Daily Brief: Tillerson Pushes Pakistan to Act Against Taliban
Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. October 24, 2017 Daily News Brief TOP OF THE AGENDA Tillerson Pushes Pakistan to Act Against Taliban U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday to meet top Pakistani officials for counterterrorism talks. Tillerson said he has made "very specific requests" of Islamabad (Dawn) to undermine the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. Tillerson will meet with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Pakistan's foreign minister; they are also expected to discuss the U.S. relationship with India (RFE/RL). The trip is part of a multi-nation tour in which the U.S. diplomat made unannounced visits to Afghanistan and Iraq (WSJ) on Monday, meeting with both countries' leaders. He will next head to New Delhi (CNN). ANALYSIS "Tillerson has offered formal speeches infrequently, and has been less visible on the South Asian region than his predecessors," writes CFR's Alyssa Ayres. "It would be nice if it were possible to secure Afghanistan without reorienting the U.S. relationship with Pakistan, but experience proves that it is not," Kosh Sadat and General Stan McChrystal write for Foreign Affairs. "Pakistan, meanwhile, remains concerned about the destabilizing effects of U.S. meddling in the region, which could manifest in several ways," Huma Yusuf writes for Dawn. PACIFIC RIM China's Party Congress Writes Xi Into Constitution The Chinese communist party voted unanimously to include reference of President Xi Jinping's political philosophy (WaPo) in the country's constitution. Former leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping also have their names in the document (DW). This CFR Backgrounder looks at China's Nineteenth Party Congress. MYANMAR: The U.S. State Department said it is considering sanctions available under U.S. law (Al Jazeera) for parties responsible for rights abuses in Myanmar. Francis Wade describes how the Myanmar military wields power from the shadows in this CFR interview. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Modi Hosts Ghani in New Delhi Afghan President Ashraf Ghani makes a one-day visit to the Indian capital (RFE/RL) on Tuesday to discuss trade, security, and promoting peace in Afghanistan (Hindustan Times) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. CFR's Alyssa Ayres asks if India will start acting more like a global power in Foreign Affairs. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Monitor: Islamic State Executed Scores of Civilians The self-proclaimed Islamic State executed at least 128 people it accused of collaborating with the Syrian government (Al Jazeera) in the three weeks before forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad retook the town of Al-Qaryatayn in early October, according to a UK-based rights monitor. JORDAN: King Abdullah II met with prominent Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (AP) in Amman on Monday to discuss expanding economic cooperation between the countries. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Pentagon Offers New Details on Niger Ambush Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford gave additional details about an October 4 attack by militants in Niger that killed four U.S. servicemen and five Nigerien troops (WaPo). Dunford said the team was ambushed by about fifty assailants using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (CBS) and waited for an hour after the firefight began to call in support from nearby French troops. KENYA: Opposition leader Raila Odinga said he will not recognize the results (Al Jazeera) of a Thursday presidential election rerun following the Supreme Court's annulment of an August 8 vote. Kenyan prosecutors said Monday they would arrest Odinga's sister and charge her with incitement to violence (BBC). EUROPE Prominent Russian Radio Journalist Stabbed Journalist Tatyana Felgenhauer, who hosts a radio show for one of a small number of media outlets that reports stories critical of the government (NYT), was stabbed in the neck by an assailant on Monday. Police say a suspect is in custody (NPR). AUSTRIA: Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz, whose party won parliamentary elections last week, invited the far-right, populist Freedom Party (BBC) on Tuesday to begin coalition talks. AMERICAS Nicaragua to Join Paris Climate Pact Nicaragua has applied to join the Paris Agreement on climate after having argued that more drastic measures than those in the pact would be needed to combat climate change. The country's entry would leave only the United States and Syria (Guardian) outside of the accord. MEXICO: Former lawmaker and first lady Margarita Zavala announced her run for president as an independent (FT) in next year's election. UNITED STATES U.S. Refugee Admissions to Resume A 120-day ban on refugee admissions (ABC) set by the Trump administration will expire on Tuesday, prompting expectations that the White House will announce new rules on vetting applicants (WSJ) as admissions resume. This CFR Backgrounder looks at how the U.S. refugee system works. A federal jury in Brooklyn has found the former head of foreign exchange cash trading for HSBC guilty of fraud (WSJ) over his misuse of information about a client's $3.5 billion currency trade that led to the bank making millions of dollars. Council on Foreign Relations — 58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 CFR does not share email addresses with third parties. Forward This Email | Subscribe to CFR Newsletters | Unsubscribe - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From: dailybrief@e.cfr.org
Date: October 24, 2017 at 10:02PM
