China
A dramatic day of negotiations over the fate of a blind Chinese dissident ended with the most extraordinary moment yet in the week-old affair: Chen Guangcheng addressing a U.S. congressional panel over a cellphone held up by an American Christian activist. – Wall Street Journal
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ended a two-day summit in China without securing an agreement on the status of blind activist Chen Guangcheng, who remained isolated in a hospital on Friday, out of reach of American diplomats. – Washington Post
China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the dissident Chen Guangcheng can apply to study outside China in the same manner as other Chinese citizens, signaling a possible breakthrough in a diplomatic crisis that has deeply embarrassed the White House and threatens to sour relations with Beijing. – New York Times
The Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng’s abrupt reversal and plea for protection from the United States has deepened a diplomatic crisis and exposed the Obama administration to withering criticism that its diplomats miscalculated when they negotiated his departure from the American Embassy in Beijing. – New York Times
American officials said early Friday that their annual summit meeting on strategic and economic issues with China had resulted in tangible economic concessions, despite the unprecedented diplomatic furor over a Chinese human-rights advocate seeking aid from American officials. – New York Times
China has ramped up pressure on allies of blind activist Chen Guangcheng amid fears of further retaliation for his high-profile escape from house arrest. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
China’s strident tone in its limited statements about the affair around Chen Guangcheng’s sojourn to the U.S. Embassy highlights the changing dynamics in the U.S.-China relationship as well as the difference in rhetoric over what Beijing sees as interference in its affairs. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
The swift unraveling of a U.S.-Chinese deal over blind activist Chen Guangcheng has highlighted a persistent problem in the United States’ dealings with China: Diplomats who speak for Beijing have no sway over a Chinese security apparatus beholden only to the upper reaches of the ruling Communist Party. – Washington Post
Those outside of China know him as Chen Guangcheng, the self-trained lawyer whose crusade for individual rights has led him to confinement, escape and, now, an international diplomatic incident. Ordinary people inside China refer to him online in a different, coded way. – New York Times
By the time he took the case that would cost him his freedom, Chen Guangcheng had established his fearlessness. The blind and self-educated legal advocate had fought polluters and tax authorities in Shandong province and had pushed for the rights of people with disabilities since the late 1990s. – Washington Post
Several Chinese dissidents who left their country for the United States scorned the deal struck over escaped activist Chen Guangcheng this week, complaining the U.S. had failed to flex its muscle to protect the blind dissident who sought refuge in its Beijing embassy. – LA Times’ World Now
The Obama administration pushed back Thursday evening on the notion that U.S. diplomats abandoned Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng when they let him leave the Beijing embassy on Wednesday. – The Hill
Beijing’s handling of a case involving a blind activist suggests dangerous political divisions at the top of the ruling Communist Party, splinters experts warn could plunge China into chaos. – DOTMIL
Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng was prepared to spend years in the U.S. Embassy if necessary as he weighed his next move, U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke said on Thursday. – Reuters
Josh Rogin reports: Chen Guangcheng’s friend Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, told a congressional commission Thursday that Chen only agreed to leave the U.S. Embassy in Beijing after U.S. officials conveyed a threat from the Chinese government that Chen would never see his wife again if he didn’t leave the embassy that day. – The Cable
Editorial: In response to Beijing’s demands that the U.S. apologize for sheltering Mr. Chen for six days, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell—who had helped negotiate the deal—said “this was an extraordinary circumstance” and “we don’t expect it to be repeated.” That may have been diplomatic of Mr. Campbell, but it was credited by Chinese state media as a sign of “contrition.” It certainly smacks of weakness that could end up harming Mr. Chen, his family, and U.S. interests. – Wall Street Journal
Emily Parker writes: Twitter’s role in the Chen debacle was not unequivocally positive, of course. Social media can facilitate misinformation, knee-jerk political responses, and general confusion. But as we saw over the last few days, Twitter also allows ordinary citizens to shape the interactions between the United States and China. In the twenty-first century, diplomacy is no longer a strictly governmental affair. – The New Republic
John Pomfret writes: One thing is clear. Once Chen left the U.S. Embassy to seek medical treatment, he had second thoughts. Perhaps he should have requested asylum, he told reporters. Despite a deal that he would be protected from the goons who have menaced his family, he is on his own if he ends up staying in his own country. Kurt Campbell, the State Department’s point man on Asia, told reporters that an incident such as Chen’s would not happen again, but given Chinese expectations about America, that seems hard to guarantee. – Washington Post
East Asia
The regime of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un recently consolidated power by elevating and demoting key Communist, internal security, and military leaders amid signs a third underground nuclear test is imminent. – Washington Free Beacon
The Pentagon will debrief top Taiwanese officials on the details of upcoming talks between Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie set for next Monday. – DEFCON Hill
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that the United States was willing to work with North Korea if it changed its ways, and also said more pressure should be brought to bear on Sudan and Syria. – Reuters
Emily Dyer writes: The power to prosecute the North Korean regime through a formal commission of inquiry lies with a new resolution from the UN Security Council, as North Korea has not ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Council members choose to do nothing – instead they continue to ignore the people of North Korea. – Telegraph
Afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai struck a nationalistic tone Thursday in explaining his signing of a strategic pact with the United States, saying that Washington had bowed to many of his demands. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Two Democrats are already making the case against the Obama administration’s May 2 “Strategic Partnership Agreement” with Afghanistan as an arrangement that will lead to a permanent U.S. presence in Afghanistan, while a Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee has blasted the deal as one that placates a government headed by a “corrupt clique.” – The Hill’s Floor Action Blog
Afghanistan’s media representatives are appealing to the government to protect the rights of journalists who are facing a growing number of violent threats in what they see as an undeclared campaign against media freedom. – Reuters
South Asia
The economic relationship between the world’s two largest democracies, the United States and India, is supposed to be the bedrock for what President Obama calls “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century,” but cracks are starting to appear. – Washington Post
An apparent Taliban suicide attack on a government check post in a tribal district along the Afghan border killed 19 people, including two senior security officers, and wounded 57, hospital and government officials said. – New York Times
U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker acknowledged Wednesday that the new strategic partnership agreement signed by the United States and Afghanistan does not lead to an end to drone strikes in countries like Pakistan. – DEFCON Hill
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may be forced to walk her second diplomatic tightrope in a week when she lands in Bangladesh on Saturday, with Dhaka lurching towards its worst period of political tension in years. – Reuters
Kyrgyzstan
The president of Kyrgyzstan says keeping the U.S. air base in his country beyond June 2014 depends on how developments in Afghanistan affect regional stability as well as increases in rental payments. – Associated Press
Philippines
The Obama administration has tripled the amount of military funding to the Philippines as U.S. forces look to expand their foothold in the country. – DEFCON Hill
Iran
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council put pressure on Iran on Thursday to allay international concern about its nuclear program, and said they expected talks with Tehran to lead to concrete steps toward a negotiated solution. – Reuters
Iran said on Friday it will never suspend its uranium enrichment program and sees no reason to close the Fordow underground site, making clear Tehran’s red lines in talks with world powers later this month. – Reuters
Iranians voted on Friday in a run-off parliamentary election that could establish a new balance between Iran’s top leader and its president in the legislative assembly. – Reuters
Syria
A violent clampdown by Syrian security forces against a student demonstration at Aleppo University ended with at least four students killed, including one heaved out a fifth-floor window, and scores arrested, activists and opposition organizations said Thursday. – New York Times
As the United States and NATO begin to explore the fallout of a Syria without President Bashir al-Assad, the country’s potent chemical weapons stockpiles are drawing grave concern from America’s allies. – DEFCON Hill
The White House condemned the raid of a Syrian student protest on Thursday and said a new international approach may be needed if a U.N.-backed peace plan fails, accusing President Bashar al-Assad of making “no effort” to implement it so far. – Reuters
In a city still raw from the memory of Assad’s late father’s suppression of an armed Islamist uprising 30 years ago, when many thousands were killed, all those in Arbaeen who spoke to this reporter said they lived in fear of security forces. Three decades on, many had fresh tales of suffering. – Reuters
Jordan
King Abdullah II of Jordan swore in a new cabinet this week assigned to make progress on laws allowing for more government posts to be filled by elections, but political activists and analysts here said on Thursday that the quick succession of governments over the past year and a half did not bode well for the prospect of genuine change. – New York Times
North Africa
Egypt’s temporary military rulers delivered a sweeping defense of their tenure on Thursday, saying they were committed to handing over power to a civil authority by the end of June, and denying any role in clashes the day before that left at least 11 people dead. – New York Times
A panel of five Tunisian judges Thursday convicted TV magnate Nabil Karoui of “disturbing public order” and “threatening public morals” by broadcasting the French movie “Persepolis,” an animated film that contains a fleeting image of God. – Washington Post
Vienna’s top homicide investigation team is probing the drowning of Libya’s former oil chief but that does not mean they think he was murdered, prosecutors said on Thursday. – Reuters
Muammar Gaddafi’s former prime minister, in jail in neighboring Tunisia, says the ousted Libyan leader funded French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign to the tune of 50 million euros ($66 million), according to his lawyer. – Reuters
Gulf States
Bahrain’s king ratified constitutional reforms on Thursday that the government hopes will help end a year of protests, but the main opposition party denounced them as inadequate and said the struggle for democratic reforms would continue. – Reuters
Kuwaiti lawmakers endorsed a legal amendment on Thursday which could make insulting God and the Prophet Mohammad by Muslims punishable by death, in a second reading that brings the proposal a step closer to passing. – Reuters
Yemen
A nephew of former Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh has resigned from his post as commander of an elite military unit, officials said on Thursday, part of a drive by the country’s new U.S.-allied government to unite its army in order to fight al Qaeda. – Reuters
Iraq
The terror trial of Iraq’s fugitive Sunni vice president was postponed Thursday as his lawyers appealed to have parliament create a special court to hear the case, which has touched off a political crisis and could deepen the nation’s sectarian divide. – Associated Press
Russia
Mr. Medvedev, who will step down from the presidency next week, has said he hopes to play a role in Russian politics for a long time; just 46, he hints that he may run for president again in 2018, when Mr. Putin’s third term ends. Right now, though, he is fighting for political relevance, after spending an entire presidential term in Mr. Putin’s shadow. – New York Times
At least 13 people were killed and over 100 injured in a double bombing at a police station in Russia’s tumultuous North Caucasus region late Thursday night, officials said, a stark reminder of the challenges facing Vladimir V. Putin in the region as he prepares to take over the presidency next week. – New York Times
Ukraine
Russia and Poland have criticized calls in Western Europe to boycott Euro 2012 co-host Ukraine during the soccer championship over the treatment of jailed ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
International pressure mounted on Ukraine on Thursday over its treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, but Kiev warned that any boycott of the European soccer championship next month would only hurt the interests of football fans. – Reuters
Western Europe
After Britain’s national police agency website was hacked Wednesday, the British Ministry of Defense admitted Thursday that its top secret systems have also been breached – The Hill
Britain urged Germany on Wednesday to beef up its contribution to European defense and security, in line with its economic might, as the United States focuses increasingly on the Asia-Pacific region. – Reuters
Balkans
In many ways, Sunday’s national polls are turning into a referendum on Serbia’s future. Voters, seeking a lift in rough economic times, are being asked to choose between a strategy of ever-deeper ties with the EU or a policy of looking east and forging closer relations with Russia. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Swanee Hunt and Wesley Clark write: The compromises at Dayton stopped the killing, but also helped perpetuate the ethnic chauvinism, fear and greed that had set it off. And now, the international community bears some responsibility to keep Bosnia from ever relapsing into violence. We also must help Bosnians fashion a better political system, one that promotes national unity, effective decision making and democratic participation. – New York Times
United States of America
Mitt Romney blasted the Obama administration on Thursday for its handling of a Chinese activist who left the protection of the U.S. embassy earlier this week, calling it “a day of shame” for the White House if it turns out U.S. officials didn’t work to assure his safety and that of his family. – WSJ’s Washington Wire
Latin America
Police found four tortured and dismembered bodies in Veracruz, including those of two working photojournalists and one former one Thursday, days after a correspondent for a national Mexican magazine was murdered in that same Gulf Coast state. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
The government’s takeover of the affiliate of a Spanish oil company places Argentina firmly in the Hugo Chavez camp of populist-socialist Latin American countries, observers say. – Washington Times
Haitian lawmakers approved the nomination of a close adviser to President Michel Martelly as prime minister on Thursday, raising hopes of ending a political stalemate that has stalled reconstruction efforts after Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake. – Reuters
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe on Thursday threatened a crackdown on the media over what it called sensational and inaccurate reporting, following stories over the health of 88-year-old President Robert Mugabe. – Reuters
Congo
The U.N. Security Council expressed serious concern on Thursday over recent clashes between the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo and soldiers loyal to a renegade general wanted by the International Criminal court for war crimes. – Reuters
West Africa
Gunmen threw bombs and opened fire on a cattle market in remote northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 60 people, a spokesman for Yobe state governor said, an attack whose motives remain unknown. – Reuters
West African leaders warned military juntas in Mali and Guinea Bissau on Thursday that further defiance of the 15-nation bloc’s decisions would not be tolerated but stopped short of deploying troops to both countries. – Reuters
The European Union on Thursday imposed sanctions on the leaders of a recent coup in Guinea-Bissau, adding to measures taken earlier this week by West African nations. – Reuters
Prosecutors have demanded an 80-year jail term for former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who last week was convicted of aiding and abetting crimes against humanity, before a sentencing decision that is expected to set a precedent. – Reuters
East Africa
South Sudan on Friday accused Sudan of launching an air strike on one of its oil regions, imperiling the chances of a promised ceasefire between the two former civil war foes, but Khartoum denied the charge. – Reuters
