March 28, 2011 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - Airstrikes Target Qaddafi Hometown - Yemeni President Abandons Exit Offer - Toxic Water Indicates Partial Meltdown - U.S. Budget Debate Looms Ahead of Deadline Top of the Agenda: Airstrikes Target Qaddafi Hometown Coalition warplanes pounded targets in Sirte (BBC), the hometown of Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi. The attack comes as NATO assumed full command of all military operations to enforce the UN resolution of protecting Libyan civilians. Rebel forces (al-Jazeera) claim to have taken control of the town, though these reports are unconfirmed. Assisted by coalition air bombardments, rebels have been able to advance rapidly, recapturing the key cities of Bin Jawad, Ras Lanuf, Uqayla, Brega, and Ajdabiya. The town of Misurata (UPI) remains besieged by pro-government forces. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the transition of military command would allow the United States to begin reducing its presence (NYT), a process that Pentagon officials claim has already begun with the Navy. President Barack Obama (AP) is set to address the nation tonight in what analysts say will be an attempt to provide a rationale for U.S. intervention and a discussion of next steps. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated Turkey (Guardian) is prepared to act as mediator in an early Libyan ceasefire, suggesting a long war would risk becoming a "second Iraq." Analysis: In Politico, Robert D. Blackwill writes that the Obama administration deserves credit for its foreign policy achievements, but questions whether the president has failed as commander-in-chief. In the Financial Times, CFR President Richard N. Haass examines the bleak lessons that history has to offer on the future of Libya. This CFR Analysis Brief looks at how intervention in Libya has been justified by the "responsibility to protect" doctrine. But debate is growing over whether Libya meets the criteria, and the mission's success is challenged by lack of clarity on objectives. Background: The brutality of the Qaddafi regime and the subsequent debate over a no-fly zone has again spotlighted the UN's "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine. This CFR Backgrounder examines the dilemma of humanitarian intervention. The UN Security Council resolution regarding Libya was passed on March 17, 2011. Multimedia: This photo slide show from the New York Times shows rebel fighters after retaking the crossroads city of Ajdabiya in eastern Libya, pushing westward along the main coastal road to Ras Lanuf, the site of a major refinery complex. MIDDLE EAST: Yemen's Saleh Abandons Offer to Exit Yemini President Ali Abdullah Saleh abandoned his offer to step down by the end of the year, a proposal that was rejected by opposition groups. Analysts say the formal withdrawal (AP) indicates a failing to negotiate and a deteriorating political situation as Islamic militants take control of cities in the south. Opposition movements in Bahrain and Yemen are hobbled by societal and sectarian divisions that were finessed in Tunisia and Egypt, says Middle East expert Kristin Smith Diwan. Syria: Syria deployed heavy security in the city of Latakia following clashes between government supporters and reform activists that left twelve dead. President Bashar al-Assad is expected to address the nation soon and may lift the country's fifty-year state-of-emergency law (BBC). On his CFR blog Pressure Points, Elliott Abrams discusses Syria and Iran, and asks if the United States should fear the fall of the Assad regime. PACIFIC RIM: Toxic Water Indicates Partial Meltdown Japanese officials said highly radioactive water from the number two reactor at the Fukushima Plant appears to have come from the core and indicates a partial meltdown (WSJ). The water is another impediment to restoring the plant's cooling systems, which would allow the reactors to reach a cold-shutdown status. Japan bears only some resemblance to the Asian countries ravaged by the 2004 tsunami, but their recovery experiences could provide valuable insights to leaders in Tokyo, writes CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick. China: China was "by far" the world leader in death penalty executions for 2010, according to a report by Amnesty International. However, the report states that there is a global trend toward the abolition of the death penalty (Guardian). SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Suicide Bomb Kills Twenty in Paktika At least twenty people were killed in a suicide attack at a construction company in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province (al-Jazeera). The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing. India: Pakistani President Yousuf Raza Gilani accepted an invitation from Indian President Manmohan Singh to attend the World Cup cricket semi-final match in Mohali, Punjab. The so-called cricket diplomacy (Bloomberg) will follow official talks today and tomorrow between the governments' home secretaries. AFRICA: Ouattara Rejects AU-Chosen Mediator Ivory Coast's recognized president Alassane Ouattara rejected the mediator selected by the African Union (VOA) to help intervene in the country's political standoff. Ouattara said Jose Brito is not a head of state and has personal connections to his rival, incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo. AMERICAS: U.S. Budget Debate Looms Ahead of Deadline With less than two weeks before a government shutdown, Democratic lawmakers are putting together a proposal to offer Republicans that includes roughly $20 billion in spending cuts (WSJ). Argentina: Israel is inquiring into a report that Argentinean authorities struck a deal with Iran where Buenos Aires agreed to stop investigating bombings on Jewish centers (AP) in the 1990s in exchange for better trade ties. Eighty-five people were killed and two hundred injured in Argentina's deadliest terror attacks. EUROPE: Greens Deal Blow to Merkel The German Green party (DeutscheWelle) dealt Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats significant defeats in two state elections that were widely seen as a referendum on nuclear energy. The elections will give the Green party a state premier in Baden-Württemberg, the first in German history. Italy: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi appeared in court for the first time in eight years, attending a pretrial hearing in Milan for an alleged tax fraud and embezzlement case. Berlusconi (FT) is involved in three other cases that have reached trial. EXPLORE CFR's WEBSITE:     Regions      Issues      Experts     Publications     About CFR Find CFR on Twitter and Facebook. Privacy Policy The Council on Foreign Relations does not share email addresses with third parties. Council on Foreign Relations 58 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065 Tel. +1 212.434.9400 Fax: +1 212.434.9800 Learn about this and other newsletters offered by the Council on Foreign Relations. To pause your subscription, to switch between HTML and text-only versions of the newsletter, to change your email address, or to unsubscribe, click here.

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