Syrian Regime Lays Siege to Enclave Ahead of Ground Assault

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. February 20, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Syrian Regime Lays Siege to Enclave Ahead of Ground Assault More than 150 civilians in Syria have been killed in the last two days (Al Jazeera) as a government siege of the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta continues, according to a UK-based monitoring group. Local counts put the death toll on Monday alone at more than a hundred, bringing the total over the last three months (Guardian) to more than eight hundred. On Tuesday, the United Nations called on Syrian government forces, which are believed to be preparing a ground assault (Al Jazeera) on the enclave, to immediately cease the "targeting of innocent civilians and infrastructure." Eastern Ghouta is the final opposition-held territory (AFP) near the government stronghold of Damascus. ANALYSIS "After seven years and interventions by regional and global powers, the humanitarian crisis has heightened instead of abating, as forces loyal to Assad's regime and his Russian and Iranian backers seek an outright military victory instead of a negotiated political settlement," Kareem Shaheen writes for the Guardian. "Sieges of combatants to induce their surrender are considered lawful warfare. But the Assad regime employs siege aimed at civilians in opposition-held areas as a form of collective punishment and control. That is a war crime," Annie Sparrow writes for Foreign Policy. "There is no area in Syria that has accomplished what Syrians wanted in 2011," Rabi Nasr said in an interview with Status Audio Magazine. PACIFIC RIM New Zealand Declares Emergency Over Cyclone Cyclone Gita brought winds above 75 miles per hour (NZ Herald) and flooded roads and homes across New Zealand early Tuesday. Several districts have declared a state of emergency (BBC) as the eye of the storm was expected to make its way to the upper South Island. ASIA: The bank HSBC has reported a 2017 pretax profit of $17.2 billion (BBC), which the bank said has been boosted by its focus on Asia and lending related to China's Belt and Road Initiative. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Trump Jr. in India to Talk Indo-Pacific Ties Donald Trump Jr. has begun a week-long trip to India, where he will speak at an Indo-Pacific business cooperation summit (WaPo) alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Potential buyers of Trump-branded real estate are being offered a dinner meeting with Trump Jr. (VOA) for a fee of $38,000. UZBEKISTAN: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev told activists that the national security service "unjustly" imprisoned people (RFE/RL) under former leader Islam Karimov and that Uzbeks will see perpetrators of abuses brought to justice. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Egypt to Buy $15 Billion in Gas From Israel Israel's energy minister has announced a deal to sell $15 billion in natural gas to Egypt (FT), calling it the most significant accord with the country since a 1979 peace agreement between the two nations. ISRAEL: The population in Jewish settlements in the West Bank grew twice as fast (AP) as Israel's overall population last year, according to a settler organization–backed report. The founder of the report said that the internationally backed two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is "over." CFR's Steven A. Cook discusses how the two-state solution could die in Salon. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Scores of Boko Haram Suspects Convicted in Mass Trial More than two hundred Boko Haram suspects have been convicted in Nigeria (Reuters) on charges including involvement in a terrorist organization. They were given prison sentences ranging from three to sixty years, according to the justice ministry. CFR's John Campbell discusses Abuja's efforts against Boko Haram. GAMBIA: President Adama Barrow has announced a moratorium on capital punishment (Africa News), calling the move a "first step toward abolition." EUROPE Rhodes Scholarship Announces Global Expansion The Rhodes Trust announced on Monday that students from any country can apply for the Rhodes Scholarship (NYT), which had since its creation in 1902 been limited to people from a short list of countries. TURKEY: Turkey will rename the Ankara street (AP) that is home to the U.S. embassy after Operation Olive Branch, a Turkish offensive against Kurdish militias in Syria that has put the two NATO allies at odds. AMERICAS Peru's Fujimori to Stand Trial Again Former President Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a twenty-five-year prison sentence for human rights abuses before he received a presidential pardon (DW) in December, will stand trial for a 1992 massacre in which six farmers were tortured and killed by paramilitary forces. BRAZIL: President Michel Temer's decision to hand control of Rio de Janeiro's security over to the military will block a long-awaited vote on pension reform (FT) that had been scheduled for this week, since the constitution cannot be amended while a federal intervention is ongoing. UNITED STATES Students, Advocates Plan Protests Against Gun Violence Students and teachers across the country are planning school walkouts for March 14 (WSJ) and anti-gun protests in late March and April following a school shooting in Parkland, FL, last week that killed seventeen people. This CFR Backgrounder compares U.S. gun policy with that of other developed nations. Nearly a dozen special elections for state and federal offices have been scheduled following resignations by public officials (NYT) over sexual harassment allegations in recent months.         Council on Foreign Relations — 58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 CFR does not share email addresses with third parties. 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From: dailybrief@e.cfr.org

Date: February 20, 2018 at 11:08PM