Iran
Taking over from Egypt, Iran’s leaders are ambitiously readying themselves for their three-year term as head of the Nonaligned Movement, which will convene in Tehran in the last week of August. – New York Times
Residents of the northwestern Iranian province struck by twin earthquakes over the weekend criticized the government on Monday for what they called an inadequate relief effort and said the number of casualties is much higher than officially announced. – Wall Street Journal
The deadly double earthquakes in Iran over the weekend, the first natural disaster there since the United States imposed onerous financial sanctions on that country because of its disputed nuclear program, have raised worries among Iranian-Americans about where to send donations — and whether such aid is even legal. – New York Times
Russia sharply criticized new U.S. sanctions against Iran on Monday, saying the measures to punish banks, insurance companies and shippers that help Iran sell its oil would harm Moscow’s ties with Washington if Russian firms are affected. – Reuters
One step short of force that the “international community” has been unwilling to take is ostracizing Iran from international organizations, such as the U.N. and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This needs to change. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Syria
Syrian rebels said Monday that they had shot down a Syrian fighter jet for the first time, raising new questions about the opposition’s military capabilities, and whether Syria’s control of the skies might be threatened. – New York Times
Throughout much of the conflict in Syria, Jordan has hewed toward neutrality to avoid antagonizing a powerful neighbor that has long been an important trading partner and transit route for Jordanian goods. But the accelerating refugee flow and protracted war have complicated that stance, and the kingdom is raising alarm about the potential for regional instability and increasingly siding with the Syrian regime’s opponents. – Washington Post
Disparate groups of al Qaeda militants operating in Syria are now coordinating themselves into functional terror cells, using the current unrest in the country to establish a new faction within its borders. – DEFCON Hill
In the weeks before he defected from Syria, then-Prime Minister Riad Hijab put feelers out to contacts in the United States and other governments. In addition to ensuring his family got out of the country, Hijab wanted guarantees that he would not be persecuted for his role in the government of President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials say. – CNN’s Security Clearance
Syria’s opposition has already laid the groundwork to take control of security and administration after what they consider will be the inevitable collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s rule, according to a dozen activists gathered for a training workshop abroad. – Financial Times
Syria’s rebels were jubilant on Tuesday, claiming to have shot down a jet and captured its pilot, an apparent victory against the overwhelmingly superior firepower of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. – Reuters
Veteran fighters of last year’s civil war in Libya have come to the front-line in Syria, helping to train and organize rebels under conditions far more dire than those in the battle against Muammar Gaddafi, a Libyan-Irish fighter has told Reuters. – Reuters
The Pentagon on Monday deplored what it saw as an increasing use of air power by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government against rebels, but stopped short of suggesting a move toward any additional steps like a no-fly zone. – Reuters
Foreign ministers at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) agreed on Monday to suspend Syria from the international body, an OIC source said, further isolating President Bashar al-Assad. – Reuters
China said on Monday that it would host an envoy of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and consider another visit by members of the opposition, as Beijing steps up its diplomacy to help resolve the crisis gripping the country. – Reuters
[A]s an uprising against the Syrian leader grinds through its 17th month, there are signs that the rebels are taking bloody revenge on anyone they suspect of being a member of a pro-Assad militia known as “shabbiha”. – Reuters
A junior Syrian diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva has defected, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Monday, the latest member of Syria’s establishment known to have turned against President Bashar al-Assad. – Reuters
Michael Doran writes: If the breakup of Syria and the rise of an Iranian-backed canton are indeed undesirable, then Washington must get to work immediately to create an alternative. The planning should begin in Turkey, which borders not just Aleppo but also the future canton of Alawistan. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Egypt
A month ago, as President Mohamed Morsi was sworn in, Egyptians who loved and loathed him could agree on one fact: The Islamist would be a relatively powerless leader. But just weeks into his tenure, the man who was until recently widely regarded as a charmless, accidental president has cast aside rivals and consolidated power with stunning speed and shrewdness. – Washington Post
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s firing of the nation’s top generals was interpreted by analysts Monday as a politically engineered strategy to significantly broaden his powers as economic and political pressures mount in a country that still lacks a new constitution. – Los Angeles Times
In his purge of Egypt’s top generals, President Mohamed Morsi leaned on the support of a junior officer corps that blamed the old guard for a litany of problems within the military and for involving the armed forces too deeply in the country’s politics after the uprising that ousted Mr. Morsi’s predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. – New York Times
Top Pentagon and administration officials anticipated the massive shake-up in Egypt’s senior military leadership, and are confident the change will not affect military relations between the United States and the fledgling democracy, the administration said Monday. – DEFCON Hill
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy’s surprising move to amass substantially more power has triggered demonstrations on both sides and accusations that he is effectively anointing himself with “imperial” authority. But some analysts say that in weakening the military’s grip over the country, Morsy has pushed the country toward democracy. – CNN’s Security Clearance
By pushing out Egypt’s top two generals and quashing rules they had issued that reduced his powers as president, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s newly-elected Islamist leader, has catapulted his country into a new political era in which elected civilians have primacy over uniformed officers, however senior their rank. – Financial Times
The U.S. military expects to maintain close ties with Egypt’s armed forces despite the dismissal of the country’s powerful defense minister, a spokesman said Aug. 13. – AFP
The Islamist group Hamas, stunned by Egypt’s closure of its border with Gaza, said on Monday the new Islamist leadership in Cairo was imposing the same pain on the Palestinian enclave as ousted former president, Hosni Mubarak. – Reuters
Egypt is now pouring in troops [into the Sinai] to try to restore stability, and the sophistication of the border attack has finally set alarm bells ringing about the militant threat in the Sinai. – Reuters
Editorial: President Morsi retilted Egypt’s balance of power Sunday, two months after the ruling council of generals had tilted it too far in their own direction. This could prove a step toward a truly democratic Egypt, a positive turn of events. But there is a danger, too, for Mr. Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate who won the first free presidential election in Egypt’s modern history. He must respect others in a nascent civil society. – Washington Post
North Africa
For decades, dictators across the Arab world warned that this is what awaited their citizens if the region’s Islamist movements gained power. Now that those dictators are gone, the Islamists they oppressed are entering politics amid excitement and scrutiny. Many still wonder what they intend. Governance offers them a chance to experiment and evolve. – Christian Science Monitor
Thousands of Tunisians rallied on Monday to protest against what they see as a push by the Islamist-led government for constitutional changes that would degrade women’s status in one of the Arab world’s most liberal nations. – Reuters
A television drama about the life of a seventh century Muslim ruler, Omar Ibn al-Khattab, is polarizing opinion across the Arab world by challenging a widespread belief that actors should not depict Islam’s central figures. – Reuters
Gulf States
Bailed U.S. businessman Zack Shahin, who fled the United Arab Emirates for Yemen, feared for his life after threats were made against him in the UAE, his U.S.-based legal team said on Monday, but a Dubai security official denied this. – Reuters
Iraq
Iraq’s al Qaeda affiliate has claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks across the country in June and July it said were part of a new offensive against the Shi’ite-led government. – Reuters
Israel
Three Chinese warships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) docked in Haifa Aug. 13 for a five-day visit here as guests of the Israel Navy. – Defense News
Israel on Sunday initiated a trial of its emergency mechanism for notifying residents of an incoming missile strike against a backdrop of media reports of a potential looming conflict with Iran, Agence France-Presse reported – Global Security Newswire
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose a former security chief on Tuesday as his new civil defense minister amid heightened public debate over a possible strike on Iran. – Reuters
Analysis: For Israel to carry out a long-threatened strike on Iranian nuclear sites, it would have to overcome dissent within its governing coalition reflecting public fear of igniting an unprecedented missile war. – Reuters
Turkey
Ilan Berman writes: Today, fresh thinking about a serious “war of ideas” against radical Islam—and a new, reinvigorated strategic communication effort toward the Islamic world—is sorely needed. Getting serious about our outreach to Turkey, currently the Middle East’s most dynamic actor, seems like a very good place to start. – The American
Afghanistan
The persistence of [green on blue] attack[s] has prompted both NATO and Afghan military leaders to try to drill down into the circumstances surrounding each one and determine the cause in order to come up with ways to decrease them. – New York Times
In this ethnic Pashtun heartland, where vengeance and pride so often dictate action, Rahmatullah and Hamidullah might have been expected to inherit their fathers’ allegiances. Instead, they started fresh, embracing each other. – Washington Post
The Pentagon is looking to improve how it vets incoming Afghan soldiers and police after a recent spate of shootings where local forces turned their guns on U.S. and coalition troops. – DEFCON Hill
The United States has made no decision on whether to transfer Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to help revive Afghan peace talks, but saw signs that insurgent hostility to peace talks may be splintering, Washington’s new Kabul envoy said on Monday. – Reuters
An Afghan policeman opened fire on NATO forces and Afghan soldiers Monday in the fifth attack reported in a week by Afghan security forces on their international partners. The U.S.-led military coalition said none of its service members were killed. – Associated Press
South Asia
Indian police blocked a protest march on parliament in New Delhi on Monday, detaining “Baba” Ramdev, a celebrity yoga guru who has campaigned against corruption and who was leading the demonstration. – Financial Times
Pakistan has told U.S. military officials that it plans to launch combat operations against Taliban militants soon in a tribal area near the Afghan border that also serves as a haven for leaders of the al-Qaida-affiliated Haqqani network, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday. – Associated Press
Pakistan has told Washington that U.S. forces must seal the Afghan border in the event of any offensive against the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network in North Waziristan, an official said Aug. 11. – AFP
China
When Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate, needed something done in China, he often turned to his company’s “chief Beijing representative,” a mysterious businessman named Yang Saixin. Mr. Yang arranged meetings for Mr. Adelson with senior Chinese officials; acted as a frontman on several ambitious projects for Mr. Adelson’s company, the Las Vegas Sands Corporation; and intervened on the Sands’s behalf with Chinese regulators. Mr. Yang even had his daughter take Mr. Adelson’s wife, Miriam, shopping when she was in Beijing. – New York Times
A big rise in commercial litigation might seem perfectly normal in an economy that is experiencing a downturn, but in China it reflects a profound shift: the rule of law has made deep inroads in governing business transactions, from routine deals to complex financing arrangements. – Financial Times
Michael Auslin writes: Stability in Asia may well be achieved for a longer period of time if China understands that the United States will not be distracted by shiny baubles like an annual dialogue. Less frequent meetings will help Washington articulate its opposition clearly, and may even help recognize Beijing’s interests better. Most of all, this will stop America from using dialogue as a substitute for more serious action, and hence signal to China that its bad behavior won’t just result in another summit meeting. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
North Korea
An influential official from North Korea left for China on Monday to discuss building joint industrial complexes on their borders, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. – New York Times
North Korea and the United States held nonofficial discussions last month in New York that revisited a seemingly abandoned bilateral deal intended to halt a number of the North’s nuclear weapon-related activities, Kyodo News reported on Sunday – Global Security Newswire
China on Tuesday promised to help major firms invest in impoverished neighbor North Korea, signaling strong support for the North’s untried young leader just as he is believed to be planning reforms to his country’s broken economy. – Reuters
East Asia
Taiwan plans to slash the number of advanced fighter jets it has been seeking from the U.S. from 66 to 24, apparently due to budget constraints, reports said Aug. 13. – AFP
Bitter memories and current rivalries are straining Japan’s ties with China and South Korea nearly seven decades after Tokyo’s defeat in World War Two, raising the risk of ruptures as all three nations head for leadership changes. – Reuters
Norov Altanhuyag of the Democratic Party (DP) was confirmed as Mongolia’s new prime minister on Friday, ending weeks of political uncertainty after the party failed to win enough seats in a June election to form a government on its own. – Reuters
Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church is enjoying its newfound prestige with the Russian government. The head of the church, Patriarch Kirill, was granted residence in the Kremlin, the elaborate historic fortress in Moscow and seat of the Russian government, late last year, and he openly supported Vladimir Putin, who won a third term as president in March. But the church’s closeness to the government also has made it a target of criticism and protest. – Washington Times
A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks and its travel in strategic U.S. waters was only confirmed after it left the region, the Washington Free Beacon has learned. – Washington Free Beacon
Russia’s fragmented opposition is to hold a nationwide Internet vote to identify its most popular leaders and elect a coordinating council ahead of planned mass anti-Kremlin protests later this year. – Reuters
Europe
Poland is looking to collaborate with nations including fellow NATO states Germany and France in developing a domestic antimissile infrastructure, United Press International reported on Saturday – Global Security Newswire
A Ukrainian court on Tuesday adjourned the tax evasion and embezzlement trial of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko until September 11 after she refused to appear citing poor health. – Reuters
A senior U.S. official met the two rivals battling for power in Romania on Monday and expressed Washington’s concerns about the political crisis that he said could create economic and diplomatic problems. – Reuters
Britain’s armed forces will take two years to recover from their involvement in the Olympic Games because the high number of personnel deployed at short notice were taken away from normal duties, the army’s chief planner for the Games told the Guardian newspaper. – Reuters
United States of America
The U.S. military is joining with border-patrol officials in a new initiative that could bring dozens of surveillance blimps from the battlefields of Afghanistan to America’s border with Mexico. – Wall Street Journal
Ryan’s focus during his seven terms in Congress on balancing the federal budget and extolling the virtues of fiscal restraint seems to have also formed the center of his thinking on foreign policy issues, which seems to hue to the classic Republican view of the world. – CNN’s Security Clearance
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Monday that his running mate Paul Ryan supports the U.S. embargo on Cuba in an effort to clear up a bubbling controversy over his position. – Univision
Josh Rogin reports: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, his would-be vice president Paul Ryan, and defense hawks in Congress are wrong that savings can’t be found in the U.S. defense budget, according to Grover Norquist, the influential president of Americans for Tax Reform, who said that he will fight using any new revenues to keep military spending high. – The Cable
When Mr. Ryan gave the speech, in June of last year, Congress and the Obama administration were gearing up for their epic budget grudge match. He had no inkling he’d be the vice presidential nominee in 14 months and had probably already decided he didn’t want to run for president. Which means he could easily have fobbed off the Hamilton Society with GOP platitudes about “keeping America strong.” Instead he delivered one of the most thoughtful speeches in years about America’s global role and the means required to maintain it. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Of course, in a short (20 minute) speech, Ryan cannot and does not answer all questions. He will get those questions in the coming weeks. If his Hamilton speech is any guide, his answers will likely resonate well with American voters. – Shadow Government
Earlier this year Ryan told the Washington Examiner that, “what 9/11 did to me, like most other members of Congress, is it woke us up to appreciating foreign policy and studying it quite a bit.” Ryan’s own words about the world beyond Washington and America’s role in it are sure to be studied in the weeks and months to come. – Politico
Latin America
[T]he celebrations that mark [Fidel Castro’s birthday on] Aug. 13 each year also have become a tally of another type in Cuba: the increasing collective age of its population. – Christian Science Monitor
Ricardo Ainslie writes: Through the first five years of Calderón’s presidency, he was unable to stem the violence around the country as cartels and their resident street gangs vied with one another for control of transnational routes and local markets. Ironically, if downward trends persist, Peña Nieto is likely to be pressed to continue Calderón’s policies by a public tired of the ravages of cartel violence — the same public that voiced its displeasure with those policies at the polls only a month ago. – Washington Post
West Africa
Gunmen attacked a border post on Ivory Coast’s volatile western frontier with Liberia on Monday, the latest in a series of raids on police and army installations, the United Nations mission in the country and local residents said. – Reuters
The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram denied on Monday that 20 of its fighters had been killed in a raid by security forces in the northeastern city of Maiduguri the day before, saying all those killed were civilians. – Reuters
East Africa
The Ugandan military has shifted heavy weaponry, including assault aircraft, into Somalia over the past few weeks, vowing to strike a final and decisive blow against the Shabab Islamist militant group. – New York Times
Kenyan wildlife rangers spotted the wreckage on Tuesday of two Ugandan military helicopters that had vanished in Kenyan airspace on Sunday, ending a mystery of what happened to the ill-fated Ugandan squadron. – New York Times
Where in the world is Ethiopia’s prime minister? The question is not a geographical brain teaser but a concerned query about the well-being of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who has not been seen in public for two months, and about Ethiopia’s commitment to U.S. counterterrorism efforts in neighboring Somalia. – Washington Times
Sudanese state security agents arrested a U.S. resident on Monday, just after a court freed him and dropped charges of forming a terrorist organization in one the first trials of people arrested in anti-government protests, his lawyer said. – Reuter
