Pompeo's Iran Demands | Syrian Forces Claim Victory in Capital | Eastern Ukraine Flare-Up

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. May 22, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Pompeo Lays Out Demands for Iran The Iranian foreign ministry condemned a U.S. vow to implement the "strongest sanctions in history" on Iran for its weapons development and activities in the Middle East, saying such a move would be illegal (ISNA) and amount to bullying. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced twelve demands for Iran (VOA), which include ceasing ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development and support for armed groups in the Middle East, as well as allowing international inspectors "unqualified access" to all sites, in a Monday speech on U.S. conditions for a new nuclear deal. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the United States has yet to demonstrate (CBS) how its exit from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement would make the region safer. ANALYSIS "The speech heralds an unabashed embrace of go-it-alone maximalism that is not only likely to come up short on Iran, but will also backfire across an array of U.S. interests and allies in an unpredictable fashion," Suzanne Maloney writes for the Brookings Institution. "The lure of continuity and the need to be praised by polite society could have easily tied Pompeo to the Washington consensus. But instead, in his maiden speech as secretary of state, he identified the problem: a regime that is bent on extending its imperial frontiers, developing nuclear arms, and abusing its citizens," CFR's Ray Takeyh and Mark Dubowitz write for Foreign Policy. "Applying economic pressure on Iran would also require diplomacy with two countries that are already causing significant challenges for the United States: Russia and Turkey," Peter Harrell writes for Foreign Affairs. PACIFIC RIM Australian Archbishop Convicted of Abuse Cover-Up An Adelaide archbishop was found guilty of failing to report child sex abuse accusations (SMH) against a priest. He is the most senior official in the Catholic Church to be charged with such a crime. JAPAN: A tanker carrying seventy thousand tons of liquefied natural gas from the United States docked in a Yokohama port (Nikkei) as part of a deal with Tokyo Gas, which agreed to buy 1.4 million tons annually for two decades. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA India, Catholic Church Spar Over Religious Freedom The Indian home minister said on Tuesday that the government does not allow discrimination (Hindustan Times) based on religion or caste. The statement comes after New Delhi's archbishop warned parishioners in a letter that secularism and democracy are under threat. AFGHANISTAN: The revamped U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has made little progress against the Taliban (AP), U.S. inspectors general said in a new report, which noted there continues to be a high risk of casualties among civilians, as well as Afghan and U.S. forces. This CFR panel examined the United States' longest war. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Syrian Government Claims Control Over Capital The Syrian military said it now has full control over the city of Damascus (VOA) after ousting militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State from a Palestinian refugee camp outside the city and two nearby neighborhoods. ISRAEL/PALESTINE: The Palestinian Authority's foreign minister will meet with the chief prosecutor (Jerusalem Post) of the International Criminal Court at The Hague today to press her to open a probe into Jewish settlement-building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Piracy Events Off East Africa Doubled in 2017 Fifty-four piracy incidents took place off the coast of East Africa in 2017, compared to twenty-seven a year earlier, according to a new report from U.S. advocacy group One Earth Future. ZIMBABWE: President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed interest in rejoining the Commonwealth (Herald) in a letter to its secretary-general. Zimbabwe left the association in 2003 amid tensions over land redistribution. This CFR Backgrounder looks at the role of the Commonwealth after Brexit. EUROPE Several Killed in Eastern Ukraine Flare-Up At least seven people, including five civilians, were killed in a clash (DW) between government forces and separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine on Monday. EUROPE: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is expected to apologize to European lawmakers (NYT) in Brussels today for failing to prevent misuse of the social media site. CFR's Karen Kornbluh discusses how Europe is fighting political ads on social media. AMERICAS More Than a Dozen Countries Recall Venezuela Envoys Argentina, Brazil, and Canada, among other countries, recalled their ambassadors in Caracas (BBC) following a Sunday election in which President Nicolas Maduro claimed a second term. Many in the Venezuelan opposition boycotted the vote. In Foreign Affairs, Harold Trinkunas discusses why Venezuela's opposition has not been able to effectively challenge Maduro. CHILE: A gay Chilean man who was a victim of clerical sex abuse said Pope Francis told him (NYT) in a private meeting earlier this month that his homosexuality is "not a problem" and that "God made you this way." UNITED STATES U.S., China Near Deal on ZTE China's State Council said it will reduce tariffs on imported U.S. cars (FT) starting in July in an apparent trade-off as Beijing sought to ease penalties on Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE. Washington banned U.S. sales to ZTE last month for the company's alleged violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea.         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 22, 2018 at 10:09PM