Daily Brief: Madrid Expected to Take Over Catalan Government

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. October 27, 2017 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Madrid Expected to Take Over Catalan Government Spain's central government is expected to strip the semiautonomous region of Catalonia (Guardian) of some of its powers, with the Spanish parliament voting Friday on whether to take steps to depose the region's secessionist government. Catalonia's ruling party put forth on Friday a motion to declare independence (FT). If Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's party votes to implement Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, Madrid would be authorized to take over the region's police forces, dissolve its parliament, and depose Catalan President Carles Puigdemont (DW). Spain's constitutional court declared an October 1 independence referendum held in Catalonia (EUobserver) illegal.   ANALYSIS "With the Spanish senate due to decide on the government's plans to impose direct rule on Catalonia Friday (in a vote that is widely expected to pass), Puigdemont's government doesn't have much time to determine its next move," Yasmeen Serhan writes for the Atlantic. "The paradox is that the chest-beating performances from both the Catalan and Spanish governments hide their positions of weakness," Miriam Gonzalez Durantez writes for the Financial Times. "[The crisis] highlights the problem of forced integration of a people who have historically expressed a desire for self-governance and voluntary association," writes Inigo Urkullu, leader of the Basque government, for the Guardian. PACIFIC RIM UN Rights Expert Warns Over Sanctions on North Korea The UN special envoy for human rights in North Korea said international sanctions on the country should be reviewed to avoid imposing collective punishment on ordinary citizens (VOA), citing concerns over limited access to medical equipment and vital supplies. AUSTRALIA: The government has rejected a call by a council for indigenous groups for a referendum on establishing a special body to represent native peoples (NYT), calling such a body neither "desirable" nor "capable of winning acceptance" in a popular vote. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Rights Group: 'Some Positive Steps' in Uzbekistan Authorities have made progress in releasing political prisoners and increasing government accountability (RFE/RL) during President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's first year in office, according to a report from Human Rights Watch. The organization called on Tashkent to send a clear message to citizens that peaceful dissent from the government will be tolerated.  PAKISTAN: About 95 percent of respondents in a survey by the American Business Council said they are optimistic about long-term economic operations in Pakistan (Dawn). Some 45 percent said their perceptions have improved since last year.  MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Tillerson Says 'No Role' for Assad in Syrian Government U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Thursday that the United States sees the reign of the Assad family in Syria "coming to an end," but said negotiations on ending the civil war there could take place with President Bashar al-Assad still in power (NYT). In Foreign Affairs, former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert S. Ford writes that the United States can still do good in Syria by easing the suffering of millions of refugees. ISRAEL: A petition by more than three hundred U.S. rabbis is calling on Israel to end weapons sales to Myanmar (Haaretz) in light of human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims. A group of Israeli rabbis has made a similar appeal (VOA). SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Kenya Sees Meager Turnout in Election Rerun Some 35 percent of eligible Kenyans voted in a rerun of an annulled August presidential election (DW) on Thursday, a turnout less than half of the first vote, according to electoral authorities. Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta appears set to claim victory (Star) as opposition candidate Raila Odinga boycotted the rerun. Voting in four counties was postponed until Saturday due to clashes between police and opposition supporters. Nic Cheeseman, Gabrielle Lynch, and Justin Willis discuss the roots of Kenya's electoral impasse in Foreign Affairs. SOMALIA: Thousands of Somali and African Union troops are gathering in two of the country's regions for an expected mass offensive against al-Shabab militants (VOA) in retaliation for an October 14 attack in the capital of Mogadishu that killed more than three hundred people.  EUROPE Greece's Tsipras Defends U.S. Aircraft Spending Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the government cares about "every single euro contributed" by Greek taxpayers in defense of its plan to spend up to $2.6 billion to upgrade its U.S. F-16 fighter jets (FT). Tsipras announced the plan earlier this month in a meeting with U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Washington. AMERICAS Venezuelan Opposition Wins EU Rights Prize The European Parliament awarded its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (LAHT) to the opposition-controlled National Assembly and political prisoners in Venezuela. One European lawmaker called the decision a gesture toward "restoring freedom, democracy, peace, and human rights in Venezuela." FRENCH GUIANA: Police used tear gas on demonstrators who threw petrol bombs during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron (BBC) in the city of Cayenne on Thursday. Protesters have criticized France's spending on space projects in the country, saying it has neglected the welfare of French Guianese. UNITED STATES Trump Declares Opioid Epidemic a Public Health Emergency President Trump called on federal health officials on Thursday to declare a public health emergency over the country's widespread opioid epidemic, allowing states flexibility in directing federal grant funds toward combating the crisis (NYT). An estimated sixty-four thousand people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2016. This CFR Backgrounder looks at what's driving the U.S. opioid epidemic. Twitter has banned advertising by the media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik, citing the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion they attempted to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election (BBC) on behalf of the Russian government.          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 27, 2017 at 10:02PM