IRAN
Opinion: To deal with Iran’s nuclear future, go back to 2008
Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post — October 27, 2011
Early in the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama signaled that he was going to break with the Bush administration’s Manichean foreign policy. The topic was Iran. He explained repeatedly that the Bush policy of simply pressuring Iran was not working and that he would be willing to talk to the country’s leaders to find ways to reduce tensions and dangers.
IAEA Pressed to Publish Less Iran Nuclear Data, Diplomats Say
Global Security Newswire — October 26, 2011
Diplomatic sources on Tuesday affirmed reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency is facing pressure from China and Russia to tone down or withhold a forthcoming safeguards assessment expected to include data reflecting a possible Iranian effort to establish a nuclear deterrent, Agence France-Presse reported.
NORTH KOREA
Diplomacy with North Korea Takes Center Stage in Seoul
Steve Herman, Voice of America — October 27, 2011
The South Korean capital is again the focal point for intensified diplomacy concerning North Korea and its nuclear weapons and missile development.
Pentagon chief says he doubts North Korea will give up on nuclear ambitions
Washington Post — October 27, 2011
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday he is skeptical that diplomacy will push North Korea to give up its nuclear program, and he raised the prospect of the North’s stance leading to “escalation and confrontation.”
SYRIA
Syria and America: Relations unravel
The Economist — October 25, 2011
AMERICA has pulled out Robert Ford, its ambassador in Damascus, from Syria. Mr Ford, who arrived in January after five years without an American ambassador in Syria, returned to Washington, DC this weekend due to concerns for his safety. American diplomats said that credible threats against him had been made after a regime-led campaign of incitement.
In Syria, Kurdish Groups Divided Over Taking Up Arms Against Assad
Reese Erlich, The Atlantic — October 27, 2011
The assassination of a major Kurdish opposition leader has highlighted sharp political divisions among Kurds here, raising questions about what role this ethnic minority will play in the protests wracking their country. Mashaal Tammo was killed on October 7 when masked men pulled him out of a house in Qamishli, where he was meeting with other activists, and shot him dead.
UNITED STATES
U.S. 5-yr defense budget to count $250-260 bln in cuts
Reuters — October 27, 2011
The Pentagon will unveil a five-year budget to Congress in February that will include about $250-$260 billion in cuts, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday.
Occupy protesters rally around wounded veteran
CBS News — October 27, 2011
Veering around police barricades, anti-Wall Street protesters held a late-night march through Oakland streets, a day after one of their number — an Iraq War veteran — was left in critical condition with a fractured skull following a clash with police.
