U.S. Ends Chapter in Iraq | Iran Deal Uncertainty | Steel Tariff Exemptions
Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. May 1, 2018 Daily News Brief TOP OF THE AGENDA U.S.-Led Coalition Winds Down Combat Operations in Iraq The coalition fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq closed its Baghdad headquarters on Monday. U.S. Central Command said the move comes in response to the "changing composition and responsibilities of the coalition," which was formed four years ago. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis did not specify changes to U.S. troop levels in the country, which stand at several thousand (WaPo), but said their mission would shift from "enabling combat operations" (Military Times) to developing the self-sufficiency of Iraqi forces. Some opponents of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is seeking reelection on May 12, have called for all U.S. troops to leave. Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State (WSJ) late last year. ANALYSIS "Experts say while it's likely that troop numbers in Iraq will decrease, those resources will likely spread out to assist nearby missions in the region—from the Arabian Peninsula to Afghanistan and missions in Africa," Todd South writes for the Military Times. "The last Iraqi parliamentary elections took place in 2014, shortly before ISIS seized one-third of Iraq's territory. Since then, the ISIS advance and the subsequent war to defeat the extremist group has transformed the fortunes of Iraqi political actors—but no one quite knows by how much," Nussaibah Younis writes for the Defense Post. "ISIL was able to succeed because of the breakdown of the state and the weakness of its security sector. Now, ISIL is gone, but state weakness is manifesting itself in a very different way," Renad Mansour writes for War on the Rocks. PACIFIC RIM Top Catholic Official to Stand Trial for Sexual Abuse An Australian judge ruled that Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican's third-highest official (NYT), must stand trial on several historical sexual abuse charges. Pell pleaded not guilty (SMH). TAIWAN: The Dominican Republic announced it will break ties with Taiwan in favor of China, reducing Taipei's number of diplomatic partners (Nikkei) to nineteen. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Standing Afghan Security Forces Shrink Year-on-Year The number of Afghan security forces, including military personnel and police, stood at 296,400 (Reuters) in January of this year, a 10.6 percent drop from a year earlier, according to a new report from the U.S. inspector general for Afghanistan. A CFR panel discussed the United States' longest war. PAKISTAN: The interior minister met with protesters from the Hazara ethnic minority calling on the government to increase protections (Dawn) for their community. Thousands of Hazaras have been killed in attacks over the past two decades, most of which were claimed by Sunni militant groups (VOA). MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA U.S. Backs Israel's Claims on Iran U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "it is time to revisit" whether Iran can be trusted with nuclear material (VOA) on Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Israel had recovered documents showing that Iran had lied about its previous nuclear weapons–related work (Haaretz). Iran's foreign minister said that Netanyahu was "crying wolf." Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed U.S.-Iran relations at this CFR event. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Thousands Flee Amid Floods in Kenya Heavy rains and landslides affecting much of the country since early April have killed at least one hundred people and led some two hundred thousand people (Reuters) to flee their homes, according to the Kenya Red Cross. NIGERIA: At the White House on Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari thanked the United States for its sale of twelve Super Tucano aircraft to Nigeria to support its fight against militants (Vanguard). EUROPE Armenian Lawmakers to Choose New PM Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian called on supporters to demonstrate in the streets on Tuesday over concerns some lawmakers could thwart a parliamentary vote (RFE/RL) to elect a new prime minister, in which Pashinian is the only candidate, following the resignation last week of the ruling party's Serzh Sargsyan. UK: Walmart agreed to sell its British unit, Asda, to rival Sainsbury's in a deal that would combine two of the largest supermarket chains (DW) in the United Kingdom. AMERICAS Former Peruvian Leader Released From Detention Former President Ollanta Humala and his wife left a Lima prison (Andina) after the constitutional court overturned an eighteen-month detention order as the pair are under investigation over charges they accepted bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. BRAZIL: Federal prosecutors filed new corruption charges against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the head of his Workers' Party over their alleged access to a $40 million slush fund (Reuters) from Odebrecht. Lula began a twelve-year prison sentence for corruption earlier this month. This CFR Backgrounder looks at Brazil's corruption fallout. UNITED STATES Trump Extends Tariff Exemptions for Some Allies The European Union responded sternly to the the U.S. administration's one-month extension of exemptions from new steel tariffs (VOA), saying its exemption should be permanent because the U.S. move "cannot be justified on the grounds of national security." The extension also applies to Canada and Mexico. Four children, a teenager, and three women from a caravan of more than one hundred Central Americans migrants were allowed to cross into U.S. territory at the Tijuana–San Diego border to apply for asylum (NYT). 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 01, 2018 at 10:14PM
