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The World Next Week: Debt Debate Continues, Iran Talks Convene in Geneva, the African Union Discusses the ICC, and Saudi Arabia Faces MERS Fears

<p>Furloughed federal workers join a rally to demand a vote to end the government shutdown (Johnathan Ernst/Courtesy Reuters).</p>
Furloughed federal workers join a rally to demand a vote to end the government shutdown (Johnathan Ernst/Courtesy Reuters).

By experts and staff

Published
  • James M. LindsayCFR Expert
    Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy

The World Next Week podcast is up. Bob McMahon and I discussed the ongoing debt ceiling debate, negotiations in Geneva on Iran’s nuclear program, the African Union summit in Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia’s preparations during the hajj for a potentially deadly virus.

[audio: https://www.cfr.org/content/publications/media/editorial/2013/20131010_T…]

The highlights:

For more on the topics we discussed in the podcast check out:

Debt Ceiling: The Washington Post reports that Republicans are offering a short-term debt ceiling increase. CFR.org had a backgrounder on the costs and consequences of not raising the debt ceiling. Politico writes about the Democratic negotiating strategy.

African Union and the ICC: Voice of America explains why the AU may seek deferral of Kenyan president Kenyatta’s case. Al-Jazeera explains why Kenyatta will not attend his trial in the Hague. BusinessDay writes that Kenya has denied accusations that it is lobbying for AU members to leave the ICC. Amnesty International argues that African states should not withdraw from the ICC.

Iran Talks: Ray Takeyh describes the domestic politics driving Iran’s diplomatic shift. Richard Haass writes that successful diplomacy will be challenging for both Iran and the United States. USA Today highlights goals for the upcoming talks in Geneva.  The Associated Press reports that Iran may use its excess uranium as a bargaining tool.

MERS and the Hajj: The Huffington Post writes that the hajj comes with health concerns every year. The National describes the difficulties in containing the MERS virus. Yahoo! News confirms recent deaths from MERS at the hajj. The Center for Disease Control explains MERS and its dangers.