Afghan Leader Offers Taliban Political Deal

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. February 28, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Afghan Leader Offers Taliban Political Deal Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called for the Taliban to be recognized as a political group (RFE/RL) and for its leadership to accept a "dignified peace" as representatives from more than twenty countries gathered in Kabul for a conference on ending the sixteen-year war. Ghani also offered to the militant group (Reuters) a cease-fire and prisoner release with no preconditions, but said the Taliban must recognize the government as legitimate. A government document detailing the peace offer (Tolo) says authorities must have "compassion to understand" the combatants' perspective. The Taliban has in the past refused direct talks with the Kabul government, calling it a "puppet regime," and has instead sought negotiations with the United States. ANALYSIS "Dialogue with the U.S. government cannot replace dialogue with [the Kabul] government and the millions of other Afghans who fear your attacks and your return," Barnett Rubin writes in an open letter to the Taliban in the New Yorker. "Successive U.S. administrations have held mixed positions on peace talks with the Taliban, but none of them prioritized efforts to conclude the conflict through a political process," writes CFR's Courtney Cooper. "In addition to the blood shed since 2001, gallons of ink have been spent writing strategies and plans, proposing theories and policies to win in Afghanistan. None have achieved their goal and Kabul is now a battleground," Abdul Waheed Ahmad writes for War on the Rocks. PACIFIC RIM South Korea to Shorten Work Hours A bill to reduce maximum weekly working hours from 68 to 52 passed in parliament on Wednesday, fulfilling a campaign promise (Korea Times) by President Moon Jae-in. South Korea ranks only behind Mexico (Bloomberg) for most hours worked annually, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. CAMBODIA: The White House announced $8.3 million in cuts to aid for Cambodia following senate elections in which the ruling party declared victory in every race (WSJ). In Project Syndicate, CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick writes that the United States has not paid enough attention to Cambodia's slide toward dictatorship. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Calls for Reform in India After Bank Fraud India's finance minister called for a "super regulator" to oversee the Reserve Bank of India (Nikkei) following a $2 billion fraud scheme involving the Punjab National Bank. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA U.S. Senators Call to Boost Military Aid to Israel A bipartisan group of lawmakers said they consider a $38 billion military aid package to Israel (Haaretz/Reuters), agreed upon in 2016 to be doled out over the following decade, a "floor" for U.S. support to the country. IRAN: German armed forces refueled a plane carrying Iran's foreign minister (DW) in Munich earlier this month after private fuel companies refused to do so in fear of violating U.S. sanctions, local media reported. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Zimbabwe Grapples With Reconciliation Hearings Activists disrupted a public hearing (Al Jazeera) into alleged atrocities during the rule of recently deposed President Robert Mugabe, calling for the government to request the International Criminal Court (Herald) probe abuses. In Foreign Affairs, Martin Meredith writes that the Mugabe state lives on in Zimbabwe. NIGERIA: Kidnappers abducted the wife and child (Vanguard) of a Voice of America journalist in Kaduna State and killed a neighbor who attempted to rescue them, according to the reporter. EUROPE German Court Backs Diesel Car Ban The country's top administrative court ruled that cities can ban diesel vehicles (DW) in a decision that could affect travel for millions of drivers. ITALY: The chief of staff of the finance ministry said some 150 "very rich people" had inquired about moving to the country (Bloomberg) following a new measure that allows residents to pay a flat tax of $123,000 regardless of income. AMERICAS Former Venezuelan Governor to Stand in Election An opposition coalition boycotting an April presidential election (BBC) expelled Henri Falcon, a former state governor, after he registered to run against President Nicolas Maduro. CFR's Shannon K. O'Neil says Venezuela's neighbors can't wait for a U.S. response to the refugee crisis. COLOMBIA: The National Liberation Army (ELN), the country's last major guerrilla group, killed five soldiers and injured ten more (Colombia Reports) in a bomb attack near the border with Venezuela. UNITED STATES Haley, in Honduras, Softens U.S. Rhetoric on Drugs UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said the United States "can't just focus on" countries that produce illicit drugs (VOA), an apparent tempering of a call by President Donald J. Trump to halt aid to countries that are "pouring drugs" into the United States. Puerto Rico's governor said the U.S. Treasury's delay in providing federal assistance and a more than $2 billion reduction in loans available to the island puts Puerto Rico in a "dangerous" financial situation (Bloomberg) amid recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria.         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 28, 2018 at 11:11PM