NATO bombing intensifies as Libya Contact Group creates fund to back rebels (+ analysis); International Court issues arrest warrant for Qaddafi on rape charges; Thousands fearing massacre flee Syria for Turkey; Militants' midnight raid on Pakistani post; Leaked report confirms Greece bailout; and more

Top of the Agenda: Mulling a Post-Qaddafi Libya

As NATO steps up a bombing campaign targeting government strongholds in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, countries that comprise the so-called Contact Group are meeting in the United Arab Emirates today to discuss Libya's future after the expected fall of leader Muammar al-Qaddafi (BBC). The group--which includes Britain, France, the United States, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar--is expected to outline plans for a joint fund that will support the Libyan rebels. The rebels' National Transitional Council has already set up shadow ministries in the eastern part of the country and named a civilian to head the military in anticipation of Qaddafi's fall (AFP).

Qaddafi broke a week-long silence to declare on Libyan state television that he will stay in the country "dead or alive" (Guardian). His announcement came as the International Criminal Court's Luis Moreno-Ocampo requested arrest warrants for Qaddafi and his son on the grounds that they had implemented a policy of raping opponents (Reuters)--by allegedly providing Libyan soldiers with the impotency drug Viagra--in an effort to crush the country's rebellion.

Analysis:

On his blog Politics, Power, and Preventive Action, CFR's Micah Zenko analyzes the consequences of a civil war stalemate in Libya, arguing for increased humanitarian aid to end the impasse.

Daniel Byman and Matthew Waxman argue in Foreign Policy that Libya remains in limbo because of political constraints that bind the United States and its NATO partners.

In an interview with al-Jazeera, Nigel Pont, the regional director of Mercy Corps in the Middle East, discusses the ICC's allegations that Qaddafi is using rape as a weapon of war against rebels in Libya.

 

PACIFIC RIM: Thai Election Breeds Uncertainty

International investors have hedged their bets that the upcoming Thai elections will breed continued political instability (WSJ). In the run-up to the July election, the Stock Exchange of Thailand index is down 3 percent.

CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick discusses Thailand's volatile political situation in Washington Monthly.

China: Computer hackers from China and neighboring Vietnam have escalated a territorial dispute (BBC) through hacking campaigns that target the other's government websites.

 

ELSEWHERE:

- Thousands Flee Syria
- Militants Attack Pakistani Security Post
- Report Confirms Second Bailout for Greece

 

 

 

This is an excerpt of the CFR.org Daily News Brief. The full version is available on CFR.org.