FPI Overnight Brief: September 9, 2010

Scandinavia

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday requested a new lawyer to represent him in the ongoing Swedish rape investigation and suggested the allegations against him could stem from personal conflicts. – Associated Press

Assange, and by extension his crusade, have been badly damaged by allegations from two Swedish women that he subjected one to rape and the other to sexual harassment, according to assessments by his lawyer, his associates and Assange himself. – Washington Post

 

Afghanistan

The first police station has been opened in Marja, seven months after United States Marines started operations to take control of that Taliban stronghold in southern Helmand Province, military officials said Wednesday – New York Times

The long-delayed push by NATO forces has finally come to town, in fits and starts, and with mixed results. – New York Times

Afghan President Hamid Karzai intends to impose rules restricting international involvement in anti-corruption investigations, a move that U.S. officials fear will hobble efforts to address the endemic graft that threatens support for his administration in Afghanistan and the United States – Washington Post

Kabul Bank sits at the center of a financial crisis that has exposed the shadowy workings of the country’s business and political elite, and how such connections shielded the bank from scrutiny – New York Times

On Wednesday, the last business day before a national holiday, state security forces punched and pushed back hundreds of governments workers trying to storm the central branch of the embattled Kabul Bank to claim their monthly wages. – New York Times

[The] rapid turnabout in Kabul Bank's fortunes has led Afghans to question whether Western-style free-market capitalism is just another broken U.S. promise, along with secure neighborhoods, transparent elections and ambitious development. Many here blame the United States, saying it did not provide strong oversight and alleging American complicity in last week's financial meltdown. – Washington Post

The head of Afghanistan's independent Human Rights Commission says that any peace talks with Islamic insurgents must be held in a way that does not "undermine human rights and justice" under the "pretext of peace efforts," RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reports – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, has called on Afghans to redouble their efforts against the Nato-led coalition, claiming they are losing the war in Afghanistan - Telegraph

The U.S. government's financial commitment to Afghanistan is likely to linger and reach into the billions long after it pulls combat troops from the country, newly disclosed spending estimates show – Associated Press

A United Nations agency will report that opium poppy production has fallen in Afghanistan this year but there are enough stocks to keep supplying heroin production, the agency's new chief said on Wednesday. - Reuters

The final U.S. brigade sent to Afghanistan as part of President Barack Obama's surge strategy assumed authority for a swath of the country's eastern territory Wednesday. – Wall Street Journal

Russia

A top U.S. diplomat criticized Russia on Wednesday over the jailing of a prominent human rights activist and urged the Kremlin to respect the right to free assembly. - Reuters

Bill Gertz reports: Last month's drowning death of a senior Russian military intelligence official in Syria has sparked speculation among intelligence officials that the spymaster was killed as part of an effort by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to centralize Russian intelligence power and return to the era of the all-powerful KGB communist political police – Inside the Ring

The Russian Defense Ministry has suspended admissions into its military academies for two years, citing an excess of officers in the shrinking Army. – Defense News

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin invited around 50 foreign guests to dinner this week and told them he was aware of the risk that Russia's autocratic political system could concentrate too much power on one man. – Wall Street Journal

China

U.S. and Chinese officials wrapped up three days of high-level talks with bullish statements about their relationship that masked anxiety on both sides about the potential for conflict over a host of issues from China's currency policy to U.S. military strategy in Asia. – Wall Street Journal

Despite recent efforts to tamp down territorial disputes, China and Japan are jostling elbows over one of their thorniest such conflicts: control of a tiny, uninhabited island chain in the East China Sea. – New York Times

Mexico

Few people who knew Edgar Valdez Villarreal back when he was a square-jawed football star at United High School [in Laredo, Texas] would have pegged him as likely to become one of Mexico’s most feared and savage drug leaders. None of the clichéd roots of crime could be seen is his youth: no broken home, no abusive father, no poverty. – New York Times

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that the surging drug violence in Mexico now resembles war-torn Colombia a generation ago, with criminal cartels looking like "insurgencies" battling for control of territory. – Washington Post

Iran

Josh Rogin reports: The South Korean government announced a series of sanctions against Iran on Tuesday after intensive lobbying from the Obama administration…[T]he administration and members of Congress who are pushing for countries to put more pressure on Iran hailed the announcement, noting that South Korea moved forward despite the potential cost to its domestic industries – The Cable

An Iranian official has confirmed that the government halted the death sentence by stoning of a woman charged with adultery, but he reiterated that she was still facing murder charges – New York Times

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's appointments of special envoys for foreign affairs is seen as a direct challenge to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  Decisions on foreign policy issues -- including the contentious issue of Iran's nuclear program -- are traditionally subject to the supreme leader's approval. However, four appointments made by the president in recent weeks suggest that he intends to exert greater influence on Iranian diplomacy, and could be trying to wrest outright control from Khamenei in the sphere of foreign policy. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Obama Administration

Seeking to reassert American power in a more complex world, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton declared Wednesday that the United States was still the best hope for victims of natural disasters and political repression, and for old enemies wanting to make peace – New York Times

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton declared Wednesday that "a new American moment" has arrived in international relations, "a moment when our global leadership is essential, even if we must often lead in new ways." – Washington Post

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday pushed back on America’s sense of domestic crisis and declining power, saying U.S. leadership in the world is more important than ever despite the economic woes at home. - Politico

Danielle Pletka writes: Our allies have been bubbling with resentment and fear over the Obama administration’s retreat. There have been admirable and notable exceptions, particularly in Afghanistan and, of late, in Asia. But in general, enemies and friends have a shared impression of this president. He doesn’t want America to lead the world, and he’s doing his best to ensure we can’t. This speech will only cement that view. – The Enterprise

Tim Sullivan writes: if the United States hopes to retain the leadership role Secretary Clinton described this morning, it cannot afford to short-change defense. America’s armed forces already shoulder a disproportionate burden in the maintenance of international security. They cannot be asked to do more with less. And America cannot hope to lead but from a position of strength. – AEI’s Center for Defense Studies

Colombia

The arrival of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at Georgetown University is sparking campus debate on the two-term leader's legacy in security and human rights – La Plaza

Yemen

U.S. special operations forces are expanding their training of the Yemeni military as the Obama administration broadens its program to counter terrorism in countries reluctant to harbor a visible American military presence. – Associated Press

A top U.S. counterterrorism official is dismissing claims that the Obama administration considers al-Qaeda's Yemen cell the top threat to America – Defense News

Ukraine

Ukraine's Security Service questioned a leading member of the political opposition Wednesday in a widening corruption probe focused on allies of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko…Allies of Ms. Tymoshenko, who now leads the opposition, say the summons is the latest step in a campaign of political persecution under President Viktor Yanukovych, who defeated her in an election in February. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

Taiwan

Taiwan will deploy a new missile defense system by 2015 to protect bases from any attack by rival China, an official said on Wednesday, a sign that military distrust still runs deep despite a thaw in trade ties. - Reuters

Cuba

Fidel Castro said Cuba's economic model no longer works, a U.S.-based journalist reported on Wednesday following interviews with the former president last week. - Reuters

United Kingdom

BAE Systems has been tasked by the British government to look at a number of options on the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier build program including axing the project, said company Chief Executive Ian King – Defense News

India

The U.S. government is scrambling to preserve the benefits of a civil nuclear agreement with India—the cornerstone of a broad new relationship between the world's two largest democracies—after India passed a law that threatens to effectively exclude U.S. companies from its market for nuclear power. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

Honduras

Honduran police said on Wednesday street gangs connected to violent Mexican drug cartels are responsible for the massacre of 17 people in a shoe shop in the industrial city of San Pedro Sula. - Reuters

Egypt

A Senate resolution condemning Egypt's record on human rights and free elections has sparked an aggressive Washington lobbying campaign by the longtime U.S. ally, which argues that the measure could harm the Middle East peace process and its relationship with the United States. – Washington Post

A previously unknown group of activists in Egypt is putting up posters and collecting signatures urging Gamal Mubarak, the son and presumed successor of the country's leader, to run for president in next year's election. – Washington Post

North Korea

North Korea's capital is ready for its biggest political event in decades: giant billboards proclaim an event to make the country's "history shine forever," the dress rehearsals are complete and the army is ready. But like all things in secretive North Korea, the event -- a conference of the ruling Worker's Party (WPK) which is widely expected to anoint Kim Jong-il's son as his successor -- is shrouded in mystery. - Reuters

Kosovo

Serbia bowed to intense European and US pressure today by dropping a challenge to Kosovo's independence at the United Nations, clearing the way for settlement talks between Belgrade and the Kosovo Albanian leadership. - Guardian

The War

A sharply divided federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit involving the Central Intelligence Agency’s practice of seizing terrorism suspects and transferring them to other countries for imprisonment and interrogation. The ruling handed a major victory to the Obama administration in its effort to advance a sweeping view of executive secrecy power – New York Times

Burma

China's president welcomed the leader of Burma's ruling junta on Wednesday with a red carpet and a military band, pageantry that underscores China's strong support for its resource-rich neighbor where Beijing has made huge investments. – Washington Times

Sudan

[A]s southern Sudanese prepare to vote in January on whether they will secede from the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum and create a new country, U.S. diplomats say they are surging to avert a return to war. – Washington Times

Defense

The U.S. military must overhaul and reduce the cost of paying its people, funding their retirements and underwriting their health care, a top Pentagon adviser said. – Defense News

Lockheed Martin announced Sept. 8 that more than 600 company executives have taken up early retirement offers as the defense contractor undergoes a massive cost-cutting restructuring. - AFP

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told lawmakers Wednesday he expects Russia to abide by a new nuclear arms treaty, but Russia's not doing so could wreck chances for future agreements. – Associated Press

Sunday's vote to amend Turkey's constitution is shaping up as a referendum on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  Eight years after Mr. Erdogan and his Islamic-leaning Justice and Development Party came to power, the debate over what this nation's devoutly religious, tough talking and charismatic leader believes—and where he really wants to take Turkey—is as acute as ever – Wall Street Journal

South Asia

Sri Lanka’s Parliament passed a proposal on Wednesday to remove presidential term limits from the Constitution, paving the way for the popular president to run for a third term and cement his grip on power. – New York Times

Sub-Saharan Africa

More than 700 inmates in the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi were freed Tuesday night in a daring raid by well-armed attackers on a prison where members of an Islamist sect were being held, authorities and witnesses said Wednesday – New York Times

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has told state governors in the ruling party he intends to stand in elections next January, one of the governors who attended the meeting said Wednesday. - Reuters

Iraq

Some form of U.S. military presence will be needed in Iraq at least until 2016 to provide training, support and maintenance for the vast quantity of military equipment and weaponry that Iraq is buying from America, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qader Obeidi said – Los Angeles Times

The killing of two American soldiers by an Iraqi solider at a military base north of Baghdad was a “deliberate act” but one that would not undermine the new American mission to advise Iraq’s security forces, the American military said in a statement on Wednesday – New York Times

The Iranian-backed Shia terror groups collectively known as the Special Groups (a term coined by US forces in 2007) have stepped up attacks in the Iraqi south, according to reports from the region – Long War Journal

Israel

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to introduce any terms agreed in a Middle East peace deal over a period of decades rather than years, it has been claimed - Telegraph

Josh Rogin reports: President Obama, in a private conference call Wednesday, told an audience of Jewish leaders to discount non-constructive statements made by Israeli and Palestinian leaders as Middle East peace talks move forward, saying that such remarks are all part of the negotiating game – The Cable

Philippines

The clan accused of orchestrating the Philippines’ worst political massacre — also considered the single worst killing of journalists on record — plotted the attack over a family dinner, a longtime housekeeper testified Wednesday at the start of a long-delayed trial here. – New York Times

Southeast Asia

One of East Timor's two deputy prime ministers resigned on Wednesday after he said Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao called him a liar, posing a risk to stability of the ruling coalition of the world's youngest countries. - Reuters

Southern Africa

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday pressed Rwanda to keep its forces serving on peacekeeping missions despite its anger over a draft report accusing the African nation's troops of atrocities and possible genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo. – Los Angeles Times

Somalia

An accused Somali pirate has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy from a November 2008 attack in the Gulf of Aden on a Danish ship carrying cargo from a U.S. company. – Associated Press

Africa

The president of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates has sent millions of military and financial aid to [the] tiny East African archipelago [of the Seychelles], a longtime get-away for the rich and famous. But it's the construction of his private residence here—a seven-story, mountain-top palace with a 360-degree view of the surrounding Indian Ocean—that's getting all the attention these days – Wall Street Journal

Horn of Africa

Activists have urged people to change their Facebook profile to that of Birtukan Mideksa, 35, Ethiopa's most prominent political prisoner, for the Ethiopian new year, which starts on 11 September. - Guardian

Pakistan

Pakistani authorities have charged three men with terrorism-related offenses for allegedly helping failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad prepare for the attempted May 1 attack by arranging meetings with top Pakistani Taliban leaders and sending him money, a senior police official in Islamabadp said Wednesday. – Los Angeles Times