Police across Europe investigate far-right threats after Norway massacre; Breivik calls for new revoltuion against Muslim "animals" and pleads not guilty; Analysis of US blogs that influenced Breivik; Moody's downgrades Greece declaring default "virtually 100%" certain; US debt debate drives down Asian markets; North Korean diplomat to visit US; and more

Top of the Agenda: Norway Attacks Highlight Anti-Muslim Views

The massacre of nearly one-hundred Norwegians in Oslo and on nearby Utoya Island by an apparently lone assailant on Friday shed light on the rise of anti-Muslim and anti-immigration political movements throughout Europe. In a 1,500-page online manifesto, the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, preached against the “Islamization of Western Europe” (WSJ) and multiculturalism, voicing similar concerns to that of many European populist parties throughout the continent.

The manifesto – in which the suspect calls Muslims “wild animals” – shows that Breivik was also influenced by a vocal group of American bloggers (NYT) and writers who have warned of a growing Muslim threat to Western culture.

Breivik – who pleaded not guilty in court today, despite having confessed to bombing government buildings and going on a shooting spree at a Labor Party youth camp – said he wanted to start a new revolution (Guardian) to defeat liberal immigration policies and the spread of Islam.

Across Europe, police investigated potential far-right threats (FT), while some mosques in the UK added extra security in the wake of the attacks.

Analysis:

The American blogs that influenced Breivik provide a window into a strange scene: pro-Western, exceedingly pro-American and friendly to Israel -- but extremely anti-Muslim, aggressively Christian and openly hostile to everything which is liberal, leftist, multi-cultural or internationalist, writes Der Spiegel's Frank Patalong.

The most recent election results for nationalist and anti-Islam parties have shown how poisoned the thinking in Europe already is, writes Deutsche Welle's Felix Steiner.

 

PACIFIC RIM: North Korean Diplomat to Visit US

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the visit of a senior North Korean diplomat, Kim Kye-gwan, to New York this week (NYT) to discuss restarting official negotiations over ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

This CFR Independent Task Force report identifies three elements of an internationally coordinated response to the threat posed by North Korea, including denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, regional cohesion, enabled by close U.S.-South Korea ties; and China's active engagement.

Burma: Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (BBC) is meeting today with a minister of the army-backed civilian government for the first time since her release from house arrest in November, just a month after the government warned her to cease political activity.

 

ELSEWHERE:

- US Debt Rift Hits Asian Markets, while world watches
- Greece Downgraded, Again

 

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