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• Daily News Brief

  November 3, 2009

  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  -Karzai speech omits specific anti-corruption reforms.
  -Secretary Clinton's comments on Israeli settlements anger Arab states.
  -N. Korea declares reprocessing of bomb-grade nuclear material.
  -Czech constitutional court rules on Lisbon Treaty.

   

   

  Top of the Agenda: Afghan Corruption

  Afghan President Hamid Karzai did not indicate a plan to fight corruption Tuesday in his first speech since he was declared winner of the country's disputed presidential election. Though Karzai said he wanted to tackle corruption, he did not commit to specifics (NYT) on reorganizing his administration.

  Asked whether he would change key ministers and officials, he said, "These problems cannot be solved by changing high-ranking officials. We'll review the laws and see what problems are in the law and we will draft some new laws."

  His speech followed comments by U.S. President Barack Obama that urged the Afghan government to tackle the rampant corruption and drug trade that have contributed to the Taliban's resurgence.

  Meanwhile, the Taliban claimed success (Reuters) in disrupting the electoral process with their attacks, including an assault on a UN guesthouse last week that killed five UN staff members 

  Analysis

  The Guardian reports that the deals Karzai struck with "unsavory powerbrokers" during his election campaign may compromise his anti-corruption campaign, since the new government will likely be obligated to reward the dealmakers.

  CFR's Max Boot says in Commentary Magazine that U.S. General Stanley McChrystal must continue the counterinsurgency campaign or risk "devastating and unnecessary defeat."

  Background:

  CFR's Stephen Biddle testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services on U.S. options in Afghanistan.

   

   

  MIDEAST: Israeli Settlements

  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew ire (WSJ) from Arab nations after praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to a partial freeze of Israeli settlement building. Clinton later issued a statement that the White House policy on halting the construction of Israeli settlements has not changed.

  Iran: The New York Times reports that Iran's equivocation on a UN-brokered nuclear deal indicates deep internal political divisions over the summer's disputed presidential election, which are preventing resolution of the issue.

   

   

  SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Pakistani Militants

  The Dawn reports that Pakistani militants are purposefully withdrawing from some areas to lure government soldiers into a trap, according to a Taliban spokesman.

   

   

  AMERICAS: U.S. Gubernatorial Elections

  Governer's races in Virginia and New Jersey are drawing attention today (Reuters) to any signs of slackening support for the Democratic Party a year after President Obama's election. The weak U.S. economy is a key issue in both states.

  Honduras: The Organization of American States (OAS) is planning to hold (MercoPress) a general assembly meeting next week on whether to allow Honduras back into the organization and lift sanctions against the de facto government after the country holds presidential election on November 29.

   

   

  PACIFIC RIM: North Korea Nuclear Development

  North Korea put more pressure (NYT) on the United States by declaring it has completed reprocessing of bomb-grade plutonium. In September, the country told the UN Security Council it was in its "final phase" of reprocessing 8,000 fuel rods unloaded from its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon to "weaponize" plutonium in the rods.

  Australia: Australia's central bank raised interest rates (FT) by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.5 percent for the second time in just over a month, a sign that its economic recovery is accelerating. It is the only central bank in the developed world to have increased rates twice since the financial crisis. Norway and Israel have raised rates once.

   

   

  AFRICA: Guinea Coup Plotter

  The Supreme Court in Equatorial Guinea has pardoned (AP) British coup-plotter Simon Mann and four South African mercenaries convicted for plotting to overthrow the country's government. Human rights groups have accused Mann of using oil wealth in the country to make his family rich while his countrymen suffer in poverty.

  DR Congo: Democratic Republic of the Congo Information Minister Lambert Mende Omalanga has said (BBC) he knew nothing about the alleged killing of sixty-two civilians by the Congolese army earlier this year and that the United Nations was wrong to withdraw its support of government troops fighting rebels there. UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said the army had targeted civilians in fighting Hutu rebels near the Rwandan border.

   

   

  EUROPE: Lisbon Treaty

  The Czech constitutional court ruled (FT) that the Lisbon Treaty does not violate the country's constitution, a move that will allow President Vaclav Klaus to sign the pact. Klaus is the last EU leader yet to sign the treaty, due to concerns about undermining Czech sovereignty.

  EU: A new report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says European financial integration has introduced dangers (EU Observer) for central and eastern European countries because of the huge increases in foreign credit and capital flows. The report urges those countries to reduce their reliance on foreign debt.

   

   

  TRANSNATIONAL: Global Warming

  The New York Review of Books discusses James Lovelock's latest book, The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning, which argues that greenhouse gas emissions are overwhelming the Earth's system of self-regulation and that the Earth will soon transition from cool and stable to much hotter.

   

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  New Books

  Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.

  

  In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.

  In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.

  Complete list of CFR Books

  New Independent Task Force Reports

  
  

  U.S. Immigration Policy

  The report of this bipartisan Task Force of distinguished leaders and experts represents a strong consensus on the importance of repairing America's immigration policy. It makes the case that maintaining America's political and economic leadership depends on attracting talented and hard-working immigrants, and on securing the country's borders in a smart, effective, and humane way.

  U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy

  This report finds that nuclear weapons will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term, and makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force, prevent nuclear terrorism, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

  About Independent Task Forces at CFR

  Complete list of Task Force reports

  New Council Special Reports

  
  

  Enhancing U.S. Preventive Action

  Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.

  The United States in the New Asia

  For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.

  Complete list of Council Special Reports

  

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