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Tillerson Indicates U.S. Military to Stay in Syria

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Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. January 18, 2018 Daily News Brief TOP OF THE AGENDA Tillerson Indicates U.S. Military to Stay in Syria The Syrian foreign ministry called the U.S. military presence in the country a violation of sovereignty on Thursday following a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that laid out plans (VOA) for long-term military engagement there. Tillerson said the Trump administration will not repeat "mistakes" made by the Obama administration in Iraq by pulling troops out of Syria (AP) too early, adding that the United States aims to assure the destruction of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Additionally, he affirmed the continued U.S. stance on ousting the Syrian regime, saying "post-Assad leadership" is necessary for the country's stability (Guardian). Tillerson said that recent reports that the United States is training a new force to be located near Syria's border with Turkey have mischaracterized the effort (Al Jazeera).  ANALYSIS "There are strong incentives for rebel leaders to embrace an extremist ideology in any country, Muslim or not, experiencing civil war with a history of corruption and few constraints on power. ISIS was one of the first groups to figure out this strategy, but others will follow," Barbara F. Walter writes for Foreign Affairs. "The main accomplishment of a small, open-ended, U.S. presence in Syria would be complicating Assad's potential plans to retake territory from the PYD [the Kurdish Democratic Union Party], which is allied with the Americans but also an affiliate of the PKK, a U.S.-designated terrorist group," Faysal Itani writes for War on the Rocks. "For a long time the Syrian leader's weakness was, paradoxically, his strength. So weak was he, that his downfall threatened the entire edifice that Russia and Iran sought to maintain in place in Syria," Michael Young writes for the National. PACIFIC RIM Inter-Korean Talks to Continue, Says South Korean Minister South Korea's foreign minister said that Seoul should "make the most" of its opportunity (BBC) to speak with Pyongyang following warnings from allies that the North is buying time to continue its nuclear program. South Korea announced after talks with its northern neighbor that athletes from the two countries will march under one flag (WSJ) in the upcoming Winter Olympics. This CFR Backgrounder lays out the international sanctions on North Korea. CHINA: The Chinese economy grew 6.9 percent in 2017 (WSJ), beating expectations and topping the 6.7 percent growth a year earlier.  SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Taliban Closer to Peace Talks With Kabul, U.S. Says U.S. envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, which has given the military greater ability to attack militants, has pushed the Taliban (RFE/RL) closer to negotiations with the central government. The comments follow reports that the militant group held discussions in Islamabad this week on resuming peace negotiations. Seth G. Jones writes in Foreign Affairs that the Taliban is too weak to win, but too strong for defeat. KAZAKHSTAN: A bus carrying Uzbek travelers caught fire in northwestern Kazakhstan on Thursday, killing at least fifty-two people (BBC).  MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Egyptian Rights Lawyer Says Presidential Bid Blocked Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali said Wednesday that bureaucrats loyal to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are blocking his attempts to register as a presidential candidate (AP) in March elections. Campaign officials for Ali said that police intimidation has prevented them from securing the twenty-five thousand supporter signatures needed to run. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Zimbabwe to Hold Elections Within Five Months President Emmerson Mnangagwa said that Zimbabwe will host elections within five months, ensuring the country will be seen "as a qualified democratic state" (Herald). Mnangagwa came to power in November following a coup that ousted longtime leader Robert Mugabe (VOA). CFR's John Campbell writes that Mnangagwa's regime is consolidating its power. ERITREA: The Netherlands has declared Eritrea's ambassador in the country a persona non grata, claiming the diplomat used "continuous intimidation" to collect a so-called diaspora tax (DW) from Eritreans there. EUROPE Belgium Offers $23 Million to Palestinian Refugee Fund Belgium said on Wednesday it will give $23 million to a UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees (AP), a day after the United States announced it will slash its funding to the agency (Al Jazeera) by half. HUNGARY: The government said it will push legislation that would tax and potentially sanction organizations that receive foreign funding and assist illegal migration (EUobserver). The bill has been dubbed "Stop Soros," referring to Hungarian-born U.S. billionaire George Soros, whose foundation advocates for refugee rights.  AMERICAS Pope Meets With Chile's Mapuche Pope Francis, while visiting Mapuche indigenous groups in Chile, denounced violence in a mass in the city of Temuco (Guardian) on Wednesday, saying "destruction increases fragmentation and separation." The trip follows a series of church burnings in the area attributed to radical activists. BOLIVIA: China's ambassador to Bolivia said her country seeks to expand their partnership in Bolivia’s hydroelectric sector (LAHT) with the aim of making it "the true energy heart of South America." UNITED STATES Apple to Repatriate Profits to United States The tech giant Apple said on Wednesday it will make a one-time tax payment (NYT) of about $38 billion to repatriate its profits to the United States. The move follows a Republican tax code overhaul in December that slashed the corporate tax rate. Global confidence in U.S. leadership has fallen to 30 percent (Guardian), the lowest in a decade and a rating below that of China, according to a new Gallup poll.          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 18, 2018 at 11:06PM