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June 3, 2009
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Obama kicks off Middle East trip in Saudi; Arab peace plan is core issue.
- British government faces crisis as multiple cabinet secretaries bolt.
- Cuba issue divides OAS summit in Honduras.
- Reports indicate North Korea may be preparing more missile launches.
Top of the Agenda: Obama Opens Mideast Trip
U.S. President Barack Obama travels to Saudi Arabia today on the first leg of a trip aimed at improving U.S. relations with the Muslim world and pushing forward the regional peace process. Major U.S. papers took a dim view of Obama's prospects for making quick progress. The New York Times reports Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, have cooled on the idea of offering a gesture to Israel to entice them to accelerate the peace process. http://m1e.net/
Al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri released a statement on the eve of Obama's trip aimed at deepening this chasm, calling Obama a "criminal" and telling Muslims not to listen to his "polished words" (BBC). http://m1e.net/
At the same time, however, some hopeful signs have also emerged. A new gallup poll notes that Arab views of U.S. leadership have improved since Obama took office in all regions except for Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. http://m1e.net/
Analysis:
CFR's Steven Cook discusses Obama's trip in a new interview. Cook says the president's talks are likely to focus on the Saudi-led Arab peace plan and on trust-building. http://m1e.net/
Background:
CFR's Crisis Guide gives in-depth background information on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. http://m1e.net/
PACIFIC RIM: North Korea Missile Preparations
The South Korean paper Chosun Ilbo reports North Korea is preparing to fire mid-range missiles and could potentially launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at the same time. http://m1e.net/
Meanwhile, the Korea Times reports a South Korean naval destroyer was struck by a software glitch that incapacitated its missile-tracking radar system and may not be able to carry out the mission of following a potential North Korean missile launch in the coming weeks. http://m1e.net/
CHINA-U.S.: Xinhua reports Washington and Beijing laid the groundwork for "landmark" strategic and economic talks later this summer in meetings between U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Chinese President Hu Jintao. http://m1e.net/
SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA: Afghan War
The New York Times reports a military investigation has concluded that U.S. personnel made significant errors in carrying out some of the airstrikes in western Afghanistan on May 4 that killed dozens of Afghan civilians.
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The U.S. general tapped to serve as the next commander in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, said the United States faces a serious test in finding a way to avoid the civilian deaths that are increasingly alienating the Afghan public from the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan (BBC). http://m1e.net/
A recent Backgrounder looks at the U.S. military's strategic communications efforts in Afghanistan, noting several instances in which they have lagged behind the communications strategies of the militants the United States is fighting. http://m1e.net/
PAKISTAN: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke heads to Pakistan today on a mission focused on addressing the country's spiraling problem with internally displaced people (Reuters). http://m1e.net/
INDIA: India appointed its first ever female parliament speaker, Meira Kumar (Times of India). http://m1e.net/
AFRICA: South Africa's Economy
BuaNews reports on new comments from South Africa's President Jacob Zuma that the country's continuing economic weakness could affect the pace at which he is able to address social and economic challenges. http://m1e.net/
MALI: An al-Qaeda affiliated group in Mali has reportedly murdered a British hostage (Reuters). http://m1e.net/
AMERICAS: Summit on Cuba
The United States is facing strong political pressure to open up its policies toward Cuba at this year's Organization of American States (OAS) summit in Honduras. The BBC reports most Latin American states want Cuba to be included in the OAS group. http://m1e.net/
The Miami Herald writes that the Cuba issue could "tear apart" the OAS. http://m1e.net/
A recent Backgrounder profiles U.S.-Cuban relations, outlining tension points. http://m1e.net/
MEXICO: Mexican prisons face overcrowding as a result of the country's attempts to crack down on drug lords (Reuters). http://m1e.net/
EUROPE: British Political Crisis
The FT reports Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces a full-fledged political crisis after Brown's communities secretary became the latest in a string of high-level cabinet secretaries to resign. The paper says the resignation leaves Brown's Labour Party "looking seriously damaged" on the eve of European and local British elections. http://m1e.net/
Britain's interior minister is also planning to resign, according to news reports (Reuters). http://m1e.net/
MOLDOVA: Moldova faces a new general election after the country's parliament twice failed to install a president (BBC). http://m1e.net/
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