| December 13, 2010 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website.  |  | | | | | | Top of the Agenda: UK Investigates Stockholm Bombing Under the Terrorist Act of 2000, British security services executed a search warrant (BBC) at a property in Luton as part of an expanding investigation into the background of Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, the suspect in Saturday's suicide bombing in Stockholm, Sweden. Before moving to Sweden, Abdaly lived and studied (al-Jazeera) in Luton for several years, and police will be investigating any connections made during this time. In the search, no hazardous materials were found, and no arrests have been made. Swedish investigators also confirmed that "jihadist" emails received (AP) by police and the news agency TT just prior to the bombing were sent by Abdaly. In these messages, an audio file condemns the Swedish military presence in Afghanistan and the controversial Swedish cartoon depicting the prophet Mohammed as a dog. Experts fear the attack may be part of a new, but unreliable, al-Qaeda strategy of encouraging "lone jihadists" (Guardian) to strike at Westerners with whatever limited tools and training they have. Abu Baseer Nasser al-Wuhayshi, the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, issued a call for attacks in both the Middle East and the West. According to investigators, the bombing is reminiscent of recent attacks in London, Glasgow, and New York. Analysis: The Guardian's Jonathan Paige provides a brief profile of Abdaly. This CFR Backgrounder looks at the threat of homegrown terrorism in the United States and the recent upswing in incidents perpetrated by Islamic radicals who are U.S. citizens. | | | | | | | | | MIDDLE EAST: Netanyahu Dismisses Separation of Jerusalem Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced himself (al-Jazeera) from recent comments made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who suggested that Arab sectors of the city should fall under the sovereignty of an independent Palestinian state. A group of elder statesmen, including former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, called for a renewed effort in peace talks (BBC), including asking Palestinians to recognize Israel's right to exist and Israel to cease settlement activity and end the occupation of Palestinian territory. With the United States ending its push for an Israeli settlement freeze as a precondition for Israel-Palestinian talks, the Obama administration should now focus on managing expectations as much as conflict resolution, says CFR's Robert Danin. This CFR Crisis Guide examines the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
| | | | | | | | | | | AFRICA: Africa Rejects Gbagbo The African Union and the West African regional bloc have suspended the Ivory Coast (FT) until Alassane Ouattara, winner of the presidential election, is allowed to take over from Laurent Gbagbo. Sudan: Ahead of the January referendum on national partition, Minni Minnawi, leader of the Sudan Liberation Army, declared the 2006 peace agreement a "failure" (al-Jazeera) and abandoned his Khartoum office in protest. Separately, clashes between Minnawi forces and Sudanese troops broke out over the weekend. Upon their return from Sudan, George Clooney and John Prendergast assess the in-country situation in advance of southern Sudan's January independence referendum.
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