Democratic.net: [RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, August 11, 2009

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, August 11, 2009

August 11, 2009

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

-North America summit wraps up.
-Clinton emphasizes human rights in Democratic Republic of Congo.
-Fifty killed in Iraq bombings.
-Hundreds missing in Asian landslides.

Top of the Agenda: U.S. Immigration Reform Delayed

U.S. President Barack Obama said comprehensive immigration reform would likely have to wait until at least 2010 (LAT), emphasizing the need to "sequence these big initiatives." In the meantime, Obama said, his administration is working on a bill that could gain bipartisan support, so that "when we come back next year . . . we should be in a position to start acting."

Obama addressed the issue at the end of a two-day summit of North American leaders in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. After talks, the three leaders reasserted their call for the reinstatement of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya (MercoPress).

The leaders also pledged to work to curb carbon emissions, and to provide adequate aid to Mexico's drug war efforts (WashPost). During talks, Obama questioned Calderon on reports of human rights abuses by law enforcement officials fighting drug traffickers. Calderon assured Obama of Mexico's "strong commitment" to human rights, and said security forces who commit abuses are punished.

Analysis:
A CFR Task Force Report on U.S. immigration policy examines the relationship between trade and migration.

A Toronto Star editorial criticizes Harper for complaining about the "Buy America" provision in the U.S. stimulus package, saying the issue hurts Harper's ability to push more important agenda points.

Background:

The joint statement from the summit is available here.

The New York Times reports on the drug trade's continuation in Mexico's prisons.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at Mexico's drug war.

MIDEAST: Fatah Elections

The Palestinian Fatah movement elected a new group of young leaders (WashPost) to its Central Committee at its first conference in twenty years. Also elected was Marwan Barghouti, a militant leader currently jailed by Israel and widely seen as a likely future president.

Iraq: At least fifty people were killed in a wave of bombings (AP) in northern Iraq and Baghdad. The attacks are the most serious since U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq's major cities on June 30.

Iran: French citizen Clotilde Reiss confessed in an Iranian court to spying for France. The Times of London reports it was clear that Reiss' confession had been prepared for her. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would take time off from his vacation to focus on her release.

PACIFIC RIM: Hundreds Missing in Landslides

Nearly eight hundred people are missing and feared dead after Typhoon Morakot caused a mudslide that buried all of Shiao Lin village (BBC) in southwest Taiwan. A separate landslide caused several apartment buildings to collapse in a town in eastern China, burying an unknown number of people (Xinhua). A million people have been evacuated from their homes in China as a result of the storm.

Myanmar: A Myanmar court convicted pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar News) of violating her house arrest by letting an American visitor stay at her home. Military junta leader Than Shwe overturned the court's sentence of three years in prison, ordering that Suu Kyi spend another year and a half under house arrest. She has already been detained for more than fourteen years for leading an uprising against the military regime.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: India Searches N. Korean Ship

Indian authorities detained a North Korean ship (NYT) after it anchored without permission in Indian territory, and are searching it for radioactive material. India detained the ship under the authority of a UN resolution passed after North Korea tested a nuclear weapon in May.

Afghanistan: The Taliban attacked a governors' compound (al-Jazeera) and election office near Kabul, killing at least two civilians and three Afghan police officers. The attacks came just ten days before Afghanistan's presidential elections, which the Taliban have pledged to disrupt.

The Christian Science Monitor asks whether a U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan is inevitable.

Foreign Policy and the New America Foundation launched a new AfPak Channel, a Web site featuring the latest news and analysis from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

AFRICA: Clinton in DRC

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged students in the Democratic Republic of Congo to speak out against the country's civil conflict (AP) and the mass rapes carried out by rebels and government troops. She is meeting today with President Joseph Kabila and UN peacekeepers to push for improved observance of human rights. The talks will take place in North Kivu province, which aid groups say is the most dangerous place on earth for women and children.

A CFR Special Report lays out a policy agenda for the United States on securing peace in the DRC.

Somalia: A World Politics Review briefing says U.S. policy in Somalia has been misguided and has prolonged violence in the country.

Madagascar: After five days of negotiations, the four main political factions in Madagascar reached a deal to attempt to solve the country's political crisis (La Tribune). The agreement calls for the formation of a transitional government to organize presidential elections by the end of 2010.

AMERICAS: Concern over U.S.-Colombia Plan

Latin American leaders at the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) summit expressed unease over Colombia's plans to allow U.S. troops access to its military bases (Colombia Reports). Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva called for a meeting between Obama and Latin American leaders to discuss their concerns.

Energy: John Podesta of the Center for American Progress and Tim Wirth of the UN Foundation propose policies to increase the use of natural gas and low-carbon energy sources.

EUROPE: Legislation on Russian Military

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev introduced a bill to parliament that would allow the country's armed forces to intervene to protect Russian citizens abroad (RIA Novosti) or to "rebuff or prevent an aggression against another state." Medvedev said the bill was necessary in light of last year's war with Georgia.

TRANSNATIONAL: UN Leader Warns on Climate

Yvo de Boer, the top UN climate official, warned that time is running out (Reuters) to reach a new treaty to curb climate change. de Boer, speaking at a meeting of about 2,400 officials in Bonn, said he is worried that "hugely divergent interests" could prevent a deal at December's Copenhagen conference. Delegates to the Bonn conference are trying to shorten a lengthy draft text that outlines policy options for combating climate change.

An interactive CFR Crisis Guide looks at policy options for dealing with climate change.

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