Thursday, December 24, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, December 24, 2009

 

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From the Council on Foreign Relations

December 24, 2009

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Senate Passes Health Care Overhaul
- Airstrikes in Yemen
- Suicide Blast in Pakistan
- Recession Alters Immigration Patterns

Top of the Agenda: A Health Care Overhaul

In a 60-39 party-line vote, the U.S. Senate has approved a landmark health care reform measure that would expand coverage (WashPost) to more than 30 million Americans. The bill now heads to negotiations with the House. If the two chambers can strike a deal, as is expected, the resulting measure would require (NYT) most Americans to have health insurance, add roughly 15 million people to Medicaid, and help subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people.

The United States pays nearly double the GDP average for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member-countries--almost all of which offer some form of universal coverage. And some analysts argue that rising health care costs harm U.S. competiveness. But changes will come at substantial costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates an $871 billion price tag (Bloomberg) over ten years. It would also leave an estimated 23 million people uninsured in 2019. Republicans opposed the measure, arguing the mandatory provisions would impose massive costs (WSJ) on taxpayers and businesses.

Nonetheless, many see the Senate action as a milestone in social policy, on par with the creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965.

Analysis:

In this CFR roundup, seven policy analysts examine how the health care overhaul will affect the competitiveness of U.S. businesses and the U.S. economy. The BBC offers a comprehensive breakdown of how the U.S. health care system is structured, and why rising costs have saddled the system.

Background:

With the Senate's health care provision headed for negotiations with the House, the BBC offers a comparison what must be reconciled before President Obama can pass the measure into law. Politics Daily offers its version of a health care explainer, here.

MIDDLE EAST: Airstrikes in Yemen

Yemeni forces struck an alleged al-Qaeda base (WashPost) in southern Yemen during an early morning raid, killing at least thirty suspected militants. The strike appeared to be aimed at the home of Anwar al-Aulaqi, an extremist Yemeni-American preacher linked to the U.S. Army psychiatrist charged with shooting thirteen people at Fort Hood last month.

Iraq: Attacks in Mosul and Baghdad have killed at least eight people (NYT) ahead of religious holidays in the country, and the Iraqi government has deployed nearly 50,000 soldiers and police to protect millions of Muslim pilgrims this weekend.

Iran: Opposition protests that erupted following the death of revered cleric Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri have spread (LAT) to Iran's conservative heartland.

PACIFIC RIM: Volvo Goes to China

A Chinese car manufacturer is close to a deal with the Ford motor company to purchase its Volvo unit, Global Times reports. The paper reports that Ford has settled all "substantive commercial terms" in the possible sale to China's Zheliang Geely Holding Group, a deal estimated to be worth $1.8 billion.

China: Beijing has accused foreign diplomats (BBC) of meddling in its internal affairs for criticizing China's treatment of Liu Xiaobo, a prominent government critic and veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Liu is currently standing trial for "inciting subversion of state power."

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Peshawar Suicide Blast

A suicide bomber has killed at least five people (al-Jazeera) and injured dozens in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. The bomber detonated his explosives near an army and police checkpoint, the latest in a string of deadly attacks in the country. Eighteen bomb blasts have rocked Peshawar in the last three months, most attributed to the Taliban.

Afghanistan: U.S. counternarcotics efforts lack a clear long-term strategy, a new report has found.

Philippines: Volcanologists are closely watching (al-Jazeera) Mount Mayon as the threat of a major eruption remains high.

AFRICA: Sanctions and Aid Suspension

The U.S. State Department is suspending millions of dollars in non-humanitarian aid to Niger and imposing travel restrictions on the country leadership after the country's president refused to step down after his term ended on December 22. The UN, meanwhile, imposed arms and travel sanctions on Eritrea for supporting insurgents in nearby Somalia.

AMERICAS: Recession Alters U.S. Immigration Patterns

The recession has dramatically altered immigration patterns (WSJ) in the United States reversing the flow of people to states such as Florida and Nevada, once housing-boom capitals.

United States: The New York Times reports on the crisis in the oil refining business, hampered by low gasoline demand and an increase in alternative fuels.

EUROPE: A Grim Milestone in Britain

Britons buried their hundredth soldier (Guardian) killed in Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23, who was killed on December 7 in Helmand province while guarding a checkpoint. Military deaths in Britain have been intensely political as support for the war effort wanes.

Italy: The Financial Times reports that an amnesty law for tax evaders holding funds outside the country has been hugely successful.

Editor's Note: Please note the relaunch of CFR.org's home page offering improved site navigation, expanded content, and new multimedia options. www.cfr.org
 

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