Erdogan's New Term | Eritrea-Ethiopia Reconciliation | Haiti Unrest

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. July 9, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Turkey’s Erdogan Oversees Purge Ahead of Inauguration President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics (RFE/RL) for more than fifteen years, will be inaugurated for a new term today in a move that will mark Turkey’s transformation (Hurriyet) from a parliamentary system to that of an executive presidency. On the eve of the inauguration, the government fired some eighteen thousand state workers (AP) for alleged links to terrorist groups, the latest purge amid a state of emergency in place since a July 2016 coup attempt. The emergency decree issued yesterday brought the number of people who have lost their jobs (WSJ) in the crackdown to 130,000; it also shuttered twelve nongovernmental organizations and three media outlets. ANALYSIS “Erdogan and his party have irrevocably altered Turkey; there is no going back. Turkey’s political trajectory is an exemplary case of a country permanently rolling back democratizing reforms,” CFR’s Steven A. Cook writes for Foreign Policy. “Erdogan’s first order of business will be to concentrate on Turkey’s troubled economy. He owes his 16 years of power to the AKP’s economic success. Restoring market confidence is crucial, and lifting the state of emergency, now that he has formally acquired the powers it’s afforded him, is an easy give,” Amberin Zaman writes for Al-Monitor. “Save for some other unforeseen circumstances, Erdogan is not going anywhere for many years. Washington and the Europeans have little choice but to accept that reality, which could lead to a new framework for political, security and economic relations with Ankara,” Iyad Dakka writes for World Politics Review. PACIFIC RIM More Than One Hundred Killed in West Japan Rains The death toll from torrential rains and mudslides, which reached 116 (Kyodo) on Monday, is expected to continue to rise. Many people in inundated towns were trapped on their rooftops and needed to be rescued by boats. MYANMAR: A Yangon court charged two Reuters journalists (Reuters) with violating a colonial-era act on state secrets by possessing government documents as they investigated a massacre (Guardian) of Rohingya men in Rakhine State. The journalists pleaded not guilty. In Foreign Affairs, Zoltan Barany writes that Myanmar has gone from a democratic awakening to ethnic cleansing. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Pakistan’s Sharif, His Daughter Face Arrest Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz will be arrested upon their return (Dawn) to Pakistan from London, where Sharif’s wife is receiving medical treatment, the information minister said yesterday. Last week, the pair received ten- and seven-year prison sentences (NYT), respectively, for corruption. AFGHANISTAN: The United States identified the U.S. servicemember killed in a suspected insider attack (RFE/RL) in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Province on Saturday as Corporal Joseph Maciel of California. He is the third U.S. servicemember to die in Afghanistan this year. On CFR’s Asia Unbound blog, C. Christine Fair discussed how the U.S. exit from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement could impact U.S. operations in Afghanistan. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Syria Accuses Israel of Striking Homs Air Base The Syrian government accused Israel of carrying out air strikes on a Homs airfield yesterday and claimed it intercepted (Middle East Eye) a number of incoming missiles and hit an attacking aircraft. The attack marks the third time this year that Israel has been accused (Haaretz) of striking the site. IRAN: French shipping giant CMA CGM said it will leave Iran before reimposed U.S. sanctions on the country take effect (Reuters), while Dutch airline KLM suspended its flights to Tehran (RFE/RL), citing “negative results and financial outlook.” SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Eritrean, Ethiopian Leaders Agree to Restore Relations Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in a historic summit yesterday in the Eritrean capital of Asmara, where the pair announced the restoration of diplomatic relations (AP) after nearly two decades of hostility. The neighboring countries are also expected to open their shared border. AFRICA: Germany’s development minister announced a so-called Marshall Plan for Africa that would use public funds to support German companies (Reuters) that invest in the continent. The government has so far provided few details about the program. EUROPE UK Woman Dies From Novichok Exposure The Metropolitan Police opened a murder investigation (Guardian) following the death yesterday of a British woman who, along with her partner, came into contact with an item contaminated with the Russian-made nerve agent Novichok. Police said she was likely exposed to residue from the poison used to attack a former Russian spy (NYT) in the same area in March. AMERICAS Flights to Haiti Resume After Weekend Unrest Several foreign embassies in Port-au-Prince are closed on Monday as members of the opposition are calling for a general strike (Miami Herald) in protest of President Jovenel Moise’s government. Tensions flared over increased fuel prices, leading several airlines to cancel flights yesterday, though the government suspended the price hike on Saturday. BRAZIL: Two judges blocked an earlier order by another judge to free former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (LA Times) from prison, where he is serving a twelve-year sentence for corruption. Lula is appealing the conviction. UNITED STATES North Korea Should Forge U.S. Ties, Pompeo Says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a visit to Hanoi, urged North Korea to follow the same path Vietnam has taken in recent decades and seek improved U.S. relations. Pompeo, who was in Pyongyang last week, said his country follows through on its promises (VOA) when a nation chooses to pursue a “brighter future for itself alongside the United States.” Ahead of President Donald J. Trump’s trip to Brussels for a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members this week, the U.S. ambassador to the alliance said that trade tensions among allies have “not come up” in discussions about NATO commitments (Politico). In Foreign Affairs, Celeste A. Wallander writes that democratic decline could undo the NATO alliance.         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: July 09, 2018 at 10:00PM