March 29, 2011 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - World Leaders to Discuss Libya's Future - Factory Explosion Kills Scores in Yemen - Japan on 'Maximum Alert' After Reactor Leak - Pakistan to Permit Mumbai Attack Investigators Top of the Agenda: World Leaders to Discuss Libya's Future Foreign ministers from roughly forty nations will convene in London to discuss possibilities for Libya's long-term political future if Muammar al-Qaddafi leaves power. The meeting is scheduled on the heels of U.S. President Barack Obama's address (FT) on Monday evening, in which he laid out his rationale for military intervention and defended the strategy of limited engagement over regime change. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Mahmoud Jibril (al-Jazeera), a leading member of the Libyan opposition, ahead of her discussion with international counterparts. Analysts expect ministers to confer on a number of topics, including proposals for a ceasefire, exile for Qaddafi, and structuring talks between opposition members. Fighters loyal to the regime renewed attacks on rebels, repelling them from Sirte and forcing them to retreat to the town of Bin Jawad. Rebels have been able to make rapid advances in recent days due to coalition air support (BBC), but U.S. officials say that any gains would be fragile due to a lack of rebel organization. Analysts say the battle for Sirte questions whether the coalition could justify air strikes (NYT) if loyalist forces enjoy general support in the city and pose no threat to civilians. Obama says that NATO will take command (AFP) of all coalition military operations in Libya on Wednesday. Analysis: In Time, Michael Crowley writes Obama's speech clearly articulated his grand doctrine on the use of U.S. power, but fell short in detailing the mission in Libya. Though Obama is on solid legal ground in the Libya intervention, congressional support for it could erode if operations continue for months, says CFR's Matthew Waxman. In this opinion piece for al-Jazeera, Tarak Barkawi writes the West has used euphemisms to deny a state of war against Qaddafi under the guise of a humanitarian mission. In the Financial Times, CFR President Richard N. Haass examines the bleak lessons that history has to offer on the future of Libya. Background: Read President Obama's speech on Libya on March 28, 2011. The UN Security Council resolution regarding Libya was passed on March 17, 2011. Multimedia: In this video from the Wall Street Journal, columnist John Fund breaks down the Libya budget math and discusses Washington's showdown over spending. MIDDLE EAST: Factory Explosion Kills Scores in Yemen At least 121 people were killed when a munitions factory exploded in Yemen's Abyan Province in the south. The blast comes amid recent clashes between Yemeni security forces and members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who are taking advantage of the political unrest surrounding President Saleh regime (CNN). Syria: Syrian security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrations in Daraa (BBC), where sixty-one people have died in the last ten days. There is also a large security presence in the port city of Latakia. Observers expect President Bashar al-Assad to announce an end to the country's decades-old emergency law. On his CFR blog From the Potomac to the Euphrates, Steven Cook compares the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East to the revolutions in 1989. PACIFIC RIM: Japan on 'Maximum Alert' After Reactor Leak Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said his government is operating in a state of "maximum alert" following the discovery of highly radioactive water (SMH) leaking from the containment system at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Plant operator TEPCO was denounced by the government for reporting erroneous levels of radiation in prior measurements. On his Energy, Security, and Climate blog, CFR's Michael Levi writes on: "How Not to Debate Nuclear Power." China: Officials of China's largest bank said $98 billion worth of loans made to local governments in the post-crisis credit boom (FT) do not pose a risk to the national banking system. Observers were concerned that the practice could lead to a spike in the number of non-performing loans. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA: Pakistan to Permit Mumbai Attack Investigators Pakistan agreed to allow Indian officials to travel to Pakistan to investigate the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks (Reuters), in what experts claim is a major confidence-building gesture. The two nations also agreed to establish a "hotline" to discuss terror threats. Afghanistan: At the behest of the IMF, Kabul Bank (al-Jazeera) will be divided up and sold off in a matter of weeks, according to officials. The IMF made any future financial assistance contingent upon the bank's closing, which comes amid allegations of corrupt loan practices. Afghan security forces will start taking over some areas from NATO in July, but questions persist about the competence of those forces. Analysts say an effective transition requires emphasis on political reforms and anti-corruption measures. AFRICA: Ouattara Forces Advance in Ivory Coast Soldiers under Alassane Ouattara (AP), Ivory Coast's internationally recognized president, took control of Daloa--a key western artery leading to the capital and to the port of San Pedro--and the city of Bondoukou in the east. AMERICAS: Former President Carter in Cuba for Talks Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter (MiamiHerald) arrived in Cuba to discuss Raúl Castro's economic reforms and help improve U.S.-Cuba relations strained over the detention of U.S. government contractor Alan P. Gross. Gross was arrested after he delivered sophisticated communication equipment to members of the Jewish community in Cuba. Peru: Peru's stock market index fell just over 5 percent following an unexpected jump in poll popularity for leftist presidential candidate (WSJ) Ollanta Humala ahead of April 10 elections. EUROPE: Russia Charges Chechen with Airport Bombing Russian authorities officially charged Doku Umarov (RFE/RL), a Chechen warlord in the Caucasus, of planning the recent suicide attack at Moscow's Domodedovo airport that killed thirty-seven. Umarov claimed responsibility for the attack and demanded the creation of an independent Islamic state in the Caucasus governed by sharia law. Italy: Officials in Rome pledged to evacuate African refugees flooding into the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (DeutscheWelle) after locals attempted to deny boats entrance to the harbor. Some 18,500 migrants have arrived on the island since the beginning of the year. 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