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| October 14, 2009 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website.  |  | | | | | | Top of the Agenda: Pakistan’s U.S. Aid Concerns U.S. senators are seeking to reassure Pakistan (Al-Jazeera) about conditions attached to a $7.5 billion aid package bill, which Pakistan's parliament has criticized for violating the country's sovereignty and "micro-management" of military operations in Pakistan. The aid package, which is co-authored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), would triple non-military aid to Pakistan, increasing aid to $1.5 billion per year for five years. According to the bill, the secretary of state would have to periodically certify that Pakistan is working to dismantle illegal nuclear proliferation networks and affirm that Pakistan is not supporting militant groups. During meetings in Washington, Senator Kerry told Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that there was no reason to be concerned (BBC) with the bill, which has been cleared by Congress, and that it does not need to be changed. The Washington Post reports that President Obama will sign the bill this week after Congress issues a statement aimed at easing Pakistanis' concerns about violating their sovereignty. Analysis: The BBC says the objections indicate a disconnect between the army and civilian leaders, which have lauded the Kerry-Lugar bill as a successful engagement with the United States The New York Times says the aid bill threatens to undermine Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who has insisted on greater civilian oversight of the military as a condition of the aid. Foreign Policy's Dan Twining says the dispute reveals Pakistani public hostility (FP) to the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. Background: A CFR Backgrounder discusses Pakistan's fragile foundations. A CFR Interactive Timeline explores the history of U.S.-Pakistan relations. | | | | | | | | | MIDDLE EAST: Russia Withholds U.S. Support on Iran Sanctions Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that further sanctions on Iran would be "counterproductive" (WashPost) during talks in Moscow on Tuesday. CFR's Richard Haass writes in an FT op-ed that, with or without the support of Russia and China, U.S. policymakers should consider expanding existing sanctions to Iran's gas sector and its Revolutionary Guard, as a way of pressuring an unsure regime. Goldstone Report: The U.N. Human Rights Council agreed to hold a special session (Al-Jazeera) on the Goldstone report on Thursday, after a request by the Palestinian Authority and co-sponsored by the eighteen member states of the Human Rights Council. News of the special session came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the report for criticizing Israel for deliberately targeting civilians during the Gaza war earlier this year. Energy: At the upcoming global climate summit in Copenhagen, Saudi Arabia plans to push oil-producing countries (NYTimes) to demand payment from rich countries that reduce their oil consumption, in an effort to curb global warming. | | | | | | | | | | | | AMERICAS: Senate Approves Health Reform Bill The Senate Finance Committee voted 14 to 9 in favor of an $829 billion bill to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system (NYT) on Tuesday and put the legislation up for debate on the Senate floor. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) was the only Republican to vote "yes" to the bill, though she indicated that her vote Tuesday did not guarantee that she would vote in favor of the bill going forward. Snowe said she liked the Finance Committee bill because it would stop insurance companies from discrimination on the basis of health status or sex and would allow people to "shop" for coverage from a network of government-subsidized insurance exchanges. She also expressed her concern regarding too much government involvement and opposed amendments to create a government insurance plan. A CFR Backgrounder explores U.S. healthcare costs and its competitiveness. U.S. Financial Regulation: The House Financial Services Committee begins work on legislation to reform the regulation (Reuters) of U.S. financial institutions Wednesday and will focus this week on regulating the $450 trillion derivatives market and creating a consumer protection agency to guard against risky financial products. Hondurus: Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is insisting on being reinstated as president before elections scheduled for November 29. The demand proved to be a sticking point in otherwise "upbeat" discussions on Tuesday, the BBC reports. | | | | | | |
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