Recycle Email

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

- Musharraf’s future in doubt as coalition presses impeachment.
- Bush has strong words for China on human rights.
- A verdict at U.S. war crimes tribunal.
- Rwanda says French military complicit in genocide.

Top of the Agenda: Musharraf’s Future

The leaders of Pakistan’s ruling coalition have agreed in principle to move ahead with impeachment proceedings (BBC) against President Pervez Musharraf. News reports from Pakistan today indicate that Musharraf is girding himself for a legal showdown. Dawn reports Musharraf consulted political loyalists and aides and is preparing to fight off impeachment proceedings. Musharraf departed for Beijing (AP) this morning to attend the opening of the Olympic Games, following initial reports that he would cancel the visit.

It remains to be seen what the impeachment proceedings will mean for Musharraf or for Pakistan’s political future. Musharraf was a longtime ally of the United States and is considered to have supported strong counterterrorism measures in Pakistan tribal regions, but many analysts say the president is already a lame duck, sidelined by the new parliament. The Indian news outlet Rediff says impeachment is likely as soon as August 11. Yet India’s ANI news agency says it is no sure thing whether the ruling parties will be able to pull off the impeachment, given the divided nature of the coalition. The leaders of Pakistan’s governing parties are enmeshed in debate over how and whether to reinstate judges Musharraf deposed last year, and the Daily Times says negotiations appear to have deadlocked.

Background: 

- At a recent CFR meeting, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani discussed Pakistani security efforts in the country’s tribal regions.

- A recent Council Special Report looks at what the United States and other countries can do to help improving security in Pakistan’s troubled tribal belt.

MIDDLE EAST: Iran Talks

The deputy head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog arrived in Tehran (BBC) today to pursue more talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Six world powers agreed yesterday to consider further sanctions against Iran, which this week missed a deadline to reply to a compromise offer on suspending uranium enrichment.

Meanwhile, the AP reports Israel has begun building up its nuclear strike capabilities and appears increasingly confident that a military strike could cripple Iran’s nuclear program.

- This Backgrounder provides an outline of Iran’s nuclear program.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE: Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to release some 120 Palestinian prisoners in a move that al-Jazeera says is a good-faith gesture aimed at bolstering the standing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

PACIFIC RIM: China Human Rights

U.S. President George W. Bush used unusually blunt language toward China, condemning Beijing for political repression (Times of London).

The head of the International Olympic Committee said the air quality in Beijing at the start of the Olympic Games will be safe for athletes (BBC).

THAILAND: Bush’s speech in the Thai capital stressed the U.S. economic and security ties with the Asia-Pacific region, which the Wall Street Journal reports was a signal to countries uneasy about fading U.S. influence in the region.

S. KOREA: Seoul’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate to try to counter inflation. The Korea Times reports on the implications of a growing divergence between South Korea’s interest rate and the benchmark rate set by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA: India Unrest

Indian officials partially lifted a curfew (Hindu) they had imposed on several cities in the Jammu region following clashes between land rights protestors and police.

PAKISTAN: Fresh clashes between Pakistani security forces and Taliban fighters left twenty-five militants dead (al-Jazeera).

AFRICA: France Rejects Genocide Claim

French officials sharply disputed (CSMonitor) a Rwandan report that claims French forces helped Hutus carry out the 1994 genocide against Tutsis.

MAURITANIA: Following a bloodless coup, the leaders of Mauritania’s military promised to hold a free election (AP) as soon as possible.

ZIMBABWE: The Mail & Guardian reports that petrol coupons have emerged as a currency of choice in Zimbabwe, given the country’s rampant inflation.

KENYA: On the tenth anniversary of terrorist strikes against the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya’s government pledged to retrench its counterterrorism efforts (Daily Nation).

AMERICAS: War Crimes Trial

The Economist examines the verdict of the first U.S. war crimes tribunal since World War II. Yesterday a military commission convicted a man who admitted to being Osama bin Laden’s driver on charges of supporting terrorism but acquitted of another serious charge.

NICARAGUA: The Miami Herald looks at a boom in Nicaragua’s lobster industry but says the trade is proving perilous for lobster divers.

U.S.-MEXICO: The AP reports that the Texas execution of a Mexican citizen, which has aroused discussion in international law circles, has drawn little media attention in Mexico.

CAMPAIGN 2008: McCain’s ‘Economic Surge’

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called for an “economic surge” (MSNBC) on Wednesday. “Our surge has succeeded in Iraq militarily. Now we need an economic surge to keep jobs here at home and create new ones,” he said. He also said the United States needs to “open new markets” to its products.

ENERGY CHOICES: Policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin defended McCain’s “all of the above” energy policy plan (Chicago Sun-Times) in a memo on Wednesday, saying McCain “does support aggressive development of alternative and renewable energy sources. He will support the development of alcohol-based fuels, establish a permanent research and development tax credit to support energy innovation, and will encourage an even-handed system of tax credits for renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and biomass.”

CHINA: NPR’s Mike Shuster says U.S. policy toward China has not figured prominently in the presidential campaign so far.

EUROPE: Hezbollah Recruitment

Spiegel says a recent espionage case in Israel shines a light on a troubling phenomenon—Hezbollah’s recruitment of foot soldiers in Germany.

RUSSIA-CHECHNYA: RFE/RL reports Moscow may be looking for Chechens to fill gaps in Russia’s military.

RUSSIA: RIA Novosti reports a Kremlin crackdown on price fixing at Russian firms has spooked investors.

OPINION ROUNDUP

In Thursday’s roundup: President Musharraf and the threat of impeachment; a verdict in Guantanamo Bay; and China’s political culture.

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