Daily Brief: Iran Death Toll Rises Amid Mounting Protests
Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. January 2, 2018 Daily News Brief TOP OF THE AGENDA Iran Death Toll Rises Amid Mounting Protests State media in Iran reported that at least nine people, including three policemen, were killed in anti-government protests overnight on Monday. Authorities accused six of the dead of raiding a police station (Al Jazeera). The death toll was believed to be more than twenty (NYT) as the country entered its sixth day of nationwide protests over a suffering economy and corruption. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his first public comments since the demonstrations began, blamed the "enemies of Iran" (Guardian) for the unrest. On Monday, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran has seen similar incidents in the past (FT) and that the country would "easily pass by" it. ANALYSIS "Iranians aren't 'finally' waking up and 'getting wise,' as Trump suggests. Instead, Iran has a dynamic and active civil society, which has created and embraced opportunities for reformation and progress for decades," Ariane Tabatabai writes for the Atlantic. "If Iranians do choose to rise up and push aside their government, it will not be the result of support from Washington," CFR's Philip H. Gordon writes for the New York Times. "However the events on the streets unfold, their most immediate casualty will be the presidency of Hassan Rouhani and its false claim of pragmatic governance," write Mark Dubowitz and CFR's Ray Takeyh for the Wall Street Journal. PACIFIC RIM Seoul Proposes High-Level Talks With Pyongyang South Korea's unification minister has offered to host high-level talks with North Korea next week (Korea Times) on the South's side of their shared border. The talks would focus on the North's participation in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed willingness over the weekend to send a delegation of athletes. In Foreign Affairs, Michael Fuchs writes that diplomacy is still the best option in North Korea. CHINA: A ban on the trade of ivory came into effect in China (NPR) on Monday in a move hailed by conservationists as critical to combating elephant poaching. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Pakistan Summons U.S. Ambassador Over Trump Tweet Pakistan's foreign office has summoned the U.S. ambassador to the country following a Monday tweet by U.S. President Donald J. Trump that accused Islamabad of acting as a safe haven for "terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan" (Dawn). BANGLADESH: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced the construction of two new air bases (PTI), saying the country will soon have a "most modern" air force. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Israel's Knesset Votes to Tighten Control Over Jerusalem Israel's legislature passed an amendment on Tuesday that increases the number of votes needed to cede control over any section of Jerusalem to a "foreign party" (Reuters), potentially complicating any future peace deal that involves handing over territory to Palestinians. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Hundreds Held by Boko Haram Escape A Nigerian Army spokesman said that some seven hundred people held captive by the militant group Boko Haram on several islands in Lake Chad escaped and reached Borno State (BBC). It was unclear over what time period the abductees fled. SOMALIA: Prosecutors have charged five men for involvement in an October bombing attack in Mogadishu that killed an estimated 512 people (VOA). Four of the accused are in custody. EUROPE Catalan Secession Move Cost €1 Billion, Madrid Says Spain's economy minister said Monday that a political crisis over an October independence referendum in Catalonia caused the relocation of some 3,100 firms (BBC) and slowed economic growth in the region in the last quarter of the year, costing it roughly €1 billion, or $1.2 billion. ICELAND: Legislation came into force on Monday making Iceland the first country to criminalize gender disparities in salaries (Al Jazeera). CFR's Rachel Vogelstein looks at women's rights across the world. AMERICAS Twelve Dead in Costa Rica Plane Crash Ten U.S. citizens and two crew members were killed in a tourist plane crash (AP) on Sunday that authorities said may have been caused by strong winds. VENEZUELA: Venezuelan authorities have arrested a soldier accused of firing on a crowd of protestors and killing a pregnant woman on Christmas Eve (BBC). The woman was waiting in a government ration line for subsidized pork. This CFR Backgrounder looks at Venezuela's political and humanitarian crisis. UNITED STATES Murder Rate Drops in Three Major Cities Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C., all saw significant declines in homicide totals (AFP) in 2017, according to a new report from the New York University School of Law. Baltimore saw an uptick in the number of murders from 2016. An estimated one in ten young adults in the United States experienced homelessness in the past year (Guardian), according to a new report from the University of Chicago. 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: January 02, 2018 at 11:08PM
