Pompeo in Pyongyang | Ebola Outbreak | Argentina and the IMF

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. May 9, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Pompeo, in Pyongyang, Secures Prisoner Release North Korea released three American prisoners (Reuters) on Wednesday, President Donald J. Trump said, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned from a meeting with Kim Yong-chol, the head of North Korea's department for inter-Korean relations, in Pyongyang. Pompeo, who negotiated the release, is also expected to have finalized a date (Reuters) for a summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Kim Yong-chol told the top U.S. diplomat he has high expectations (Yonhap) that the United States will "play a very big role in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula." ANALYSIS "Although the North, the South, and the United States all understand denuclearization as the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement (CVID) of nuclear weapons, they differ in the sequencing. Whereas the U.S. position is 'CVID first and reward later,' the North demands an incremental, synchronized exchange of denuclearization and reward," South Korean presidential advisor Moon Chung-in writes for Foreign Affairs. "I think that [abandoning the Iran nuclear agreement] sends a terrible message just when we're about to begin this major negotiation with North Koreans [that] the U.S. can't be trusted to fulfill a commitment that it's already made," Suzanne DiMaggio said in an interview with National Public Radio. "The table is set. We have all these negotiations—we have the meetings between North Korea and South Korea. We had the meetings with North Korea and China. We have the upcoming meeting with the U.S. and North Korea. Why would this be happening if we did not think [denuclearization] is possible?" former U.S. Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins said during an Intelligence Squared debate. PACIFIC RIM China Cuts U.S. Soybean Purchases China has not made any major U.S. soybean purchases (AP) for three weeks, according to the U.S.-based advisory firm AgResource, and the government is using subsidies to encourage Chinese farmers to plant soy. China has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on U.S. soy imports in retaliation for U.S. duties. CFR's Brad W. Setser discussed the U.S. bilateral trade deficit with China. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Several Explosions Reported in Kabul At least two police officers were killed in attacks in two Kabul neighborhoods (AP) on Wednesday. No group immediately claimed responsibility (Tolo). INDIA: The supreme court said India's governing body for monument conservation has failed to adequately protect the Taj Mahal (Hindustan Times), proposing that an international panel oversee the site. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Syria Claims It Intercepted Israeli Missiles Syrian state media reported that the Air Defense Forces intercepted two Israeli missiles targeting the Damascus countryside (Sana) yesterday. The Israeli strikes killed nine people, according to a UK-based monitoring group, and appeared to target a site used by Hezbollah and Iran. This CFR panel examined Iran's influence in Syria, Iraq, and the Gulf. IRAN: French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to call his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, today to discuss salvaging the 2015 nuclear agreement (CNN) following a U.S. decision to withdraw from it and reinstate sanctions. In Politico, CFR's Ray Takeyh discusses what the Trump administration should seek in a new nuclear deal. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Ebola Outbreak Confirmed in DRC At least seventeen people have died in an outbreak of the Ebola virus (eNCA) in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry said yesterday. Teams from the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders have been dispatched to the region. This CFR Backgrounder looks at the Ebola virus disease. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: The International Monetary Fund predicted economic growth will accelerate in two-thirds of African nations (Reuters) but warned that at least eight countries are in debt distress or at risk of it. EUROPE Mass Social Media Campaign Targets Erdogan The Turkish word tamam, which translates to "enough," trended worldwide on social media yesterday (Reuters) as part of a campaign calling on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to leave office. More than a million Turks are believed to have taken part in the campaign. IRELAND: Facebook said it has banned foreign advertisements (WaPo) related to an upcoming referendum on legalizing abortion. AMERICAS Argentina Requests IMF Loan Amid Currency Crisis In a televised address, President Mauricio Macri told Argentines that aid from the International Monetary Fund would help "avoid a crisis" (FT) as the country's currency hit a record low on Tuesday. CUBA: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made his first visit to Cuba since taking office (UN News) to address the UN's economic body for the region. The regional body's head told the gathering that the U.S. embargo on Cuba has cost the island more than $130 billion (Reuters). UNITED STATES Guantanamo Detainee Asks to Testify on CIA Nominee Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay military prison camp who helped plan the 9/11 attacks, asked a military judge for permission to share information with U.S. lawmakers (NYT) as they consider Gina Haspel as President Trump's nominee to head the CIA.         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: May 09, 2018 at 10:12PM