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Top of the Agenda: Bomb Explodes Near UN Convoy in Syria A roadside bomb hit a Syrian military truck that was driving behind a UN convoy near the southern city of Deraa today, wounding at least three soldiers (BBC). Norwegian Maj. Gen. Robert Mood--the head of a UN mission monitoring the implementation of a fraying UN-Arab League cease-fire between government troops and opposition forces--and the eleven other UN observers in the convoy were not hurt. Meanwhile, the UN special envoy to the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, warned yesterday of arms smuggling between Lebanon and Syria, while saying the region is "at the brink of the abyss of war" (al-Jazeera). Analysis "But while all the intervention scenarios carry major risks, passivity in the face of the conflict's escalation promotes a radicalization of the opposition. The growing incidence of suicide bombings and other evidence of jihadist involvement are giving Western governments pause. For now, though, international involvement is limited to Annan's cease-fire efforts and the 30 monitors on the ground to oversee its implementation," writes TIME's Tony Karon.
"It is not failing because the U.N. observers have been slow to deploy, or even because Assad has yet to implement a single point from Annan's six-point plan. The fundamental reason for Annan's failure is more basic than that: His plan is flawed because it was formulated on the misguided belief that the Assad regime will ever stop using violence against domestic protesters and negotiate with them in good faith," writes Salman Shaikh for ForeignPolicy.com. PACIFIC RIM U.S. Criticizes China for Expelling Reporter The United States said it was "disappointed in the Chinese government" (WSJ) over its decision to not renew the accreditation and visa of Al Jazeera English's Beijing correspondent, while U.S. officials apparently raised the issue with their Chinese counterparts.
MYANMAR: Authorities granted Aung San Suu Kyi a passport (BBC) for the first time in twenty-four years. The pro-democracy leader is expected to visit Norway next month to accept the Nobel Peace Prize that she won in 1991. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Pakistan Rebuffs U.S. Criticism The United States is making Pakistan a scapegoat for its apparent failure to crush the militant insurgency in Afghanistan, Pakistani Lt. Gen. Khalid Rabbani told the Associated Press yesterday in response to comments by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging Pakistan to crack down on extremism.
Pakistan has emerged as a terrorist sanctuary for some of the world's most violent groups, including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and homegrown militants that threaten the stability of Pakistan as well as the region, explains this CFR Backgrounder.
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban insurgents attacked a convoy of Afghan education officials (NYT) in southeastern Paktika Province, killing five and wounding three others. MIDDLE EAST Al-Qaeda Bomber Revealed as Double Agent An informant working for Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency and the CIA infiltrated al-Qaeda by pretending to be a would-be suicide bomber (LAT). The double agent obtained from al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen a newly designed bomb--currently being examined by FBI officials--meant to target a U.S.-bound aircraft. AFRICA Darfur Rebels Seize Town A faction of the Sudan Liberation Army in Sudan's Darfur region claimed to have taken the town of Girayda from Sudanese soldiers, part of a wider effort by the rebels to bring down the government of President Omar al-Bashir (Reuters).
This CFR Crisis Guide provides an overview of the long-running conflict in Darfur.
KENYA: British national Jermaine Grant appeared in a Mombasa court today over allegations he was planning a bomb blot (BBC) in conjunction with the Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab. The trial was adjourned until Thursday. EUROPE Greece Struggles to Form Government Leftist leader Alexis Tsipras, whose anti-austerity Syriza party placed a close second in Sunday's parliamentary elections, is set to meet later today with the heads of Greece's governing socialist and conservative parties in an effort to form a coalition government, even as fresh elections are expected within weeks (WSJ).
UKRAINE: Imprisoned former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was moved transferred from Kharkiv prison to a local medical clinic (AP) to be treated for a back condition under the care of a German doctor, said Ukraine's deputy health minister. AMERICAS Argentina Encourages U.S. Companies to Invest in YPF Argentine Vice President Amado Boudou called on U.S. oil companies to invest in Argentina's recently nationalized oil company YPF (MercoPress)--despite blatant warnings from ousted Spanish majority-owner Repsol--at a Conference of the Americas in Washington.
MEXICO: The U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted two sons of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman (LAT), preventing all U.S. companies, banks, and individuals from doing business with the alleged drug traffickers.
Since 2006, the Mexican government has been in embroiled in a bloody drug war, which has failed to significantly curb trafficking, explains this CFR Backgrounder. CAMPAIGN 2012 Candidates Still Talking About the Economy In Michigan Tuesday, GOP presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney said the United States was on a path of "the greatest economic divergence of the last hundred years," shortly before sweeping three more GOP primaries. Romney also took to the airwaves (Fox News) Tuesday night, saying the United States should work to take down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and "communicate our strength, our determination, and indicate if people want to be friends with America, they're going to have to hold to the principles that we find dear."
On the campaign trail in Albany, New York, President Obama called on Congress, particularly congressional Republicans, to support his economic agenda, listing his essential proposals as a to-do list on the White House website.
Republican
Editor's Note: For more information on the presidential election and foreign policy check out CFR's campaign blog, The Candidates and the World.
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