capacity and not rely solely on military force. EUROPE: Sarkozy Faces Campaign Funding Scandal French President Nicolas Sarkozy's former campaign manager Liliane Bettencourt (heiress to the L'Oreal fortune) is accused of illegally contributing 150,000 euros (DeutscheWelle) to Sarkozy's campaign fund. EU: EU lawmakers approved tough new rules restricting bankers' bonuses (FT) in Europe as part of a package that sets banks' minimum capital requirements.

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