Iran
Iran’s vice president delivered a baldly anti-Semitic speech on Tuesday at an international antidrug conference here, saying that the Talmud, a central text of Judaism, was responsible for the spread of illegal drugs around the world. – New York Times
Iran’s top commercial tanker operator NITC has delayed the expansion of its oil fleet, company and industry sources said, as Western sanctions on the OPEC member’s crude exports and a weak freight market hurt its ability to turn a profit. – Reuters
Iran on Tuesday urged the European Union to reconsider an embargo on Iranian oil that comes into effect on July 1, saying it wanted engagement and not confrontation with the bloc. – Reuters
Shahrzad Elghanayan writes: If their efforts had not been quashed, the headlines about Tehran might have been about Iran’s latest crop of titans building a modern, prosperous and stable economy, serving as an example for the rest of the region. Instead, they will continue to be about the tribulations of a nation investing its energy in the wrong resources. – Los Angeles Times
Syria
A day after President Bashar al-Assad said Syria was living in a “state of war,” rebels probing with increasing audacity around the capital Damascus were reported by the country’s official media on Wednesday to have stormed into a pro-government television station, killed three employees and planted explosives that destroyed studios. – New York Times
Buoyed by support from its NATO allies, Turkey escalated its warnings against Syria on Tuesday, even as some American and allied officials privately raised questions about whether the Turkish warplane shot down by Syrian air defenses — provoking the denunciation — had been on a spy mission. – New York Times
A surprise assault by Syrian insurgents on a Republican Guard base in Damascus, just a few miles from the presidential palace, elicited a furious military response on Tuesday, with government forces shelling surrounding neighborhoods in an escalation that brought combat in the Syrian conflict close to the heart of the capital. – New York Times
The Syrian government’s downing of a Turkish fighter jet has served as a stark warning that its military is capable of mounting a sophisticated defense against potential enemies, complicating a Libya-style intervention. – Washington Post
Supporters of the Free Syrian Army have established an outreach office here for a lobbying effort that is likely to feed the Obama administration’s discussions on whether to arm the group or more directly intervene in the Syrian conflict. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
As Syria slides into ever worsening violence and parts of the country begin to slip out of control of the state, Syria’s chemical and biological weapons arsenal, air defense systems, and ballistic missiles could be up for grabs – a potential bonanza for radical militant groups and a massive challenge for the West in attempting to check proliferation. – Christian Science Monitor
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend a meeting on the escalating conflict in Syria that international mediator Kofi Annan is attempting to organize in Geneva this weekend, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Tuesday. – Christian Science Monitor
The head of United Nations peacekeeping operations told the Security Council on Tuesday that violence in Syria has escalated to a point where it was too dangerous for the world body’s 300 unarmed monitors to resume their mission to observe and report on cease-fire violations. – LA Times’ World Now
U.S. intelligence officials are describing the fighting in Syria as currently a stalemate between the regime and opposition forces, but those officials continue to believe Bashar al-Assad will eventually be forced from power. – CNN’s Security Clearance
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may attend an international meeting on Syria proposed by Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, but only if the participants agree that there must be a political transition in the country, an official said Tuesday. – CNN’s Security Clearance
Despite some military defections, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle remains cohesive and the 16-month conflict with rebels is likely to be a drawn-out struggle, senior U.S. intelligence officials said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Russia is expected to deliver air defense systems, reconditioned helicopters and fighter jets to Syria this year worth nearly half a billion dollars despite international pressure to halt arms sales to Damascus, a defense think-tank said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Syrian rebels aired footage on Tuesday of burnt-out tanks as well as a helicopter engulfed in smoke and flames which they said they had destroyed after it landed in a field in northern Idlib province carrying Syrian special forces. – Reuters
The European Union toughened its sanctions against Syria on Tuesday, placing restrictions on a Syrian bank, an oil company and a government spokeswoman. – Reuters
Russia said on Tuesday Syria’s shooting down of a Turkish warplane should not be seen as a provocation and warned world powers against using the incident to push for stronger action against Damascus. – Reuters
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday Iran’s participation was crucial to the success of a meeting on the escalating conflict in Syria planned by U.N.-Arab league peace envoy Kofi Annan in Geneva this weekend. – Reuters
Egypt
An Egyptian court on Tuesday suspended a recent decree giving military police and intelligence officers the authority to detain civilians, a bold ruling by a court that has played a maverick role during the country’s post-revolutionary period. – Washington Post
Just days before Egypt’s Islamist president-elect is to be sworn in as the new head of state, exactly where the event will take place and who will administer the oath of office remained shrouded in uncertainty. – Financial Times
Defeated presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik flew out of Egypt on Tuesday for a religious pilgrimage, aides said, a day after a prosecutor referred corruption lawsuits naming Shafik to an investigating judge. – Reuters
Sarah Chayes writes: The degree to which the U.S. is seen as enabling such abuses of power will determine whether populations around the world see us as hostile to their interests. For these reasons, and because it is time to shift the weight of our aid from military to civilian purposes, continuing to finance the Egyptian generals now would not serve long-term U.S. national interests. – Los Angeles Times
Eric Trager writes: [I]t should not go unnoticed that, in the first presidential election following Egypt’s pro-democratic election, it was the new ruling party—the Muslim Brotherhood—that was preparing for months to reject an electoral outcome against it. By contrast, members of the old, autocratic ruling party, who overwhelmingly endorsed Shafik, swallowed Morsi’s victory without incident. Egypt may have ousted a dictator, but its new rulers will only play by democratic rules so long as they enhance their own power. – The New Republic
Gulf States
Human-rights activists on Tuesday challenged Saudi Arabia’s commitment to fielding women athletes at the Olympics, after it emerged that the equestrian deemed the best prospect to be the Saudis’ first female competitor had been disqualified this month. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Bahrain will pay $2.6 million in restitution to 17 families over the deaths of 17 relatives last year during an uprising suppressed by the Gulf Arab state, a government statement said. – Reuters
An Omani court has begun hearing the cases of activists accused of defamation and illegal assembly during protests demanding political reforms, and of criticizing the conduct of security agencies, a local newspaper said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Thousands of Kuwaitis protested on Tuesday against a court ruling that effectively dissolved a parliament dominated by opposition Islamists and reinstated the previous, more government-friendly, assembly. – Reuters
Analysis: Kuwait is likely to face more instability in the long run even when it emerges from its latest crisis, as its opposition pushes for more say in governing the major oil exporter and U.S. ally. – Reuters
Yemen
Land mines planted by al Qaeda militants before they fled key southern Yemen strongholds have killed 73 civilians over the past week, Yemeni officials said Tuesday. – Associated Press
Up to five al Qaeda members escaped a Yemeni prison on Tuesday as Omani and Yemeni security forces hunted for several other militants fleeing a military offensive in southern Yemen who crossed into Oman, Yemeni security sources said. – Reuters
Israel
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that “unilateral acts” in the Middle East conflict were not constructive, remarks widely interpreted as a criticism of Israel’s continued construction of West Bank settlements. – LA Times’ World Now
Sudan
The United States on Tuesday condemned a crackdown on anti-government protests in Sudan that have spread throughout the capital, Khartoum. – Reuters
Amir Ahmad Nasr writes: The Sudanese street has shown its resolve loud and clear. Time is now of the essence, in light of the protests’ building momentum and worsening crackdown. There isn’t a moment to lose: The international community must do its part to help Sudan achieve a better future. – Foreign Policy
Afghanistan
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) is calling on President Obama to remove retired Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute from his post on the National Security Council (NSC) following a report that he was consumed with stifling the administration’s special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke. – DEFCON Hill
Beginning in October, the U.S. Army will begin fielding its long-awaited battlefield communications network along with a related suite of smartphones, software-enabled radios and communications gear to two Afghanistan-bound brigade combat teams. – Defense News
Rajiv Chandrasekaran reports: From the outset, the civilian surge was bedeviled by a lack of initiative and creativity in Washington. Instead of scouring the United States for top talent to fill the crucial, well-paying jobs that were a key element of President Barack Obama’s national security agenda, those responsible for hiring first turned to State Department and USAID officers in other parts of the world…Many of those who signed up were too new to have done a tour in a war zone or too lackluster to have better career options. – Foreign Policy
Max Boot writes: U.S. policymakers may decide that they would rather commit scarce resources elsewhere. But, if so, they should be under no illusions about the ability of the United States to prevent the reemergence of the conditions that led to 9/11. It is difficult enough to shape events in Afghanistan with a substantial U.S. commitment; it will become nearly impossible without it. The good news is that the vast majority of Afghans do not want a return to Taliban rule, and with continuing American support, their post-2001 state should be able to survive the challenges ahead. – Council on Foreign Relations
South Asia
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday demanded that the nation’s brand-new prime minister follow an order to reopen a long-dormant corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari, setting up the likelihood of a continuing constitutional crisis. – Washington Post
The war between the CIA and Pakistani militant groups threatens to produce an unlikely casualty: thousands of children who are being denied polio vaccinations in one of the few places on Earth where the disease is still a menace. – Los Angeles Times
Top American and Pakistani military leaders are struggling to find common ground on stemming deadly cross-border attacks on U.S. and coalition troops by terror groups based inside Pakistan. – DEFCON Hill
NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan, U.S. General John Allen, will travel to Pakistan for talks in which he is expected to urge Pakistan to curb cross-border incursions by Haqqani militants blamed for several attacks in Kabul. – Reuters
An alleged key plotter in the 2008 Mumbai attacks now in Indian police custody had been living in Saudi Arabia for two years and was “talent-spotting” for another “massive attack”, an Indian police official said on Tuesday. – Reuters
China
China’s government has responded to a deep economic slowdown with a slew of policy initiatives in recent months that together underline a strategy to spur a recovery, while allowing market forces to play a bigger role in reforming an economy still dominated by the state. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
A woman who was forced by local officials to abort a seven-month-old fetus this month and whose case has spurred a national discussion about China’s one-child policy said on Tuesday that she was “under a lot of pressure” and was being watched by guards in a hospital, who do not allow her to leave. – New York Times
China plans to unveil new measures aimed at boosting the flow of its currency between Hong Kong and the mainland, with an announcement planned to coincide with President Hu Jintao’s three-day visit to the city beginning Friday, people familiar with the matter said. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Chinese officials have fired a local family planning official and punished several others after a woman was forced to abort her seven-month pregnancy, sparking a firestorm domestically and around the world, China’s government-run media reported. – Reuters
Hundreds of Chinese migrant workers rioted and clashed with police this week in a fresh outbreak of social unrest in the economic powerhouse of Guangdong. – Reuters
Will Inboden writes: Taken together, the multiple realities of China today defy any simple historical analogies about the management of rising powers, and demand an unprecedented wholeness of vision from the United States. – Shadow Government
Mongolia
Mongolians head to the polls on Thursday to elect a parliament that will have to make important choices about how to share the proceeds of the mining boom that has gripped the mineral-rich country of 2.8m people. – Financial Times
Southeast Asia
Malaysia’s defense minister denied allegations on June 26 that a classified ministry report was sold to a French firm to land a controversial submarine deal. – AFP
Taylor Fravel writes: Manila and Beijing have clearly sought to lower the political temperature while working out an agreement. As the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines stated in a recent speech, “both sides should demonstrate political wisdom to meet each other halfway.” That may be the most important lesson to be learned. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
Russia
Shortly before the Russian government was defrauded of $230 million in 2007, the officials who approved the whopping tax refund at the heart of the scheme traveled to a sunny Mediterranean resort with the police who would later investigate the theft…Their relationship…illustrates a level of collusion at the heart of the Russian government that allows corruption to flourish despite repeated official promises to vanquish it. – Washington Post
Now, as NATO prepares to withdraw its troops by the end of 2014, it faces a logistical nightmare in removing all the tents, armored equipment and other support material it has sent in since the war began. Russia has offered Ulyanovsk as a transit point, where all that heavy equipment could be flown in, then transferred to rail lines and on to Europe. Local officials here in the city where Lenin was born like the idea — it will bring in badly needed revenue and jobs — but many people are very much opposed. – Washington Post
Moscow expressed outrage on Wednesday over the Senate’s approval of a bill that would penalize Russian officials for human rights abuses, and warned Americans that adoption of the sanctions would strain U.S.-Russian relations. – Reuters
Josh Rogin reports: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved a bill to sanction human rights violators around the world, named after Sergei Magnitsky, the Russian anti-corruption lawyer who died after allegedly being tortured in prison by Russian officials. – The Cable
Interview: [Mikhail Khodorkovsky] is considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Danila Galperovich spoke with Khodorkovsky’s son, Pavel, in Strasbourg, where he is consulting with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Editorial: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is no fan of trade opening, hasn’t committed to a floor vote on Jackson-Vanik repeal or Magnitsky. But after Tuesday’s Senate move, the Administration ought to understand that its political options are limited. If it wants normal trade relations with Russia, it will have to support the Magnitsky Act. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Garry Kasparov writes: Ronald Reagan understood history and its lesson that appeasing dictators never works for long. By passing the Magnitsky Act, which was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the United States will be supporting the Russian people, strengthening democracy and the rule of law, and protecting its own long-term interests. Being “flexible” on these issues will only prove the old saying that by standing for nothing, you will fall for anything. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
United Kingdom
Britain has seen a credible terrorist attack plot about once a year since the Sept. 11 attacks — a worrying pattern as security officials brace for an array of threats ahead of next month’s Summer Olympics, the head of the country’s domestic spy agency says. – Associated Press
United States of America
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) described new measures aimed at cracking down on national security leaks as insufficient and said he’d favor a congressional investigation if the Obama administration fails to take more serious action. – DEFCON Hill
Thirty-one Republican senators have signed a letter calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to immediately appoint a special counsel to investigation national-security leaks from the executive branch. – DEFCON Hill
A member of an Egyptian “terrorist” group who met U.S. officials in Washington this month despite U.S. law barring such visits did not pose a threat to the United States, the State Department said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Josh Rogin reports: The Justice Department has already summoned hundreds of government officials for interviews in its investigation of national security leaks, meaning that the investigation is already well underway, according to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). – The Cable
South America
Sectors of the Bolivian police entered the sixth day of a strike [Tuesday] as their leaders negotiate a salary increase with the Morales government. Over the past week protesting rank and file officers sacked police buildings around the country and confronted government supporters outside the president’s offices in the Andean city of La Paz. – Christian Science Monitor
The two sides may never find common ground, as was the case in the Honduras crisis of 2009, but observers say the more important point – or cautionary tale – is that the demise of Mr. Lugo signals vulnerabilities in the democratic system in Latin America today that go well beyond Paraguay. – Christian Science Monitor
Ousted Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo said it would take a miracle for him to return to power after Congress forced him from office in a matter of hours last week in a move that prompted criticism and sanctions abroad. – Reuters
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday he sees no need for further treatment for the cancer that struck him last year just weeks after he had said medical tests showed him in good health. – Reuters
Political ads exalting Venezuela’s socialist President Hugo Chavez as second only to God have offended opponents and added further controversy to an already spicy election campaign. – Reuters
Central Africa
The Rwandan government violated U.N. sanctions by playing a pivotal role in the creation of an anti-government mutiny in Congo and supplying the M23 mutineers with weapons, ammunition and young Rwandan recruits, according to a confidential report by United Nations experts. – Washington Post
Southern Africa
With unemployment at 25 percent, and much higher for young blacks, and corruption widespread, there is a growing perception that the A.N.C. has become the party of a small black elite interested only in its own enrichment. To counter this perception, the party has released a set of back-to-basics policy proposals that it claims will help deliver on its old election slogan: “A better life for all.” – New York Times
A Zambian court overturned the suspension of the country’s leading opposition party on Tuesday, the latest twist in a political saga that has unnerved investors in Africa’s largest copper producer. – Reuters
