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Top of the Agenda: U.S. Kills Al-Qaeda's No. 2 Amid Drone Tensions The killing of deputy al-Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi (NYT), confirmed by U.S. officials yesterday, comes amid new tensions in Islamabad (ExpressTribune) over U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan. The covert U.S. campaign targeting militants in Pakistan has been heightened since U.S. forces found and killed Osama bin Laden last year. Libi, like many other al-Qaeda affiliates, had been sheltered by ethnic Pashtun militants in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt. Analysis "So Obama is under the post-9/11 authorization for the use of military force--methodically whittling away at those who would do American harm--as well as those the CIA and President believe might do the nation harm. 9/11 showed that suicidal zealots, no matter where they are today, can attack the U.S. tomorrow. That broadens the President's rifle scope to include the entire world. It's a slippery slope," writes TIME's Mark Thompson.
"But this push-button solution to warfare poses very real risks to civilians, especially as targeting criteria deteriorate to the point where a special reporter to the United Nations has described them as a 'vaguely defined license to kill.' The rules for using strike drones should be clarified, and the tests that determine who is a legitimate target should be explicit," writes Louise Arbour for ForeignPolicy.com. PACIFIC RIM China, Russia to Boost Military Ties Russia will increase its military cooperation with China by holding more joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea (VOA), Russian President Vladimir Putin said today during a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
AUSTRALIA: Gross domestic product was up 1.3 percent in the in the first quarter of 2012 from the previous quarter, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today, making the country the fastest-growing in the developed world (WSJ). SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Deadly Suicide Attack in Southern Afghanistan A suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated bombs near a military compound in southern Kandahar province, killing at least twenty civilians (NYT), according to an Afghan government official. MIDDLE EAST Thousands Protest in Cairo Thousands of Egyptian protesters demonstrated in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a fourth night in protest against presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq (al-Jazeera), a former official in the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak.
SYRIA: The government declared as unwelcome in the country the U.S., UK, French, and Turkish envoys (BBC), a week after many world powers expelled Syrian diplomats from their capitals. At the same time, the Syrian government agreed to allow aid agencies to visit violence-plagued provinces.
The conflict in Syria is less about democratic reforms and more about redistributing power along sectarian and ethnic lines--with troubling regional implications, says expert Vali Nasr in this CFR Interview. AFRICA ICC Calls on UN to take Action Against Sudan's President The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, yesterday urged the UN Security Council to enforce arrest warrants (NYT) for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, in his final report on alleged war crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan.
This CFR Crisis Guide provides an in-depth overview of the conflict in Darfur.
NIGERIA: Government forces killed sixteen suspected militants of the Islamist Boko Haram group (Reuters) during a firefight in the northeastern city of Maiduguri yesterday. EUROPE Spain Warns It is at Risk Spain said rising interest rates on Spanish bonds could put the country at risk of losing access to financial markets (WSJ), while suggesting it may become the latest eurozone country to seek financial support from the EU amid an ongoing sovereign debt crisis.
GERMANY: Credit rating agency Moody's today downgraded six German banks (BBC), including Commerzbank, along with three Austrian financial institutions.
The eurozone is buffeted by an ongoing sovereign debt crisis that has forced Greece, Ireland, and Portugal to seek bailouts from the EU. AMERICAS OAS Calls on Argentina, UK to Peacefully Solve Falklands Dispute The general assembly of the Organization of American States, meeting in Bolivia yesterday, urged Argentina and the UK to "retake negotiations" to find a peaceful solution (MercoPress) to the sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory off the coast of Argentina.
PARAGUAY: President Fernando Lugo (Reuters) admitted yesterday to having fathered a second child when he was a Roman Catholic bishop, prior to entering politics. CAMPAIGN 2012 Wisconsin Governor Walker Survives Recall Wisconsin's Republican governor, Scott Walker, survived a recall vote, leaving public sector unions and drastic state budget-slashing measures on the table as possible issues in the fall presidential election (CNN).
New Gallup polls show consumer confidence up slightly in May and President Barack Obama's job approval rating holding steady at 47 percent, in an election that has so far proven to be centered on the economy.
In his latest attempt to woo Latino voters, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is making the case that he is the best person to fix a struggling economy that is disproportionately affecting Latino workers (TheHill).
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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