Turkey Widens Afrin Fight | Xi Warns Taiwan | Another Gaddafi

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. March 20, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Turkey to Expand Offensive Against Kurds President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will widen its military campaign against Kurdish forces to eastern Syria and potentially northern Iraq a day after after his army and allied militias claimed control of the city of Afrin (Middle East Eye) in Syria's northwest. The Turkish leader said the offensive will now target several towns controlled by the People's Protection Units (Bloomberg), a mainly Kurdish militia backed by the United States, with the aim of "fully" eliminating what he called a "terror corridor." The move by Turkey, a NATO ally at odds with the United States over Syria policy, could threaten a U.S. military and diplomatic presence in the cities of Manbij and Kobani. Afrin residents reported widespread looting (Reuters) since Sunday by a militia allied with Turkey. ANALYSIS "Afrin is one of the most strategic areas of northwest Syria. It is a piece of real estate that anchors Turkey's presence for many years to come," Nicholas Heras said in an interview with the Agence France-Presse. "Turkish presence so deep in Syrian territory and its control over vast swathes of the north of Syria (which may extend to other areas) has become the only thing protecting these areas from being retaken by the forces of the Syrian regime," Asaad Hanna writes for Chatham House. "Afrin has a decades-old reputation as a pro-PKK stronghold, and many of the displaced civilians may be unwilling—perhaps unable—to live under Turkish control, especially given Ankara's discriminatory policies against its own Kurdish minority," Aron Lund writes for IRIN. PACIFIC RIM Xi Warns Taiwan Over Separatism Chinese President Xi Jinping told lawmakers that self-governing Taiwan will face the "punishment of history" (Reuters/Xinhua) for any moves toward separatism. U.S. President Donald J. Trump upset Beijing last week by signing legislation encouraging U.S. officials to meet local authorities in Taiwan. In Foreign Affairs, Daniel Lynch writes that Trump is needlessly provoking China.  SOUTH KOREA: Washington and Seoul announced that joint military exercises, which had been postponed ahead of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (Yonhap), will begin April 1. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA U.S. Looks to Up Pressure on Taliban The top U.S. military commander for Afghanistan said social, diplomatic, military, and religious pressure will be applied to push the Taliban to negotiate with the Kabul government (VOA). Indonesia will host a conference with Afghan clerics (Tolo) later this month to discuss an Afghan peace process.  A CFR panel discusses U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. INDIA: The foreign minister said DNA testing has confirmed that thirty-nine bodies recovered from a village northwest of Iraq's Mosul belonged to Indian workers (Hindustan Times) abducted by the self-proclaimed Islamic State three years ago. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Gaddafi's Son Announces Candidacy in Libya A spokesperson for the Libyan Popular Front party said Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, whose location remains unknown, will run for president in the next Libyan election (Middle East Eye). The son of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi is wanted by the International Criminal Court and was sentenced to death in absentia by a Tripoli court in 2015. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA UK Unfreezes $500 Million in Angolan Funds The National Crime Agency said funds that were frozen while Angola's central bank was investigated for fraud (Reuters) can be returned to the country. The announcement comes days after Angola announced charges against the bank's former head. AFRICA: French President Emmanuel Macron is launching a global campaign to push instruction of French (Guardian), which he said could become the most-spoken language in Africa. EUROPE Former French President Held in Libya Probe Investigators called Nicolas Sarkozy in for questioning over allegations he received $61.5 million in 2007 campaign funds (France 24), more than double the legal limit, from the Gaddafi regime. ITALY: Italy impounded a Spanish charity ship after it refused to hand over some two hundred migrants (HRW) to Libyan forces and instead brought them to a Sicilian port (Local). AMERICAS Ministers Talk Aid for Venezuelan Refugees In Buenos Aires, finance ministers from the Americas, Europe, and Japan held a meeting on relief for Venezuelan refugees, during which Colombia proposed seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (Reuters). U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin offered to host a follow-up meeting in Washington next month. CFR's Shannon K. O'Neil writes for Bloomberg that Venezuela's neighbors can't wait for a U.S. response to the refugee crisis. CANADA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will deploy troops to a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (Globe and Mail), a move conservative opponents say is aimed at securing a seat for Canada on the UN Security Council. UNITED STATES Facebook Shares Plummet Over Data Mining The social media giant lost $36.7 billion in market value (FT) amid backlash in the United States and United Kingdom over claims the private information of some fifty million users was harvested by a political analysis firm with links to President Trump's campaign. President Trump issued an executive order banning any U.S. purchase of a new Venezuelan cryptocurrency (White House), which he called an "attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions."         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: March 20, 2018 at 10:06PM