South Africa's Ruling Party Resolves to Oust Zuma
Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. February 13, 2018 Daily News Brief TOP OF THE AGENDA South Africa's Ruling Party Resolves to Oust Zuma The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has announced it will recall President Jacob Zuma if he does not resign (SABC) within twenty-four hours. The decision increases pressure on Zuma to step down and make way for his deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to take his place. The announcement followed hours of meetings between Zuma and party leaders, who had until recently supported the scandal-plagued president (NYT). If Zuma does not resign within a day, the ANC is expected to call for a no-confidence vote in parliament (South African) to force his ouster. The secretary-general of the ANC, which has suffered major fractures under Zuma's leadership, said the country is going through a period of uncertainty (Mail and Guardian), and that it needs "renewal and hope." ANALYSIS "Being the wily strategist that he is, as well as being a veteran political survivor, Zuma looks as if he's forcing the ANC to do what it doesn't want to do, join the opposition in Parliament in a vote of no confidence or possible impeachment," said National Public Radio's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton. "A no-confidence vote would apply to Zuma's whole cabinet, Ramaphosa included, and impeachment would imply criminal behavior. The latter would also force Zuma to lose his pension and other emoluments of office," writes CFR's John Campbell. "The rest of the continent watches and sees yet another example of a dream deferred. The expectations that the country would lead the continent have gone," Cheryl Hendricks writes for the Mail and Guardian. CFR Event: 'Containing Russia' CFR fellows discuss their report on responding to Russia's intervention in U.S. democracy. Watch today at 12:30 p.m. EST. PACIFIC RIM Pyongyang Backs Dialogue After Olympic Visit North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the Koreas should take an "atmosphere of reconciliation and dialogue a step further" (Korea Times) and expressed gratitude for his sister's "impressive" reception at the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Also, the International Olympic Committee announced that its president will visit the North after the games conclude (DW). CFR's Scott A. Snyder discusses Seoul's diplomatic goals while hosting the Winter Olympics. THAILAND: The United States has increased its troop presence (Reuters) in annual multilateral military drills in Thailand to 6,800 personnel, nearly twice that of last year. The United States had scaled back its participation in the exercises following a 2014 military coup. CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick looks at the Thai military junta's repeated election delays. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Pakistani Taliban Leader Killed in Drone Strike A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban has confirmed that its deputy leader was killed in a drone strike last week (Reuters) in the North Waziristan region that is believed to have been carried out by the United States. INDIA: The Indian defense minister said Pakistan will "pay" (TOI) after five soldiers and a civilian were killed by militants in an attack on an army camp in the disputed Kashmir region. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Tillerson Urges Nations to Remain Wary of Islamic State U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in Kuwait on Tuesday, told a coalition of seventy-four nations fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State that the militant group could reemerge in Iraq and Syria or spread to new locations. Tillerson will later address a conference on reconstruction in Iraq; he is expected to pledge $3 billion (Bloomberg) of the $100 billion the country says it needs. KUWAIT: The Philippine government has banned its citizens from working in Kuwait (Phil Star) following reports that a Filipina worker there was found dead in her employer's home. About half a million Filipinos work in the Gulf nation (NYT). SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Hague Court Elects Its First President From Somalia Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf will be the third African and first Somali to lead the International Court of Justice (VOA) at The Hague. One of the first cases he will hear concerns frozen Iranian assets in the United States. EUROPE Turkish Minister Warns of Deteriorating U.S. Relations The foreign minister said Turkey-U.S. relations "will be totally destroyed" (DPA/Reuters) if the two countries do not work to ease tensions as Turkish forces continue an offensive against U.S.-supported Kurdish forces in Syria. Tillerson, who will visit Turkey this week, said he is "keenly aware" of its security concerns (Reuters). CFR's Steven A. Cook discusses Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's first war in Foreign Policy. GREECE: Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called for a parliamentary committee (Ekathimerini) to investigate claims that top officials accepted bribes (Guardian) from the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis. AMERICAS Former Venezuelan Officials Charged in U.S. The U.S. Justice Department has charged five former Venezuelan officials, including a deputy energy minister, with involvement in an alleged kickback scheme that used U.S. accounts and real estate investments (DoJ) to launder money. The bribes are believed to have been used to secure contracts from the state energy company. HAITI: President Jovenel Moise has condemned the charity Oxfam for "extremely serious" violations after the organization admitted employees hired prostitutes in Haiti (BBC), where they were providing humanitarian relief after a 2010 earthquake. UNITED STATES Haley Calls on DRC to Respond to UN Killings U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has called on Congolese President Joseph Kabila (VOA) to pursue individuals the United States believes were involved in the killings of American and Swedish human rights investigators in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year. The Interior Department is seeking to end an Obama-era regulation (AP) that restricted methane emissions in oil and gas projects on federal lands. 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: February 13, 2018 at 11:02PM
