Iran
U.S. government officials, citing new intelligence, said Iran has developed plans to disrupt international oil trade, including through attacks on oil platforms and tankers. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
The suicide bombing of a Bulgarian bus packed with Israeli tourists has stoked fears of a deadly new phase in the long-running “shadow war” between Iran and Israel, with ordinary civilians now apparently replacing diplomats as primary targets. – Washington Post
The United States warned the maritime industry on Thursday that Iranian ships were still using other country’s flags in an attempt to evade Western sanctions against the country. – Reuters
Syria
Diplomatic efforts at the United Nations Security Council to address the Syria crisis suffered a potentially fatal blow on Thursday when Russia and China vetoed a British-sponsored resolution that would have punished the Syrian government with economic sanctions for failing to carry out a peace plan. – New York Times
Rebel fighters in Syria, building on the momentum gained by their brazen assassination of three top security officials, seized all four border crossings with Iraq and one into Turkey on Thursday, while government forces claimed Friday to have retaken a pocket of Damascus in just one battle of what rebels called the bloodiest day of the 17-month uprising. – New York Times
After pressing for 16 months for a change in government in Syria, the Obama administration is scrambling to prevent growing bloodshed and the apparent unraveling of President Bashar Assad’s hold on power from paving the way to regional calamity. – Los Angeles Times
Now some in Iran are even starting to worry about how much might be at stake if President Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, long a client state of Iran’s, collapses — which after a fifth day on Thursday of heavy street fighting in Damascus no longer sounds inconceivable. – New York Times
The devolution in Syria, while welcome, presents a series of intensifying problems for Israel, its neighbor to the south. Israel’s leaders are growing concerned about Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons falling into the hands of rogue groups equally opposed to Israel; about the prospect of throngs of refugees appearing at the border; and about the Golan itself “turning into a lawless area where terror elements might also operate,” as Mr. Barak put it. – New York Times
Pentagon officials are talking with their Israeli counterparts to get a sense of what Israel’s potential intentions are regarding Syria’s chemical weapons, and with others in the Middle East regarding scenarios that could involve those weapons. – CNN’s Security Clearance
A Syrian opposition source says there are doubts in the country that a bomb attack killed four senior Syrian officials Wednesday. – DOTMIL
A retired Syrian Army officer accused President Barack Obama of forsaking the Syrian people in order to win reelection and said the president “doesn’t care about the Syrian people.” – Politico
Republican lawmakers renewed their criticism of President Obama’s handling of the crisis in Syria after a U.S.-backed sanctions resolution failed again at the United Nations. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday said he wasn’t surprised that Russia and China vetoed United Nations sanctions against Syria, quipping that they are “not a fan of replacing other dictators.” – The Hill
Western military planners are becoming preoccupied with preventing Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal from being used by the regime or stolen by militant groups as fighting between the Assad regime and opposition rebels intensifies. – Financial Times
A fourth member of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle died on Friday from a bomb attack this week and his forces fought to recapture border posts and parts of Damascus from rebels who have converged on the capital. – Reuters
More than 250 people were killed in Syria on Thursday, an opposition monitoring group said, the highest death toll in a single day since the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad erupted 16 months ago. – Reuters
Beaten back by a double veto at the United Nations, the United States on Thursday sought to rescue its Syria strategy amid fears that the crisis was lurching into a dangerous endgame. – Reuters
About 20,000 Syrians have travelled across the main border crossing into Lebanon over the past 24 hours, a Lebanese security source working at the border said, after heavy fighting tore through several districts of Damascus. – Reuters
Eli Lake reports: With the days and weeks of the Syrian government appearing numbered, the Central Intelligence Agency is scrambling to get a handle on the locations of the country’s chemical and biological weapons, while assessing the composition, loyalties, and background of the rebel groups poised to take power in the event President Bashar al-Assad falls. – The Daily Beast
Paul Wolfowitz and Mark Palmer write: Secretary Clinton was able to prevent Libya from becoming a stain on the Obama administration’s record, the way that Rwanda was for President Clinton and that Bosnia was for both him and the first President Bush. Why, then, is she repeating those earlier mistakes in Syria? – CNN’s Global Public Square
Andrew Tabler writes: Until now, giving Assad the benefit of the doubt has only led to more deaths and an increasingly evident U.S. failure to stop the carnage in Syria. The Obama administration has drawn a red line at mass atrocities in Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East. It should do the same in Syria. – Foreign Policy
Peter Feaver writes: President Obama often talks about trying to avoid distractions that would disrupt his focus away from what he considers to be the big issues at stake in his reelection, primarily issues of domestic policy and the economy. If events continue along their current trajectory, Syria may be one such distraction that he cannot avoid. Leading from behind may walk everyone right into a quagmire. – Shadow Government
Danielle Pletka writes: Imagine how much faster it would have happened had the feckless president been less feckless. Imagine how the people of Syria would celebrate America as the Libyans do. How much sway will we have over the post-Assad Syria? As much as we have earned: None. – Fox News
North Africa
A Tunisian military court sentenced ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s interior minister and 38 other security officials to up to 20 years jail on Thursday over the deaths of protesters during the revolution that launched the Arab Spring. – Reuters
The leader of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement which rules the Gaza Strip, met new Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on Thursday and hailed Mursi’s election as the start of a “new era” for Egypt and the Palestinians. – Reuters
Egypt’s former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman died from a rare disease affecting the heart and kidneys, according to the U.S. clinic where he was undergoing medical tests at the time. – Reuters
Analysis: An early diplomatic offensive by Egypt’s new Islamist president makes it harder for an army-led establishment to portray him on the international stage as a threat to foreign powers. – Reuters
Gulf States
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah appointed a veteran former Saudi ambassador to Washington as the head of the country’s intelligence agencies Thursday, restoring an internationally popular Saudi to prominence as the kingdom pushes for stronger action on Syria. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Police in Dubai are treating the fatal shooting of a fishing boat by a U.S. Navy ship as murder, criticizing the decision to open fire. – WSJ’s India Real Time
Sailors aboard the Navy tanker USNS Rappahannock followed the proper procedure before firing on a civilian fishing vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Monday, despite reports the ship fired without warning. – DEFCON Hill
Yemen
In the latest sign of Washington’s deepening involvement in Yemen’s battle against an al-Qaeda affiliate, the U.S. military is preparing to give more than $100 million in counterterrorism and security aid to the Arabian country this year, according to newly obtained documents. – Washington Post
One million Yemeni children face severe malnutrition within months as families struggle to pay for food in one of the Arab world’s poorest countries, the U.N. World Food Programme has warned. – Reuters
Arab Spring
U.S. intelligence agencies missed evidence of the unrest across the Middle East and North Africa that exploded into popular uprisings last year during the so-called Arab Spring and are now trying to improve early warning systems, a senior U.S. intelligence official said. – LA Times’ World Now
Iraq
Chevron, the second-largest United States oil company after Exxon Mobil, said Thursday that it was entering the Kurdistan region of Iraq by buying a majority stake in two exploration blocks. – New York Times
Iraq’s prime minister said President Obama is backing the Iraqi central government’s concerns with Exxon’s oil deal with the autonomous Kurdish region, according to published reports Thursday. – The Hill’s E2 Wire
Israel
Israeli authorities released a senior Hamas lawmaker Thursday after six months held under the controversial practice of administrative detention. – LA Times’ World Now
Israelis remain mostly opposed to any unilateral attack by their country on Iran even if international diplomatic pressure fails to curb its nuclear programme, an opinion poll suggested on Friday. – Reuters
Allison Good reports: The Palestine Liberation Organization has denied recent reports that the White House issued a notice threatening to cut all aid to the Palestinian Authority if it launches a renewed drive for recognition at the United Nations. – The Cable
South Asia
The House voted to cut U.S. aid to Pakistan by $650 billion in the defense appropriations bill Wednesday night in the latest jab at Pakistan by Congress. – DEFCON Hill
Russia is drawing up plans to claw its way back to the top of the Indian defense market, which is supplemented by the U.S. and other European suppliers. – Aviation Week
Rahul Gandhi, member of Parliament and son of the ruling Congress Party president, Sonia Gandhi, who is also expected to be the next leader of the Congress Party, has now been tapped to be the next Indian defense minister, says a media report. – Defense News
Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Thursday to resume regular talks on Afghanistan’s peace process, with the new Pakistani prime minister promising to help arrange meetings between Afghan and Taliban representatives. – Reuters
Editorial: The West has every interest in seeing this liberal democracy grow into a partner for wealth-creating trade and a bulwark against authoritarianism in Asia. India’s elite think Mr. Obama is insulting them, but in fact he’s cheering them on. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
China
Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist who has emerged as one of the government’s most nettlesome and high-profile critics, has lost his appeal of a $2.4 million tax evasion case that was widely seen as an effort to dissuade him from his voluble campaign against the ruling Communist Party. – New York Times
China called on Russia to explain what it called an “alleged attack” on a Chinese fishing vessel this week, as well as the fate of a sailor missing off Russia’s east coast, in the latest bout of tension between Moscow and Beijing. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
South African President Jacob Zuma warned Thursday that the unbalanced nature of Africa’s burgeoning trade ties with China is “unsustainable” in the long term. – Washington Post
Koreas
North Korea said on Friday that it has arrested a man dispatched by South Korean spy agents to destroy statues of Kim Il-sung, the country’s late founding president and grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong-un. – New York Times
Impoverished North Korea is gearing up to experiment with agricultural and economic reforms after young leader Kim Jong-un and his powerful uncle purged the country’s top general for opposing change, a source with ties to both Pyongyang and Beijing said. – Reuters
Bruce Klinger writes: There’s one thing we know with relative certainty: That Kim Jong Eun felt it necessary to purge Gen. Ri strongly indicates his transition isn’t proceeding smoothly. Additional purges and organizational shakeups should be expected in coming months. All this is worrisome to the U.S. and its allies, since it increases the potential for provocative acts or, more ominously, the implosion of a regime possessing nuclear weapons. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
East Asia
The government of Taiwan is prepared to renounce any right to produce nuclear fuel in a forthcoming renewal of its 40-year-old atomic energy cooperation agreement with the United States, according to officials from both nations – National Journal
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s effort to nationalize a chain of disputed islands long a source of friction between Japan and China faced rough going after the isles’ owners said on Friday they would keep negotiating their sale to Tokyo’s governor. – Reuters
Mongolia’s Democratic Party (DP), which failed to win enough seats in last month’s elections to govern alone, has agreed to form a coalition with populist fringe parties in a move that could worry foreign investors, local media said. – Reuters
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian states have reached a “common position” on the disputed South China Sea, but will not resurrect a joint communiqué aborted after unprecedented discord over the issue at a summit last week, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister said on Friday. – Reuters
Myanmar state television broadcast a memorial ceremony for the father of the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time in decades on Thursday, the latest sign of change in the nation. – Associated Press
Australia
The new Australian Defence Capability Plan (DCP) announced in early July was developed following consultation with Australian defense industry and has been aligned with the four-year forward estimates period in the budget. That means it now includes only projects that will achieve either first or second pass approval within the four-year period. – Defense News
ICYMI, you can view and read Australian Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott’s recent remarks on the US-Australia alliance here – Heritage Foundation
Russia
The top Muslim cleric in Russia’s Tatarstan republic was wounded by a car bomb and another senior cleric there was shot and killed in separate attacks that investigators called possible reprisals for their clampdown on radical Islamists. – Wall Street Journal
House Republicans and Democrats reached an agreement on Thursday for moving a bill that would extend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to Russia and make a statement on Moscow’s human-rights record, upping the bill’s chances of clearing Congress before the August recess. – The Hill’s On the Money
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would prohibit the United States from doing business with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state-run arms export agency, in an effort to send a message to Russia to stop selling weapons to Syria. – Defense News
Russian authorities said they detained four suspects on Friday over attacks that wounded the top Islamic official in the mostly Muslim Tatarstan region, killed his deputy and raised fears of the spread of militancy to Russia’s heartland. – Reuters
Bulgaria
Israeli officials maintained Thursday that Iran was behind a suicide bombing that killed five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria and vowed to settle the score, but indicated that retaliation was unlikely to take the form of a military strike on Iran. – Washington Post
American officials on Thursday identified the suicide bomber responsible for a deadly attack on Israeli vacationers here as a member of a Hezbollah cell that was operating in Bulgaria and looking for such targets, corroborating Israel’s assertions and making the bombing a new source of tension with Iran. – New York Times
Western Europe
British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond on Wednesday said a plan to renew aging Trident ballistic missile submarines offers the most cost-efficient means for meeting his country’s need for continuous sea-based nuclear deterrence – Global Security Newswire
Financial constraints have prompted a number of prominent former French officials to float dismantlement of the nation’s atomic armaments as a possible cost-saving move, the Inter Press Service reported on Wednesday – Global Security Newswire
NATO
Great Britain’s new defense minister delivered a surprising rebuff to his fellow European defense leaders: Stop complaining about being abandoned as the US shifts its focus to the Asia-Pacific region and prepare to “do much more of the heavy lifting” on security in your own backyard. – AOL Defense
United States of America
Members of Congress from both parties fear that the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t crafted adequate security protocols for the looming explosion of private, domestic drone use. – Washington Times
Mitt Romney, a conventional presidential candidate who rarely takes big political risks, is poised to do something historically unconventional and politically risky. The presumptive GOP nominee lacks foreign policy and national security experience, but Romney appears ready to buck the 50-year-old practice of picking a running mate who does. – DOTMIL
Goldman Sachs bank appears to have paid a prominent D.C. lobbying firm $100,000 to torpedo a human rights bill that would deny U.S. visas to, and freeze the assets of, Russian citizens involved in human rights abuses, according to lobbying disclosure forms. – Washington Free Beacon
The House Armed Services Committee chairman, speaking after a secret briefing from top defense officials on Thursday, said he did not believe the Pentagon was responsible for recent national security leaks. – Associated Press
Venezuela
Venezuela’s recent approval of a set of sweeping judicial reforms intends to speed up the processing of court cases and ease the burden on the country’s overwhelmed prison system, though a closer examination of the measures reveals that they may do more harm than good. – Christian Science Monitor
Western Africa
Suspected Islamist Boko Haram militants killed six people in Maiduguri in Nigeria’s northeast Borno state a day after President Goodluck Jonathan lifted a state of emergency in several regions, the military said on Friday. – Reuters
American policy options are extremely limited, and the current focus on encouraging the African Union to take the lead is probably the best of a bad set of choices. American leadership is needed more urgently in other areas, such as Syria. But at a minimum, American counterterrorism and religious-freedom policymakers should be watching Mali closely, and talking to each other. In the case of Mali, their concerns may be more aligned then they realize. – Shadow Government
