Tuesday, December 29, 2009

[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, December 29, 2009

 

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From the Council on Foreign Relations

December 29, 2009

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- U.S. Steps up Terror War
- Peace Talks Underway in Cairo
- U.S.-Afghan Raid Questioned
- Dozens Dead in Nigerian Clash

Top of the Agenda: U.S. Vow to Track Down Terrorists

President Obama has ordered his national security team to "keep up the pressure" on terrorists who seek to attack the United States, and vowed not to rest until those responsible for the plot to bring down an American airliner on Christmas Day are brought to justice. "We will continue to use every element of our national power to disrupt, to dismantle, and to defeat the violent extremists who threaten us," Obama said, "whether they are from Afghanistan or Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia, or anywhere where they are plotting attacks against the U.S. homeland."

A group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has claimed responsibility for planning the failed attack, which intelligence officials now believe may have been among the most serious threats to the United States since 9/11 (WashPost). In a statement posted on a militant website, AQAP said it sought to avenge (al-Jazeera) U.S.-supported operations in Yemen. Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a number of attacked in recent months, including an assault on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital in 2008.

Revelations that the Nigerian man charged in the Christmas Day plane plot had support from al-Qaeda in Yemen has put new focus on militancy in that troubled country. British intelligence sources report Yemen is becoming a hub for Britons to train (Guardian), a trend al-Qaeda is seeking to exploit (Times). Concerns about Muslim militancy in Nigeria are also on the rise, writes CFR's John Campbell.

Analysis:

The Guardian's Hugh Macleod, reporting from Yemen, writes that al-Qaeda has become adept at exploiting social and political grievances in the troubled nation.

In the United States, congressional leaders and Obama administration officials are laying the groundwork for what could be a lengthy review (CSMonitor) of post-9/11 security systems once Congress returns to work in January.

Background:

Al-Jazeera has background on the group that has claimed responsibility for the failed attack.

Online writings, believed to be from the Nigerian suspect, reveal a deeply troubled and lonely Muslim man, the Washington Post reports.

MIDDLE EAST: Peace Talks Underway

Israeli and Egyptian leaders are meeting in Cairo to discuss restarting a U.S.-backed peace process between Israel and the Palestinians (Haaretz). Talks are also expected on the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

Iran: Analyst Abbas Milani writes in the Wall Street Journal that Western countries dealing with Iran must recognize that the Iranian opposition is not going away, and should consider this democratic movement in every negotiation with Tehran.

A longtime correspondent on Iran, Robin Wright, tells CFR.org the resilience of the diverse coalition comprising the opposition movement is motivated by a strong desire for governance reforms.

Iran: A correspondent for Dubai's TV Iran has been detained in Iran following this weekend's demonstrations (Gulf News). The 27-year-old Syrian journalist is believed to be one of roughly three-hundred people arrested in the wake of the unrest. The sister of an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner has also been detained (BBC).

PACIFIC RIM: North Korea Detains American

A human rights activist who crossed into North Korea last week has been taken into custody (WSJ). The man, Robert Park, a Korean-American from Arizona, was said to be carrying a letter calling for the north to open its borders to international aid groups. His detention comes four months after former President Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang to secure the release of two U.S. journalists detained by the north.

China: China's role in stabilizing the world economy topped the year's list of economic news in China, reports the Global Times newspaper.

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: U.S.-Afghan Raid Questioned

A joint operation by U.S. and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan has killed at least nine men, drawing condemnation from Afghan President Hamid Karzai. NATO officials say the raid, which was carried out in Kunar province, targeted a group of known Taliban fighters and smugglers of homemade bombs (NYT). But Karzai claimed the dead included eight schoolchildren (WSJ).

Pakistan: Government officials are calling for calm in Karachi, where rioters have torched hundreds of cars and shops in protest of a deadly suicide blast that killed at least forty people over the weekend (al-Jazeera). The suicide bombing targeted a Shiite Muslims on the holy day of Ashura.

AFRICA: Dozens Killed in Nigerian Clashes

Thirty-eight people have been killed in clashes between a Muslim religious sect and government security forces in northern Nigeria. A police commander in Bauchi State told journalists the fighting erupted following a session of open-air preaching (Daily Trust), which was banned by the state after an uprising by another sect earlier this year.

Niger: Three Saudi tourists have been killed and three more injured after an attack by unidentified gunmen near the border with Mali (BBC).

AMERICAS: Health Care Fight Ratchets Up

With new health care legislation advancing in Washington, insurance companies, hospitals, and other health care interests are taking their fight to the states, lobbying state capitals (NYT) to try to influence the final legislation.

Chile: Labor disruptions at Chilean mines have sent copper prices to a fifteen-month high (FT).

EUROPE: British Citizen Executed in China

China's execution of a British man for allegedly smuggling heroin into the country has enraged senior British politicians, who appealed to Beijing for clemency. Shaikh was the first European executed in China in fifty-eight years (Guardian).

Russia: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says Russia must develop offensive weapons systems to counter the United States' missile defenses. Otherwise, he says, the United States can "do whatever they want" (BBC).

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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