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May 21, 2009
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Iran announces presidential candidates.
- Bombings in Iraq kill twenty-three.
- Israel dismantles settlement following Obama talks.
- Somalia's president opens possibility of talks with Islamists.
Top of the Agenda: Iran Approves Candidates
Iran's Guardian Council approved four final candidates, including current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for the country's June 12 presidential election. The announcement of the four contenders, from hundreds who had applied to run, officially kicks off campaigning in the election. Al-Jazeera reports the other three candidates cleared to contest the election are: Mirhoussein Mousavi, a former prime minister; Mahdi Karoubi, a former parliament speaker; and Mohsen Rezaie, the former head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard military corps. http://m1e.net/
RFE/RL reports Iran's reformist camp is represented most strongly by Mousavi and Karoubi, each of whom is considered a serious challenger to Ahmadinejad. http://m1e.net/
Related Analysis:
The beginning of campaigning coincides with Iran's test launch, yesterday, of a mid-range missile. CFR's Thomas Lippman says in a new interview that the timing of the launch was not coincidental—
MIDDLE EAST: Iraq Violence
Bombings in Baghdad and Kirkuk shook Iraq today, killing twenty-three people including three U.S. troops (BBC). http://m1e.net/
In a recent report, CFR's Stephen Biddle looks at the potential for positive trends in Iraq to be reversed and what it means for U.S. national interests. http://m1e.net/
ISRAEL: Haaretz reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised U.S. President Barack Obama that Israel would vacate some settlement outposts in the West Bank--and that they started the process by evacuating one such settlement today. http://m1e.net/
PACIFIC RIM: Suu Kyi Trial
The BBC reports Myanmar's government is barring foreign observers from the trial of democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, a day after allowing them entry. http://m1e.net/
CHINA: A Chinese official estimated that the Chinese yuan could make up more than 3 percent of global foreign exchange reserves by 2020 (Xinhua). http://m1e.net/
In a recent blog post, CFR's Brad Setser looks at different opinions on what China's future role in the global financial system should be. http://m1e.net/
SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA: Pakistan Aid
The Financial Times reports Pakistan is seeking $600 million in additional emergency aid to help provide services to the roughly 2 million people displaced by recent fighting in the Swat valley. http://m1e.net/
On Tuesday, the U.S. government said it would provide $110m in emergency humanitarian aid to Pakistan.
http://m1e.net/
AFGHANISTAN: The New York Times reports Taliban leaders negotiating with Afghanistan'
AFRICA: Somali Politics
Somalia's president today said he would welcome negotiations with the country's main opposition leader, a hardline Islamist named Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, leading to speculation that a unity government might be a possibility (Reuters). http://m1e.net/
IRIN reports Somalia's main Islamist militant group, al-Shabaab, has recently captured several strategic towns near the capital city of Mogadishu, but that the group does not command popular support. http://m1e.net/
Here is CFR's profile of al-Shabaab. http://m1e.net/
ZIMBABWE: In an interview with a South African state television network, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it would be in the best interest of the southern African region for Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to step down (Mail & Guardian). http://m1e.net/
AMERICAS: Obama on Guantanamo
President Obama is expected to give an address this morning answering critics of his attempt to dismantle Bush-era policies on prisoner detentions and interrogations (WashPost). http://m1e.net/
ARRESTS: Four men were arrested in New York on charges of plotting to set off bombs at two synagogues and shoot down military planes at a New York base. The New York Times reports the men appear to have been working alone, not in concert with any organized terrorist group. http://m1e.net/
PANAMA: Panama has moved to the top of Obama's short list of countries with which the United States should complete new trade agreements (LAT). http://m1e.net/
CUBA: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that Cuba should not be allowed to rejoin the Organization of American States until it completes political reforms, releases political prisoners, and respects human rights (Miami Herald). http://m1e.net/
EUROPE: Britain's Economy
The rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded its economic outlook for Britain, and lowered the country's sovereign debt rating, due to concerns about mounting British debt (FT). http://m1e.net/
SERBIA: Following meetings with Serbian President Boris Tadic, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden made conciliatory statements, saying the United States does not expect Belgrade to recognize Kosovo and that the Kosovo issue would not be a precondition for improving U.S. ties with Serbia (AFP). http://m1e.net/
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