New government for Iraq; Chinese PM to visit India; South Korea's top nuclear envoy talks to US about resunming Six Party Talks; Imran Khan vows to continue protests; African Union troops accused of rape; and more 

Top of the Agenda

Iraq Forms New Government

Iraq forged a new government (FT) under the leadership of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the Shia political activist installed to replace Nouri Maliki one month ago, although leaders have yet to assign the critical posts of defense and interior minister (AP). While the new cabinet still comprises many officials from the previous government, the United States hailed the move as a "major milestone" and a crucial step toward defeating the militant group ISIS. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the diversity of the new cabinet (Guardian), while President Barack Obama phoned al-Abadi to discuss Washington's commitment in helping Baghdad combat ISIS.

Analysis

"Simply stated, ISIS has committed the grave error of strategic overreach, and it is in the interest the world's great powers, including the United States and Russia, to punish this error by inflicting massive attrition upon it," writes CFR's Colonel S. Clinton Hinote for Cicero Magazine.

"The U.S. can help save the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad but cannot force it to make the sort of concessions that would satisfy Iraq's Sunni Arabs. This means that U.S. involvement will reinforce the anti-American ideology that drives al-Qaida, the Islamic State and other violent Salafi groups," writes Steven Metz for World Politics Review.

"As he seeks to rally Americans behind a new military campaign in the Middle East, Mr. Obama finds his own past statements coming back to haunt him. Time and again, he has expressed assessments of the world that in the harsh glare of hindsight look out of kilter with the changed reality he now confronts," writes Peter Baker for the New York Times.

 

PACIFIC RIM

China's Xi to Visit India

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India for the first time next week (Bloomberg) to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a trip that that looks to resolve border disputes and trade imbalances. The announcement of the trip, which will also take Xi to Sri Lanka and Tajikistan, follows Modi's high-profile visit to Japan.

CFR's Elizabeth Economy highlights a few things for Xi Jinping to read.

SOUTH KOREA: South Korea's top nuclear envoy met his U.S. counterpart in Washington for meetings on how to resume (Yonhap) the long-stalled Six-Party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program.

This CFR Backgrounder traces the timeline and progression of the Six-Party talks.

ELSEWHERE:

Imran Khan vows to continue protests

African Union troops accused of rape

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