Afghan candidate Abdullah Abdullah threatens to withdraw from presidential race; Indonesian president-elect to choose cabinet; Japanese officials to meet peers from Burma for first business talks; Zimbabwe and China 'strengthen friendship'; US begins surveillance flights over Syria; and more

Top of the Agenda

Afghan Candidate Threatens to Withdraw

Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah threatened on Tuesday to withdraw (AFP) from a United Nations-supervised audit of votes cast in the disputed election, potentially undermining a process aimed at rescuing the country's first democratic transfer of power. The audit was part of a U.S.-brokered deal between presidential candidates Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, both of whom claim election victory in the contest to succeed President Hamid Karzai (Reuters). General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, said Monday that the United States had devised plans that would allow U.S. forces to remain in Afghanistan beyond the end of the year if the election stalemate persisted and prevented the signing of a security agreement (AP).

Analysis

"The best available solution is for Mr. Abdullah and Mr. Ghani to cooperate fully with the ballot audit, accept the results (which were never going to be fraud-free, given the immaturity of the democratic system) and quickly form a functioning government that reflects the country's diversity. If they manage to do that, there might be some hope that they could, in time, restore voter trust and put Afghanistan on the path to a real democracy," writes the New York Times.

"More broadly, it isn't clear that the number of U.S. boots on the ground translates into meaningful political leverage, or is necessarily conducive to an enduring, much less healthy, stability. That doesn't mean that the U.S. shouldn't push Ghani and Abdullah to compromise, and continue providing economic support," writes Bloomberg.

"Iraq could hardly be a clearer cautionary tale: If the United States withdraws before the Afghan security forces are fully prepared to lead the fight against the Taliban and to deny safe haven to al Qaeda, jihadists are almost certain to regain safe haven there, much as the Islamic State (IS) has gained ground since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011. That is what losing the war in Afghanistan looks like," writes Paul Miller for Foreign Policy.

 

PACIFIC RIM

Widodo to Announce Cabinet in October

Indonesian president-elect Joko Widodo is set to announce his cabinet team (Reuters) in early October as he ramps up preparations to lead the world's third largest democracy. Widodo faces economic woes in Southeast Asia's largest economy, including a widening current account deficit and slow growth.

JAPAN: Japanese officials and business leaders will meet counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Burma for their first talks on promoting increased business ties (Japan Times).

ELSEWHERE:

Zimbabwe and China 'strengthen friendship' during Mugabe's visit

US begins surveillance flights over Syria