IRAN
Iran’s ‘bombproof’ nuclearsite takes defiant aura from village namesake
Washington Post — October 10
Not far from one of Iran’s most secretive nuclear sites, villagers proudly declare a willingness to sacrifice their lives to defend their country’s nuclear program from attack by the West.
EU Expands Sanctions Against Iran
NPR — October 10, 2011
The European Union has expanded sanctions against Iran because of continued human rights abuses. A meeting of EU foreign ministers added 29 officials linked to the regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the list of people facing a visa ban and asset freeze.
NORTH KOREA
S. Korea allows work at factories in North Korea to restart
Reuters — October 11, 2011
South Korea said on Tuesday it will allow 120 of its firms to restart building a joint industrial park with North Korea, a fresh sign of tensions between the rival countries easing.
Japanese doctors arrive in North Korea to examine atomic bombing victims
Washington Post — October 11, 2011
A team of Japanese doctors arrived Tuesday in North Korea to examine victims of the 1945 atomic bombings of Japan, a trip that may help improve dismal ties between the countries.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan opium production set to rise 61%: UN
Aymeric Vincenot, Associated Foreign Press — October 11, 2011
Opium production in Afghanistan, which fuels the Taliban insurgency, is set to rise by nearly two-thirds as prices soar after last year’s harvest was blighted by disease, the United Nations said Tuesday.
AP Exclusive: Afghanistan obstructs graft probes
Adam Goldman and Heidi Vogt, San Francisco Chronicle — October 11, 2011
A major investigation into an influential Afghan governor accused of taking bribes has been shut down and its top prosecutor transferred to a unit that doesn’t handle corruption cases, Afghan and U.S. officials said.
UNITED STATES
Huntsman accuses Romney of soundbite foreign policy
Ashley Killough, CNN — October 11, 2011
On the same day Jon Huntsman gave his foreign policy speech in New Hampshire, the former Utah governor took a swipe at his GOP presidential opponent Mitt Romney, who made a similar speech on Friday.
Huntsman v. Romney: Which GOP Foreign Policy Vision Will Prevail?
Michael Crowley, TIME — October 11, 2011
Jon Huntsman laid out his foreign policy vision with a speech in New Hampshire on Monday, further establishing himself as a skeptic of ambitious U.S. military commitments abroad. Huntsman has touched on these themes before: Scaling back the war in Afghanistan and turning it into a primarily counter-terrorism mission; containing the defense budget; relying more on “competitiveness and engagement” overseas; and generally taking “ a more judicious approach toward foreign entanglements.”
