FPI Overnight Brief: May 15, 2009

AFP reports that "Indonesia urged fellow ASEAN member Myanmar on Friday to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and drop "arbitrary" new charges against her. 'The Indonesian government is very concerned about the arbitrary detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and we are hoping for a legal process so we know the basis for her detention,' foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said. The 63-year-old Nobel prize winner and democracy leader is facing five years' jail for allegedly breaching the terms of her house arrest after a U.S. man swam to her lakeside house."

Commenting on the debate over the treatment of terrorists, Warren Kozak notes the historical analogy of General Curtis LeMay in a Wall Street Journal op-ed: "In peacetime, a country can deliberate the balance of its security and civil liberties. It can even apologize for actions that were clearly wrong. When a nation is in peril, however, a forceful defense takes priority... So when LeMay finally figured out a way to bring the war to a faster end [by firebombing Japanese cities], there was jubilation not just in the U.S. but throughout Asia. LeMay also knew that both the U.S. and Japan were preparing for what would be the largest invasion (and most horrific bloodbath) in history.... In the strange calculus of war, LeMay helped prevent an estimated one million American casualties and upwards of two million Japanese by helping push Japan's Emperor Hirohito to surrender before the invasion. Killing large numbers of people to save even more lives is not a decision most of us would want to make. But at the time, the majority of Americans were thankful that LeMay was willing to do it. Today, some question whether the ends justified the means. In 1945, no American with a husband, brother or son serving in the military did. For them, the speediest end of that horrible conflict was the only goal."

Reuters reports that "South Korea is requesting rare talks with North Korea over the fate of a joint industrial park that has become a focal point of friction between the rival states, an official said on Friday. Destitute North Korea, stung by tightened trade sanctions in response to its defiant rocket launch in April and decision to back away from a nuclear disarmament-for-aid deal, has been looking to obtain more money from South Korean companies at the park, which is the last major economic tie between the Koreas."

Czech President Vaclav Klaus writes in the Australian that "I am surprised at how so many people nowadays in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere have come to support policies underpinned by hysteria over global warming, particularly cap-and-trade legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and subsidies for 'green' energy sources. I am convinced that this is a misguided strategy: not only because of the uncertainty about the dangers that global warming might pose, but also because of the certainty of the damage that these proposed policies aimed at mitigation will impose."

The Washington Post reports that "The House passed a bill yesterday that would provide more than $96 billion in funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq through Sept. 30, as President Obama had requested, but a bloc of 51 Democrats opposed it. Democratic opponents are accusing Obama of the same charge they leveled against his predecessor: escalating a war without a clear exit strategy. The bill passed 368 to 60, with 200 Democrats and all but nine Republicans supporting it. Democratic opponents did not attack Obama by name, but some likened his increase of 21,000 troops and billions of dollars to win the war in Afghanistan to President George W. Bush's efforts in Iraq."

Reuters reports that "A former Iraq oil minister and Kurdistan's U.S. representative Wednesday hailed an agreement to export Kurdish oil from Iraq and urged U.S. oil companies to seize the moment to help build Iraq's energy industry... Al-Oloum said the June 1 start of exports of Kurdish oil, agreed upon in recent days, is a major step toward solving disputes between semi-autonomous Kurdistan and the central government over control of oil deals and division of revenues... Al-Oloum also predicted the Nassiriya field development contract will be awarded soon, probably to a Japanese company. Three other field deals, including the south area of the East Baghdad field, likely will follow, al-Oloum said."

FOX News reports that "The director of the CIA was recently sent on a secret mission to Israel to warn its leaders not to launch a surprise attack on Iran without notifying the U.S. Administration, the Times of London reported on Thursday... As Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, prepares to visit Washington, it emerged on Wednesday that Leon Panetta went to Israel two weeks ago. He sought assurances from Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, the Defense Minister, that their hawkish new government would not attack Iran without alerting Washington."

The AP reports that "Colombia's senate has delayed a vote on scheduling a referendum that could let President Alvaro Uribe seek a third term.. Colombians previously underwent a similar experience that allowed Uribe's 2006 re-election. Uribe is a U.S.-backed conservative with high poll ratings. He's widely popular for humbling the Western Hemisphere's last remaining rebel army."

The AP reports that "The chief of naval operations said Thursday on-time delivery of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s next-generation Joint Strike Fighter will be critical in closing the gap of the fighter jets needed to match current and future threats. Navy Adm. Gary Roughead told the House Armed Services Committee that the service's current fleet of legacy F-18s from Boeing Co. is rapidly aging and will need to be replaced quickly. Those jets have seen substantial action supporting forces on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan."