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Top of the Agenda: Syria Blocks UN Monitors amid Fresh Clashes Syrian government troops and civilian supporters yesterday blocked unarmed UN monitors from investigating an alleged massacre that took place west of Hama Analysis "As Syria's periphery descends into chaos, observers may be missing a more subtle deterioration of Assad's authority at the center of his regime. The Syrian capital of Damascus, whose commercial center has been seen as immune from the nationwide unrest, is increasingly turning on the Assad regime -- and widening unrest in the heart of the city now appears to be only a matter of time," writes Julien Barnes-Dacey for ForeignPolicy.com.
"I urge [U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton] to come back from her travels and go to the Oval Office. That's where the end to this barbarism in Syria will begin," writes CFR's Elliott Abram on his blog, "Pressure Points." PACIFIC RIM China Cuts Interest Rates The People's Bank of China yesterday cut the benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, bringing the one-year lending rate to 6.31 percent, to try encourage investment and spur growth (WSJ).
AUSTRALIA: Foreign Minister Bob Carr says the government will lift all remaining travel and financial sanctions targeting Myanmar (BBC), with a pledge to double aid to the country by 2015. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Deadly Bus Bombing in Pakistan A bomb exploded on a bus in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar today, killing at least eighteen people (GlobalPost) and wounding over forty.
AFGHANISTAN: Suspected Taliban militants attacked a prison (BBC) in the northern province of Sar-e Pol, allowing at least fourteen prisoners--including insurgents--to escape. MIDDLE EAST IAEA, Iran Resume Talks
Inspectors with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency resumed talks with Iran today in Vienna over gaining access to the country's restricted nuclear sites (NYT). Leading world powers are scheduled to continue separate nuclear negotiations with Iran in Moscow later this month.
CFR's Ray Takeyh traces the history of the controversy and Iran's motivations, in the introduction to a new CFR e-book on the Iranian nuclear crisis. AFRICA Sudan, South Sudan End Failed Talks African Union-led talks between Sudan and South Sudan broke down after both sides failed to agree on a demilitarized zone (Reuters) along their disputed and oil-rich border.
MALI: Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States called on the UN Security Council to sanction military intervention in northern Mali (al-Jazeera), where competing Islamist rebels have driven out government forces. EUROPE Spain to Seek Bailout for Banks Spain is expected to officially seek financial assistance from the EU--the fourth eurozone country to do so since the sovereign debt crisis came to a head two years ago--during a conference call between eurozone leaders on Saturday. Spain is facing an increasingly unsustainable banking crisis (Guardian).
EUROPEAN UNION: Interior ministers moved to allow states that are part of the EU's passport-free Schengen area to reinstate some border controls (WSJ), including an emergency mechanism for identity checks. AMERICAS UK Accuses Argentina of Imposing Falklands Blockade Argentina is attempting to impose an "economic blockade" on the Falkland Islands, said UK Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne, a week ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of the British expulsion of Argentina's forces from the islands (MercoPress).
MEXICO: Authorities found fourteen dismembered bodies in an abandoned vehicle (LAT) in northeastern Tamaulipas state, suspected casualties of an ongoing war between rival drug trafficking gangs.
Mexico's presidential election campaign, culminating in elections next month, have focused on social and economic issues yet the foremost challenge facing the next president is the battle against the drug cartels, says Robert C. Bonner in Foreign Affairs. CAMPAIGN 2012 Romney Champions 'Economic Freedom' In a speech in Boston, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Thursday he plans to fix the U.S. economy with lower taxes, looser regulations, increased trade, and more domestic energy production.
A Fox News poll released Thursday finds voters trust Romney more than President Barack Obama on economic issues, including cutting government spending, while Obama's biggest strengths remain foreign policy and fighting terrorism.
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