[RED DEMOCRATICA] CFR.org Daily Brief, August 2, 2010

 

August 2, 2010 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - U.S. Commits to Iraq Drawdown - Deaths Mounts from Pakistani Flood - New North Korea Sanctions Expected - British Official Summoned in Pakistan Top of the Agenda: U.S. Commits to Iraq Drawdown U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to reaffirm his commitment to ending combat operations in Iraq by the end of August, in a speech to be delivered today in Atlanta. "Make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing--from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats," according to excerpts of the speech (WSJ). "By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end." Figures released by Iraq's Health, Defense, and Interior ministries this weekend show 535 people were killed in July, and over 1,000 wounded, the highest since May 2008 (VOA). The U.S. military challenged the tally, putting the number of people killed in July at 222. Iraqi politicians continue to be deadlocked five months after parliamentary elections. Now, leading Iraqi lawmakers acknowledge a resolution is unlikely before the fall, a protracted stalemate that complicates the U.S. departure (WashPost). But as President Obama is expected to make clear, Iraq's problems are no longer the top concern of the Pentagon. Analysis Iraqi political expert Reidar Visser says the delay in forming a post-parliamentary government could present a problem for long-term stability as the United States reduces its military footprint. CFR's Rachel Schneller, writing for Chatham House, argues that while the timing of the United States' military withdrawal from Iraq is far from perfect--in the middle of Ramadan, and amid a lingering political stalemate--"withdrawal is overdue for the U.S." Background This timeline explores the seven-year war in Iraq, from the initial invasion in March 2003 to Iraq's recent political developments. MIDDLE EAST: Rockets Fired Into Israel, Jordan Police in Israel say five rockets were fired (BBC) at a southern Israeli resort town from a location in eastern Egypt. At least one of the rockets struck the nearby Jordanian port of Aqaba, killing one civilian and injuring four (Al-Arabiya). While Egypt denied its territory was used to launch an attack, the region has been used in the past to target Israeli interests. UAE: The business-friendly United Arab Emirates announced plans to ban BlackBerry services by October 1 over concerns that encrypted messages sent over its networks threaten national security (National). Saudi Arabia has already announced a similar suspension of service. Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being targeted by conservative critics (National) for undermining Islamic law, mismanaging the economy, and running roughshod over parliament. SOUTH ASIA: Toll from Pakistani Floods Climb At least 1,100 people have died and thousands remain missing (BBC) in the worst flooding to ravage Pakistan in eight decades. Dawn reports that as many as 1.5 million people have been affected by the flash flood and landslides that ripped through the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistani-administered Kashmir; as many as 3,700 homes have been destroyed. Afghanistan: General David Petraeus, the overall commander of forces in Afghanistan, has revised rules governing the use of force (WSJ), intending to ease restrictions on when air and artillery strikes can be called in to target insurgents hiding in old buildings or other abandoned structures. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates reaffirmed that the U.S. drawdown from Afghanistan, scheduled to begin in July 2011, will be "limited" in scope (al-Jazeera). PACIFIC RIM: New North Korea Sanctions Expected The United States is expected to announce a fresh round of sanctions (Yonhap) targeting North Korea's illicit nuclear and military activities. Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department's special advisor for nonproliferation and arms control, said the measures, expected in the coming weeks, will "target entities engaged in the export or procurement of conventional arms by or for North Korea, the procurement of luxury goods for North Korea, and other illicit activities." China: Hundreds rallied over the weekend in a southern Chinese city in defense of the Cantonese dialect, which is being increasingly marginalized on the Chinese mainland (SouthChinaMorningPost). AFRICA: Clampdown after UN Extension in Darfur The Sudanese government instructed UN peacekeepers in Darfur to coordinate travel plans (BBC) with Khartoum following the UN's extension of its mandate last week (al-Jazeera). Niger: Food insecurity has resulted in a surge of malnourished children in Niger, and humanitarian groups say that without urgent assistance, as many as 400,000 children are facing starvation (Guardian). AMERICAS: Boston Ties to WikiLeaks Suspect A former computer hacker who tipped off authorities to the illegal release of an Iraq air strike video in April says two Boston men assisted Pfc. Bradley Manning (CNN) in the recent Afghan war document dump. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking on ABC's This Week, said he was "mortified" and "appalled" by the public dissemination of the classified documents, the release of which will put Afghan allies at risk. Brazil: In an about-face, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said he will grant asylum (NYT) to an Iranian woman facing execution by stoning. Mexico: An endless flood of protests in Mexico City--740 street demonstrations in the first three months of 2010 alone--is crippling traffic and bringing the Mexican capital to a standstill (NYT). EUROPE: British Official Summoned in Pakistan Britain's top official in Pakistan will meet (Telegraph) with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi following comments made by the British prime minister criticizing the country's handling of terrorism. Last week, Britain's David Cameron inflamed tensions between London and Islamabad when he stated flatly that the world cannot tolerate Pakistan's "export of terror, whether to India or whether to Afghanistan" (Telegraph). United Kingdom: European bank HSBC reports that pre-tax profit more than doubled in the first six months of 2010, "as bad debts fell to the lowest level since the start of the financial crisis," the Financial Times reports.

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