Catalan Protests | Afghan Peace Conference | Ethiopia Crackdown

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. March 26, 2018 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Catalan Leader's Arrest Sparks New Protests Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Barcelona after a former separatist leader of Spain's Catalonia region, deposed last October and wanted on sedition and rebellion charges, was taken into custody in Germany (BBC). At least a hundred people were injured in the demonstrations (EFE), which followed separate street protests on Friday after the arrest of a Catalan presidential candidate. The ex-leader, Carles Puigdemont, had been living in Belgium following a failed independence bid (FT) by the Spanish region. He is expected to appear in a German court (Guardian) on Monday. ANALYSIS "In the six months since an October referendum on independence that Madrid rejected, many of the separatists have been arrested, as the national Spanish government has taken assertive steps to defend its hold over the northeastern region," Carmen Paun writes for Politico. "With Mr. Puigdemont's arrest in Germany, the spotlight now turns to judges in European countries who will review Spanish arrest warrants, including in Belgium, Scotland and Switzerland," Raphael Minder writes for the New York Times. "In addition to encouraging the hard line that [Prime Minister Mariano] Rajoy has embraced toward Catalonia, rising nationalism has allowed him to consolidate his conservative base while putting the left-wing opposition to his government on the defensive," Omar G. Encarnacion writes for Foreign Affairs. PACIFIC RIM Obama, in Japan, Talks Denuclearization Former U.S. President Barack Obama said that North Korea's extreme isolation gives leaders fewer areas of leverage (Japan Times) to pressure the regime. He also noted disagreement between the United States and Russia over reducing their nuclear stockpiles as a major obstacle to achieving a world free of such weapons. SOUTH KOREA: Seoul agreed to ease safety and emission standards (Yonhap) on imported U.S. vehicles in a revised free trade pact with Washington. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Seoul will be permanently exempt from new U.S. steel tariffs (WSJ). This CFR Backgrounder looks at the potential backlash over the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Afghan Peace Conference Opens in Tashkent Delegates from more than twenty countries, including the United States, Iran, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Central Asian neighbors, as well as the European Union, will take part in the conference, which follows an offer last month by President Ashraf Ghani (RFE/RL) for peace talks with the Taliban without preconditions. In Foreign Affairs, Vikram J. Singh writes that Washington should back Afghan peace talks. PAKISTAN: The United States added seven Pakistani companies (Dawn) to a list of U.S. national security threats for their alleged involvement in nuclear trade. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Houthis Launch Major Missile Attack, Says Saudi Arabia The Saudi military claimed it intercepted seven ballistic missiles incoming from Yemen and that missile debris killed an Egyptian expatriate (SPA) in a residential neighborhood in Riyadh. The attack by Houthi rebels, if confirmed, would be among their largest yet (NYT) since the start of a Saudi military intervention in 2015.  EGYPT: Egyptians began three days of voting in an election in which President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is widely expected to win (AP). He faces only one opponent after several presidential hopefuls were arrested or pressured to withdraw. Andrew Miller and Amy Hawthorne call the Egyptian election a theatrical performance (Foreign Affairs). SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Nigerian Schoolgirls Freed in Boko Haram Cease-Fire The information minister said government forces and the militant group Boko Haram observed a weeklong cease-fire (Vanguard) so that scores of kidnapped girls could be returned to their families in the town of Dapchi. He said the deal was part of broader negotiations in which the government is seeking a permanent cease-fire. ETHIOPIA: At least thirty people, including recently freed academics, journalists, and religious figures, were reportedly arrested by the military (Addis Standard) over the weekend. The move follows mass prisoner releases (AP) aimed at promoting political dialogue. EUROPE Erdogan Says Offensive in Iraq's North Underway Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a crowd of supporters that the military has begun operations against Kurdish forces in Iraq's Sinjar (Reuters), though Iraq said no foreign forces have crossed into its territory. AMERICAS U.S. to Hold Military Drills Near Caracas U.S. Southern Command announced it will take part in military exercises (Miami Herald) with Trinidad and Tobago on the Caribbean island next month, a move that some analysts say could fuel Venezuelan suspicion of a U.S. plot to overthrow the Caracas government. BRAZIL: At least seven people in a Rio de Janeiro neighborhood were killed in a police operation (Reuters) to search for suspects accused of killing an officer earlier this week. UNITED STATES Students Lead March Against Gun Violence Hundreds of thousands of people marched in the U.S. capital on Saturday in a demonstration that was organized by survivors of a Florida school shooting. Marches took place in eight hundred cities (CBS) across the country. The United States carried out a drone strike in southwestern Libya targeting suspected militants affiliated with al-Qaeda (NYT). The military's hundreds of strikes in the country's north since 2016 have targeted suspects from the self-proclaimed Islamic State.         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: March 26, 2018 at 10:05PM