Democratic.net: [RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, August 18, 2009

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, August 18, 2009

August 18, 2009

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

-U.S.-Egypt talks in Washington.
-Obama addresses war in Afghanistan.
-Protests in Thailand.
-Criticism of UN Human Rights Council.

Top of the Agenda: Mubarak at the White House

U.S. President Barack Obama will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for talks at the White House today. They are expected to discuss Egypt's role in Arab-Israeli peace efforts (NPR), Iran's nuclear ambitions, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Egypt's human rights record, among other issues.

Mubarak will likely tell Obama that although Arab nations are willing to work for peace in the region, Israel must make the first gesture (NYT) toward restarting the peace process. Ambassador Hossam Zaki, spokesman for Egypt's foreign ministry, said Mubarak would ask Obama to pressure Israel to freeze settlements and to ease pressure on Gaza, among other suggestions. Mubarak discussed the Mideast peace process Monday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The visit is Mubarak's first to the White House since 2002, when the relationship between the two allies hit a rocky period (BBC) over Bush administration policies in the Mideast and U.S. criticism of Egypt's human rights situation.

U.S.-Egyptian relations appear to be on the rebound (Al Ahram Weekly) under the Obama administration. Obama gave a major speech in Cairo in June to underscore his desire to embark on a new era in the U.S. relationship with the Middle East.

Analysis:
CFR's Steven Cook, in a new Contingency Memo, assesses the probability of political instability in Egypt caused by military intervention or an Islamist push for power.

Foreign Policy looks at possible successors to Mubarak, who is 81 years old.

TIME looks at labor unrest that has boiled over in Egypt as Mubarak visits the United States.

Background:
An interactive CFR Crisis Guide examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Reuters has a Q&A on Mubarak's visit.

MIDEAST: U.S. Troops in Kurdish North

Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. general in Iraq, is proposing a temporary deployment (McClatchy) of more U.S. troops to the country's Kurdish north to help improve the security situation there. Odierno said al-Qaeda has been exploiting tensions between Arabs and Kurds in the region.

Iraq's Gays: A new Human Rights Watch report shows gay men in Iraq are increasingly being attacked, tortured, and murdered. The full report is available here.

PACIFIC RIM: Thai Protests

Thousands of people demonstrated in Bangkok (Bangkok Post) to demand the pardon of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Protesters delivered a petition with 3.5 million signatures to the king in support of Shinawatra, who was deposed in a coup in 2006 and convicted on conflict of interest charges. The petition has been forwarded to the government for review.

South Korea: Former President Kim Dae-jung, who pioneered Seoul's "Sunshine Policy" of engagement (LAT) with North Korea, died Tuesday. He is reported to have died of heart failure. Kim served as the country's president from 1998 to 2003, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.

Australia: The United Nations is investigating claims by Aboriginal and human rights groups that a government intervention in Aboriginal communities is in violation of their rights (Sydney Morning Herald). The government suspended anti-discrimination laws two years ago, purportedly in an effort to prevent child abuse. Aboriginal people have since been prohibited from drinking alcohol, and residents have been forced to spend some of their welfare payments on food and children's needs.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Obama on Afghanistan

President Obama said the war in Afghanistan is one "of necessity" (LAT) in a speech before at the Veterans in of Foreign Wars convention in Arizona. Obama said the war is critical in preventing Afghanistan from becoming "an even larger safe haven" for al-Qaeda. Obama spoke as campaigning for Thursday's Afghan presidential elections concluded.

Full text of Obama's speech is available here.

Afghan Elections: The Christian Science Monitor considers the implications of the return to Afghanistan of exiled warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum ahead of the elections.

In a new CFR interview, Ahmed Rashid, a leading expert on Afghanistan, says the August 20 presidential election in Afghanistan is "critically important" to achieving political stability, but he worries the vote will trigger controversy

AFRICA: Peace Corps Leaves Mauritania

The U.S. Peace Corps withdrew more than one hundred of its aid workers (Reuters) from Mauritania, citing security concerns. The Peace Corps, which has worked in Mauritania for forty years, left Mauritania after a suicide attack wounded three people in the capital city of Nouakchott earlier this month.

Somalia: Militants attacked a UN base (Somaliweyn Media Center) in Wajid, Somalia, but were warded off by security guards. The guards killed three of the gunmen. The area is controlled by militant Islamic group al-Shabaab, but it was not clear if the organization was responsible for the attack.

CFR profiles al-Shabaab in this Backgrounder.

This CFR interactive map looks at turbulence in the Horn of Africa.

AMERICAS: Brazilian Oil

The Brazilian government is seeking increased direct control over its oil fields, the New York Times reports.

Ecuador: Ecuador has signed a deal (FT) to provide China with sixty-nine million barrels of oil over the next two years in exchange for a billion dollar advance payment and a billion dollar loan.

EUROPE: Russian Power Plant Explosion

About seventy people are missing and at least ten others are dead after an oil-filled transformer exploded (Moscow Times) at Russia's largest hydroelectric power plant.

Iceland: Deutsche-Welle reports on the effects of brain drain in Iceland in the aftermath of the country's financial collapse.

TRANSNATIONAL: Human Right Council Criticized

Seventy-four nongovernmental organizations called for an end to a bloc system that they say allows countries guilty of human rights abuses to hold seats on the UN Human Rights Council (Reuters). The statement comes a month before the Human Rights Council opens its fall session in Geneva.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at the troubles plaguing UN Human Right Council.

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