NATO meets to renegotiate Libyan airstrikes as Qaddafi besieges Misurata (+ analysis); Analysts say boots on the ground will be required; Inflation in China on the rise; Yemeni protesters clash with military after leader threatens civil war; Obama offers $4 trillion cuts in military and domestic spending; and more
Top of the Agenda: NATO Strategy Meeting in Germany Top NATO officials are set to convene in Berlin to negotiate their differences over the air campaign to protect Libyan civilians and enforce the no-fly zone. France and the UK have advocated for additional member countries (BBC) to contribute to air strikes on Qaddafi's military assets--only six of the twenty-eight countries are participating in such attacks, with Turkey and Spain opposed to the Libyan mission. Analysts say the NATO summit is only one part of a three-pronged push (al-Jazeera) by the international community to end the battle for Libya and alleviate the growing political discord. The NATO meeting coincides with a convention in Cairo aimed at improving coordination between the Arab League, the UN, and the African Union. Both meetings follow a Wednesday conference in Doha of the Libyan "contact group" that attained financial backing for rebel forces. Analysts describe NATO's response to the crisis as a significant test for the Europeans to take responsibility for a conflict so close to their southern borders. The United States handed command of the Libyan mission to NATO last week, but the Pentagon (NYT) says that US warplanes continue to strike targets in Libya despite scaling back offensive missions. Forces loyal to Qaddafi continue to besiege the city of Misurata (CNN), destroying critical food supplies and preventing the distribution of humanitarian aid. Analysis: In the National Interest, Uri Dadush and Marwan Muasher examine the four major economic risks created by political turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa and what the international community can do to avert them. Any outcome of the Libyan war will require boots on the ground, say analysts, urging the international community to focus on helping the country rebuild civil, political, and social institutions that serve Libyan national interests. In an op-ed for al-Jazeera, Najla Abdurrahman argues that the entire Western narrative on Libya is misleading and framed by an Orientalist discourse. In the Christian Science Monitor, CFR's Meghan O'Sullivan says that a safe haven for Libyan rebels would allow the opposition to build a vision for a post-Qaddafi Libya.
PACIFIC RIM: North Korea Confirms Arrest of US Citizen State-run media reported that North Korea arrested an American (CNN) in November 2010 for committing an undisclosed crime. The U.S. State Department is negotiating for the man's release on humanitarian grounds via the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang. China: Analysts say China may experience inflationary pressure (Reuters) as the country amassed a record $3 trillion in foreign reserves in March and its money supply surged past forecasts. China's inflation accelerated as much as 5.4 percent from a year ago. China's policy of holding down the value of its currency and monetary easing in the United States have led to large capital inflows into emerging economies, raising fears of currency appreciation and asset bubbles. In the latest Capital Flows Comment, Francis E. Warnock challenges the assumptions underlying the new consensus in favor of capital controls. ELSEWHERE: - Fighting in Sanaa as Defectors Advance
- India and Pakistan to Resume Sport Bonds
- Obama Calls for Spending Cuts and Taxes
This is an excerpt of the CFR.org Daily News Brief. The full version is available on CFR.org.