Syria Escalation | Turkey Deports Afghans | Orban's Victory
Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. April 9, 2018 Daily News Brief TOP OF THE AGENDA U.S., France Vow Response to Reported Chemical Attack in Syria The UN Security Council will host an emergency meeting on Syria today after both the United States and France vowed to respond to a suspected chemical weapons attack on an opposition-held town by the Syrian government and its allies, including Russia. U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, said they would coordinate a "strong, joint response" (RFE/RL) following reports of the attack on the suburb of Douma, where rescuers reported at least forty-two dead (NYT), including women and children. Russia accused Israel of carrying out a Sunday attack (Haaretz) on an air base near the Syrian city of Homs, which a monitoring group said killed fourteen people, including Iranians. ANALYSIS "In the case of Ghouta, the message the regime was articulating—loudly and clearly—was that henceforth no pocket of resistance would be tolerated, and that the only way out for its enemies was unconditional surrender. Indeed, what it intended on making abundantly clear to the rebels—and any civilians living around them—was that there was no one to call upon to rescue them," writes Chatham House's Haid Haid. "[Trump's] sole metric for success is defeating the Islamic State—though the vast majority of Syrian civilians were killed by Mr. Assad's forces," CFR's Janine di Giovanni writes for the New York Times. "Since taking a victory lap for his cruise-missile strike [on a Syrian base last year], Trump has left Assad, along with his Russian and Iranian backers, undisturbed to continue their meticulous work of mass murder," CFR's Max Boot writes for the Washington Post. Event: U.S.–North Korea Relations Victor D. Cha and Mike G. Mullen discuss the status of nonproliferation efforts a year and a half after the release of the CFR Task Force report on North Korea. Watch today at 12:30 p.m. (EDT). PACIFIC RIM Pyongyang Said to Confirm Offer on Denuclearization Talks North Korea offered to discuss denuclearization during expected talks between Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Trump next month, according to U.S. media reports citing unnamed administration officials. North Korean and U.S. officials are reportedly holding secret meetings (NYT) ahead of the summit. Robert Jervis and Mira Rapp-Hooper discuss how misperception can lead to an unwanted war on the Korean Peninsula (Foreign Affairs). PHILIPPINES: The Philippine ambassador to China said his country is seeking to sign a joint oil and gas exploration deal (Reuters) in the South China Sea with China in the coming months. Beijing claims most of the disputed waterway, though Manila won a 2016 ruling at The Hague that challenged part of its claim. CFR's Ely Ratner looks at how the United States can respond to Chinese claims in the South China Sea. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Turkey Deports Hundreds of Afghans More than two hundred Afghan migrants in the Turkish city of Erzurum were put on a charter plane headed to Kabul on Sunday, according to media reports. An additional four hundred are expected to be deported in the coming days (RFE/RL). PAKISTAN: Islamabad summoned the U.S. ambassador over the death of a Pakistani citizen who was hit by a U.S. vehicle (Dawn) believed to have been driven by a defense attaché (VOA). MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA ICC Chief Calls for End to Gaza Violence Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said crimes committed in Palestine may be subject to an investigation by her office (Guardian) after more than two dozen Palestinians were reported killed in recent days by Israeli gunfire. Israel is not a member state of the Hague-based court (VOA). SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Somalia Seizes Nearly $10 Million in UAE Funds Somali security officials at a Mogadishu airport seized a cache of money they say was being sent to the Emirati ambassador (VOA) to the country. The envoy said the funds were intended to support the Somali military. ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe's consul general in South Africa called on Zimbabweans living in the neighboring country (SABC) to return, saying his country is "open for business" under new President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Martin Meredith discusses the legacy of longtime Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in Foreign Affairs. EUROPE Hungary's Orban Secures Third Term Prime Minister Viktor Orban appeared to win a two-thirds majority in parliament (EUobserver) in a general election in which his Fidesz party campaigned against migration, nongovernmental organizations, and U.S. billionaire philanthropist George Soros. VATICAN: Vatican police arrested a monsignor who formerly worked at the Holy See's U.S. embassy on suspicion he possessed child pornography (BBC). AMERICAS Brazil's Lula, After Standoff, Heads to Prison After a daylong standoff in which former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva challenged a court order to turn himself in for a prison sentence (Reuters), he spent his first night in jail on Sunday. The supreme court may review a 2016 ruling that allows Lula to be jailed after losing a first appeal of a corruption conviction. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: A high court could overturn a law criminalizing sodomy in the country (Guardian) this week, spurring hope among LGBT activists that the case could serve as precedent for similar legal challenges across the region. UNITED STATES Zuckerberg to Testify Before Congress Ahead of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's appearance before lawmakers this week (NPR), the social media network announced that it will alert users (HuffPo) whose personal data was shared with the data firm Cambridge Analytica. John Bolton, a Bush-era UN ambassador, will assume his new position (NYT) as national security advisor today. 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: April 09, 2018 at 10:07PM
