Iran
Iran has installed three-quarters of the nuclear centrifuges it needs to complete a site deep underground for the production of nuclear fuel, international inspectors reported Thursday, a finding that led the White House to warn that “the window that is open now to resolve this diplomatically will not remain open indefinitely.” – New York Times
Download a PDF copy of the IAEA’s report – ISIS
[T]he agency’s report has also put Israel in a corner, documenting that Iran is close to crossing what Israel has long said is its red line: the capability to produce nuclear weapons in a location invulnerable to Israeli attack. – New York Times
Iran’s triumphal stewardship of the Nonaligned Movement summit meeting here veered off script on Thursday when the two most prominently featured guest speakers — President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt and the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon — denounced the repression of the armed uprising in Syria, a close Iranian ally. – New York Times
Gen. Martin Dempsey said bluntly that he does not want to be “complicit” if Israel chooses to attack Iran, as he put more distance between the United States and Israel over a potential attack. – DEFCON Hill
Speaking at a gathering of developing nations in Tehran on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared to take a gentle dig at his hosts, pulling out India’s trump card: democracy. – WSJ’s India Real Time
Iranians have scaled back as their economy is squeezed by Western sanctions, scrimping on meat and cutting down on small luxuries. But now those pressures have intruded on a world that once seemed safe from geopolitical wrangling…Sanctions by the United States, it seems, have hit “World of Warcraft.” – LA Times’ World Now
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would speak out about the dangers of Iran’s nuclear program in an address next month to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. – Reuters
A report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog that accused Iran of doubling the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges it has in an underground bunker was politically motivated, an Iranian lawmaker said on Friday. – Reuters
Eli Lake reports: [T]he news from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was not all bad. While the report showed that Iran had installed more centrifuges in the underground Fordow plant, the kind of centrifuges the Iranians deployed are still the primitive 1970s-era machines known as the IR-1. - The Daily Beast
Editorial: Tehran’s refusal to negotiate seriously and its continuing buildup of nuclear capacity is nevertheless steadily increasing the danger that the Middle East will be engulfed by a new war — one that could interrupt oil supplies, damage the global economy and exacerbate the sectarian conflict already underway in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. An optimistic view would be that Iran is playing a familiar game of brinkmanship. If so, there may not be much more time to step back. – Washington Post
The confident belief that they are like the Soviets is a fantasy. That’s why Israel is contemplating a preemptive strike. Israel refuses to trust its very existence to the convenient theories of comfortable analysts living 6,000 miles from its Ground Zero. – Washington Post
Syria
Human rights workers and diplomats said Thursday that Syria’s military was increasingly relying on indiscriminate air power to crush the insurgency, as top United Nations officials attending a special Security Council session reported alarming new data on the severity of the crisis, including a doubling in the number of civilians who need emergency aid. – New York Times
American freelance journalist Austin Tice, who has been unaccounted for in Syria for more than two weeks, has been captured and is being held in Syrian government custody, according to people familiar with the matter, including a senior diplomat. – Washington Post
Bashar al-Assad is “increasingly disconnected from reality,” according to a senior Obama administration official in dismissing assertions by the Syrian president that the situation in his violence-torn country is improving. – CNN’s Security Clearance
The Syrian conflict has intensified in recent weeks, with the regime increasing aerial bombardments of opposition areas and rebel fighters using heavy weapons captured on the battlefield. The upsurge in fighting has sent a new surge of refugees into neighbouring countries, and aid agencies and host countries are scrambling to respond. – Financial Times
A U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria’s aid crisis achieved nothing new on Thursday except to highlight global paralysis on the 17-month conflict as western powers warned that military action to secure civilian safe zones was still an option. – Reuters
France and Britain warned Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday that military action to secure safe zones for civilians inside the country was being considered despite the paralysis of the U.N. Security Council over how to end the 17-month conflict. – Reuters
[Video] – ICYMI: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls for vetting and arming the Syrian rebels – CNN’s Security Clearance
North Africa
Tunisia has been regarded as a model for its relatively smooth shift from generations of autocratic rule toward democracy. But even as the downfall of President Zine el Abidine ben Ali in 2011 revived political discourse, it roused deep-seated strands of puritanical Islam that are challenging civil freedoms. – Los Angeles Times
Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister, who lost his bid for the presidency in June, said on Thursday he would return to Egypt and criticized a corruption investigation against him that would mean he is arrested at the airport if he does. – Reuters
Yemen
A Yemeni intelligence officer was killed on Thursday by a gunman shooting from a motorbike, the defense ministry said on its website. – Reuters
Iraq
Iraq’s Kurdistan is ready to restart negotiations with Baghdad to end their crisis, focusing on a long-delayed oil law to hand regions more say in managing energy resources, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Rosh Nuri al-Shawish, a Kurd, said. – Reuters
Israel
Israel is facing growing international pressure not to attack Iran unilaterally, with the United States in particular making clear its firm opposition to any such strike. – Reuters
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish party in Israel’s coalition government is wary of plans for possible military strikes on Iran, political sources said on Thursday. – Reuters
In building his team at a time of tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, Mr. Netanyahu appears to be relying heavily — too heavily, some say — on veterans of Sayeret Matkal. – Associated Press
A U.N. investigator condemned an Israeli court on Thursday for clearing the military of blame for the death of American activist crushed by an army bulldozer, calling it a “victory for impunity”. – Reuters
Afghanistan
Not long ago, Bamiyan province was considered one of the most peaceful corners of Afghanistan, a remote and scenic enclave that was largely free of the daily violence that roils so much of the country. Now it may become a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of winding down the war here. – Los Angeles Times
Afghan Local Police commanders such as Abdul Samad—a small but increasing number of whom are former Taliban—work closely with U.S. special-operations officers and the regular Afghan national police. With scant support from the Afghan government, Abdul Samad said, he has little choice but to rely on the special-forces captain for guidance and logistical support. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
The military is ramping up efforts to counter the Taliban’s growing presence on social media sites by aggressively responding to falsehoods and reporting violations of the sites’ guidelines on violent threats, experts say. – USA Today
A popular radio station in Afghanistan is funded by China’s international propaganda outlet and is broadcasting news with an anti-U.S. and anti-NATO bent, according to U.S. officials. – Washington Free Beacon
Pakistan
Pakistan is planning to transfer operational control of its strategically important Gwadar deep water port from Singapore’s PSA International to a Chinese company, according to a Pakistani minister. – Financial Times
Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed Thursday that a U.S. drone strike last week near the Afghan border killed the son of the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant network, a major blow to one of the most feared groups fighting American troops in Afghanistan. – Associated Press
In the middle of a forest in the Pakistani capital, a group of Christians has cut down trees to clear land and has begun to build a church out of branches after leaving their neighborhood in fear when one of their own was accused of violating Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws. – Associated Press
The Pakistani scientist who sold nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya, may try his hand at politics to rescue a country he says has become worse than a banana republic. – Reuters
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on prominent members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group blamed for orchestrating a 2008 attack in Mumbai that killed 166 people, including six Americans. – Reuters
Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed Thursday that a US drone strike last week near the Afghan border killed the son of the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant network, a major blow to one of the most feared groups fighting American troops in Afghanistan. – Associated Press
Ahmed Rashid writes: Afghan and Pakistani fears about the other may be the only equation that can bring both sides to the peace table. The international pressure for Pakistan to come up with a more rational policy facilitating reconciliation between Kabul and the Taliban is building fast. – Financial Times
China
With China facing a worsening economy, the biggest political crisis in two decades and growing public anger and domestic unrest, what do people here say about the seismic change about to take place in country’s top leadership? “Wu suo wei.” It doesn’t matter. – Washington Post
Wang Xiaoning, a Chinese political dissident who was convicted of state subversion based on evidence provided by the Internet company Yahoo, was released from prison on Friday, after serving a 10-year sentence. – New York Times
Imagine what might happen if civilians were given the power to issue tickets for minor traffic violations and other quality-of-life infractions — and keep 80 percent of the fines. This month, the city fathers of Shaoyang, a financially struggling city in Hunan Province, decided to boldly embrace such an approach, spurring a rash of profit-driven vigilantism that appears to have had too much of the desired effect. – New York Times
China’s outgoing President Hu Jintao is angling to promote one of his closest allies to the military’s decision-making body, sources said, in a move that would allow him to maintain an influence over Beijing’s most potent instrument of power. – Reuters
China said Aug. 30 that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will visit in mid-September, the latest in a flurry of diplomatic activity between the two countries. – AFP
For decades, Beijing has maintained that the Dalai Lama is a separatist, but Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader once had a special relationship with the father of Xi Jinping, the man in line to become China’s next president. – Reuters
East Asia
Japan’s foreign minister ratcheted up pressure on South Korea with tough rhetoric and hints of further countermeasures, after Seoul Thursday formally rejected Tokyo’s request to turn to an international court to settle their island dispute that has stoked bilateral territorial tensions to the highest level in decades. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Chinese tourists trailing behind a baton-wielding guide through museums and luxury shopping outlets are a common sight in most of the developed world, but in Taiwan this is still very new. The influx of tourists from the mainland is having a real economic impact — and there is hope that it will begin to soften the relationship between the two historical antagonists. – Washington Post
South Korea’s Navy took over its third Aegis-equipped destroyer from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on Aug. 30. – Defense News
North Korea and Japan, normally barely on speaking terms other than to exchange accusations, ended their first direct talks in four years on Friday by agreeing to meet again, the latest sign of Pyongyang’s recent attempts to come in from the cold. – Reuters
Southeast Asia
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faces a tricky challenge as the deadline approaches for holding fresh elections here: He remains relatively popular in much of the country—but his government is less so. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
The decision to publicize names removed from the notorious blacklist marks another small step by Myanmar’s government to bring transparency and reform to a country once known as one of the most secretive and oppressive in the world. – Wall Street Journal
Editorial: Washington’s willingness to press Hanoi on Mr. Quan and other cases matters at a time when the regime is eager to build closer military ties with the U.S. to offset Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. It’s also helpful for Washington to push back on attempts by unsavory regimes—China included—to redefine “terrorism” to suit their own repressive ends. A war on terror is meaningless if it catches peaceful advocacy groups such as Viet Tan. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
Cook Islands
China’s official media have stepped up criticism of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s impending visit to a remote island chain in the South Pacific, complaining that American saber-rattling is disturbing a tranquil region. – LA Times’ World Now
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will try to reassert American interests in the Asia-Pacific region in the face of China’s growing influence as she kicks off a six-nation trip that will take her from the South Pacific to Russia’s Far East. – Associated Press
Central Asia
Uzbekistan’s upper house of parliament approved a new bill banning any foreign military bases on its territory in what appears to be an effort to appease regional power Moscow…[I]t appears to quash growing rumors that Tashkent may allow the US to open a military base in Uzbekistan to replace the major air base in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which is due to close in 2014. It also raises questions about Uzbekistan’s support of the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan. – Christian Science Monitor
Russia
The chief of naval operations is disputing a Free Beacon report that revealed a Russian nuclear powered attack submarine sailed undetected in the Gulf of Mexico. However, Navy chief Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, in a letter to a U.S. Senator, left open the possibility that the Russian submarine in question was later detected operating in waters close to the East Coast of the United States. – Washington Free Beacon
The bodies of an elderly woman and her daughter were found in Russia beneath a scrawled message demanding freedom for the jailed members of a punk band, officials said Thursday. – Associated Press
With Putin back in the Kremlin after a four year hiatus as prime minister, he has tried to end the violence by emphasizing the unity of Russia, providing backing for mainstream clerics and cracking down hard on religious radicalism. But the formula seems to be failing here, driving communities further into the embrace of radical religion, and sending more young men into the mountains to take up arms. – Reuters
Europe
Georgian officials said on Thursday that the heavily armed militants who penetrated the border from Russia and took five local residents hostage were Muslim fighters who wore camouflage uniforms and carried Russian passports and copies of the Koran. – New York Times
An ongoing battle between the prime minister and the president amid a tanking economy has left many Romanians longing for a return to communism because they think the democratic and free-market reforms of the past two decades have failed. – Washington Times
Meanwhile in Sarajevo, political life revolves around shabby agreements among party bosses, and the country’s larger interests, including its NATO and E.U. candidacies, languish. Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose citizens have suffered so grievously and in which the United States and its allies have committed significant resources for two decades, presents a sorry spectacle. – Washington Post
United States of America
The 44th administration is discussing the final details with the Mitt Romney campaign of how and when the first intelligence and national security briefings will be offered to the presidential candidate and his designated campaign officials. – CNN’s Security Clearance
We live in a time of “mutual indispensability” as Les Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, has said. Other countries can rarely pull themselves together to act without U.S. leadership. But the U.S. can do little by itself. That balancing act requires an adept, practiced Commander-in-Chief. We must choose wisely. – AOL Defense
Libertarians bolster their isolationist arguments by citing the various enemies American policies have created through the years. But they consistently ignore the successes—the many instances in which American policies made a difference in the freedom equation….These kinds of probing questions need to be posed to a man who styles himself as a champion of freedom, and to the movement that cheers him on. – Freedom House’s Freedom at Issue
Latin America
The authorities in Venezuela said Wednesday that they would investigate claims that illegal Brazilian gold miners massacred a village of Yanomami Indians deep in the Amazon jungle. – New York Times
Although the sum is small, the incident is emblematic of what analysts call the Venezuelan government’s often hostile and counterproductive treatment of investors. For harsher critics, it is also an example of the kind of negligence and incompetence that may have caused last week’s lethal explosion at the Opec country’s largest refinery, Amuay, and which could even cost Mr Chávez the presidency. – Financial Times
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos named close ally Federico Renjifo as energy and mining minister on Thursday in part of a Cabinet shuffle as the leader begins pursuing a peace process with FARC rebels. – Reuters
Communist-run Cuba’s five-year plan to cut more than a million state jobs, create a strong “non-state sector” and improve wages has made only limited progress, according to a government report released this week. – Reuters
West Africa
The 44th administration has told U.S. embassy staffers in Mali to stay put as the political situation in the southern part of the country improves following the military coup in March. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Ivory Coast’s main opposition party on Thursday accused the government of a campaign of repression against supporters of former president Laurent Gbagbo, using attacks on soldiers and police as a pretext. – Reuters
Ethiopia
Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will head the American delegation to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s funeral on Sunday, the State Department announced Thursday. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Better late than never; it is time for the international community to insist on respect for the basic rights that it never should have abandoned in the first place. – Los Angeles Times
