Obama and McCain make a final push for votes, still debating Iraq; Chinese diplomat heads to Taipei as relations thaw; new photos of Kim Jong-Il; Gordon Brown seeks "hundreds of billions" from Gulf states; and more
Top of the Agenda: Final Election Push
With one day to go before the United States presidential election, Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) made their final push for votes. Both presidential candidates have op-eds in the Wall Street Journal on Monday laying out their policy agendas. Obama repeats his pledge to "end the Iraq war responsibly" while ramping up efforts to defeat al-Qaeda and "restore our moral standing so that America remains the last, best hope of Earth." McCain writes that U.S. forces have dealt "devastating blows to al-Qaeda, especially in Iraq," but warned about the unraveling of the situation there in the event of a premature troop withdrawal.
A new CFR.org issue guide provides an outline of CFR's resources on the foreign policy issues facing the next president. A new Daily Analysis takes a look back a how foreign policy issues have played into the 2008 campaign and questions to what extent they will guide U.S. voters tomorrow.
The New York Times reports the campaign focus for many Republicans has turned to shoring up contested seats in the House of Representatives and Senate. The Economist, meanwhile, takes a country-by-country look at how the world views the U.S. elections.
For full election coverage, please see CFR.org's Campaign 2008 website.
Pacific Rim: China-Taiwan Talks
China dispatched a senior diplomat (Xinhua), Chen Yunlin, to Taipei for talks on China-Taiwan relations. The BBC reports five days are talks are expected to result in accords on economic and transport issues.
South Korea: Seoul unveiled a $25 billion economic stimulus package and set a target economic growth rate of 4 percent for 2009 (Korea Times).
Kim Jong-Il: The Chosun Ilbo reports North Korea's government released new photos it claims show leader Kim Jong-Il watching a sporting event. It follows speculation that he might have had a stroke.
Elsewhere:
Gordon Brown seeks "hundreds of billions" from Gulf states to help countries hit by credit crisis.
US Gen. Petraeus in Pakistan to meet military and political leaders.
This is an excerpt of the CFR.org Daily News Brief. The full version is available on CFR.org.