Morning Brief

Morning Brief: Marines take the fight to the Taliban

Thu, 07/02/2009 - 8:55am

Top story: Around 4,000 U.S. marines pushed into the Taliban-controlled Helmand River valley in eastern Afghanistan in the biggest offensive since President Barack Obama ordered 21,000 additional troops to the country. The mission is supported by British troops stationed in Helmand, and the Pakistani military, which has set up along the border to block Taliban fighters from escaping into Pakistan. 

A Marine commander described the mission as different from previous offensives in terms of the "massive size of the force introduced, the speed at which it will insert, and the fact that where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces.”

Reported casualties on both sides are minor so far, but a senior Taliban commander told Reuters that "Thousands of Taliban mujahideen are ready to fight against U.S. troops in the operation in Helmand province."

It has also been revealed that a U.S. soldier was taken prisoner by the Taliban in Eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday. 

Must read: Declassified records from Saddam Hussein's interrogation by the FBI indicate that the former Iraqi leader's WMD bluff was aimed primarily at Iran. 


Asia

Middle East

  • Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mohammad Khatami issued statements condemning the government's post-election crackdown and calling the Islamic regime illegitimate. 
  • Several Iraqi insurgent groups issued statements calling on Iraqis to continue the fight against U.S. troops after this week's withdrawal from major cities. 
  • Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing war crimes during its recent war in Gaza. 

Americas

Europe

  • The European Union is considering withdrawing its diplomats from Tehran. 
  • Russian president Dmitry Medvedev vlogged a message to the United States ahead of his meeting with President Obama next week, calling for better relations. 
  • Albania's ruling Democratic Party is claiming victory in last weekend's election, but the opposition is disputing the result. 

Africa

  • At the African Union summit in Tripoli, Union President Muammar al-Qaddafi is pushing for more continent-wide integration while richer nations like Nigeria and South Africa are expressing concerns over losing sovereignty. 
  • Nine people convicted of genocide in Rwanda have been transferred to Benin to serve out their sentences. 
  • Internationally mediated talks to resolve Madagascar's political crisis will resume this month. 
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Morning Brief: Honduras stands alone

Wed, 07/01/2009 - 8:10am

Top story:  Honduras is facing growing international pressure to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya. The Organization of American States has given the country a 72-hour deadline to reinstall the president. The United Nations also voted for a measure condemning the coup which was co-sponsored by the United States. President Barack Obama has called the coup a "terrible precedent" for democracy in the region. 

Acting President Roberto Micheletti is holding strong, saying "no one can make me resign" and vowing that Zelaya could only return through another country invading Honduras and installing him. 

Zelaya had planned to return to Honduras on Thursday, but because of the 72-hour ultimatum, he will not wait until this weekend for what is sure to be a tense showdown with the acting government, which has promised to arrest him if he enters Honduras. In a reversal, Zelaya now says he will not run for reelection or seek to extend his term. 

Under the radar: A trade dispute may be brewing as reports indicate that China will ban the import of U.S. chicken. 


Middle East

Asia

  • The North Korean ship being tailed by the U.S. navy has changed course and seems to be heading back the way it came. 
  • Malaysia has loosened its system of ethnic preferences in hiring. 
  • Thousands of pro-democracy protesters rallied in Hong Kong on the 12th anniversary of Chinese rule. 

Africa

  • At the last minute, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cancelled an appearance at the African Union summit in Libya.
  • The African Union dropped sanctions on Mauritania, imposed after the country underwent a military coup last August.
  • Niger's main opposition leader was arrested after being accused of plotting a coup. 

Europe

Americas

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Morning Brief: Iraq takes over

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 8:45am

Top story:  Six years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. troops have withdrawn from Iraqi cities, ceding authority to Iraqi security forces. The pullout was met with celebrations in the streets and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called the withdrawal a "great victory for Iraq." More than 130,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq, stationed on forward operating bases throughout the country.

The U.S. announced the deaths of four soldiers in combat operations in Baghdad on Monday. The circumstances are still unclear. 

The Iraqi government now faces the challenge of maintaining order amid an uptick in violence in Baghdad and other cities. You can read reactions to the withdrawal from FP bloggers Tom Ricks, Marc Lynch, and Peter Feaver as well as guest writers Anthony Shadid of the Washington Post and Joost Hilterman of the International Crisis Group.

Under the radar: Drug-related violence is increasing at an alarming rate on the U.S.-Canadian border.


Middle East

Americas

  • Honduras's interim government is hanging on amid international condemnation after the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya says he will return to the country in two days and addressing the U.N. General Assembly today.
  • President Rene Preval's party picked up five seats in Haiti's parliamentary elections. 
  • Mexico has freed 3 of the 10 mayors it detained for suspected drug cartel ties last month. 

Asia

  • A suicide bomber wearing a burqa attacked an Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing. 
  • U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is visiting Burma this week to press the regime about the case of imprisoned democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
  • A major Taliban faction in Northwest Pakistan has pulled out of a peace deal with the central government.  
Africa

Europe

  • With half the votes counted, Albania's parliamentary elections are going down to the wire. 
  • OSCE observers have pulled out of Georgia after Russia blocked an extension of their mission. 
  • Navy Admiral James Stavridis has taken over as U.S. and NATO commander in Europe. 
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Morning Brief: Honduran coup rocks Americas

Mon, 06/29/2009 - 9:06am
Top story: Leaders from Latin America and around the world are debating how to respond after Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a coup ahead of a controversial referendum on Sunday. A non-binding vote was to have taken place yesterday over whether to ammend the constitution to allow the leftist president to run for a second (corrected) term, a move opposed by the opposition, military, and even some of his own party.

Zelaya was taken from his home by the military in a predawn raid and put on a plane to Costa Rica. Congressional Leader Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as president and the secretary of congress  read out a resignation letter allegedly written by Zelaya, which the former president says is false. "I am the president of Honduras," Zelaya said angrily during a press conference in Costa Rica.

Latin American leaders widely condemned the coup, with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez -- a close ally of Zelaya -- not surprisingly taking center stage, condemning "oligarchies" for breaking the rules of democracy, placing his country's military on high alert, and accusing the U.S. of helping to orchestrate the coup.

Despite Chavez's accusations, the Obama administration has publicly sided with Zelaya, contacting the former president and calling for him to be returned to power.

Stat of the day:
Thanks to the credit crunch, the International Energy Agency expects demand for oil to grow by only 0.6 percent in 2008-2014.

Middle East

  • Iran began a recount of some of the ballots in this month's disputed presidential election. About 5,000 opposition supporters marched on Sunday, the first demonstration authorities have permitted in days. 
  • Israel will build 50 new homes as part of a settlement expansion plan in the West Bank. 
  • The U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, says Iraqi forces are ready to take over when U.S. troops withdraw from Iraqi cities on Tuesday. 

Asia

Africa

  • Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change is considering withdrawing from its coalition with President Robert Mugabe. 
  • Former Congolese president Jean-Pierre Bemba is due to appear before the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges today. 
  • Guinea-Bissau, where the last president and one of the candidates were both assassinated, finally held presidential elections.

Europe

  • Albania's parliamentary elections were reportedly free of incident. The ballots are still being counted. 
  • Nato and Russia agreed to resume military ties, which were suspended after last August's war with Georgia.  
  • Swiss officials say they are being unfairly targeted in the global crackdown on tax havens.

Americas

  • Argentina's Peronist party suffered losses in this weekend's parliamentary elections, a major setback for the country's ruling couple, the Kirchners. 
  • Mexico has arrested 93 police officers for suspected ties to the Gulf drug cartel. 
  • Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will visit the White House today, where he is likely to be questioned about his country's human rights record. 
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Morning Brief: Iran's opposition running out of options

Fri, 06/26/2009 - 9:08am

Top story: The options for Iran's opposition continued to narrow as Iran's Guardian Council declared this month's election "the healthiest since the revolution." The regime also appears to have succeeded in neutralizing some opposition leaders. Presidential candidate and cleric Mehdi Karrubi says he still believes the election results were fraudulent but would continue his protests only through the legal system. 

Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has nonetheless vowed to continue fighting, despite "recent pressures" aimed at making him reverse his position. Several of his top campaign aides have been arrested in recent days. 

At Friday prayers in Tehran, leading cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami (pictured) issued a statement calling for the leaders of protests to be punished "strongly and with cruelty so it will be a lesson for everyone."

Meeting in Trieste, the G8 foreign ministers issued a statement condemning the violence in Iran.

King of Pop: Spontaneous mourning for pop star Michael Jackson broke out across the world yesterday. A number of current and former world leaders including Nelson Mandela and Hugo Chavez made statements. 


Middle East

  • Another bombing killed 15 people in a Baghdad market. Four days until U.S. withdrawal.
  • American-backed Saad al-Hariri appears set to become Lebanon's Prime Minister. 
  • Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal says he welcomes "new language" from U.S. President Barack Obama. 

Europe

Asia

  • Pakistan's terrorist violence has spread to Pakistani Kashmir. 
  • The U.S. and South Korea are  holding defense talks in Seoul aimed at countering North Korea.
  • Foreign trade and business associations are urging China to reconsider requiring all PCs to be sold with censorship software. 

Africa

Americas

  • Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya fired his top general for refusing to support a referendum that could lead to suspending presidential term limits.
  • Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made a thinly veiled threat to shut down opposition TV station Globovision once and for all. 
  • Air Force General Douglas Frasier will take over the U.S. Southern Command, where he will face a number of challenges including Guantanamo, and drug trafficking. 
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