Media Roundup

Iran Talks With U.N. Watchdog Seen as ‘Positive,’ But Outcome Unclear

By Joby Warrick | The Washington Post

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iranian officials held a day of high-level talks Monday that both sides described as “positive,” but it remained unclear whether Iran had given ground on allowing access to key nuclear scientists and research facilities.

NATO Summit: Obama's Pakistan Gamble Falls Flat

By David S. Cloud and Kathleen Hennessey | Los Angeles Times

The White House fails to reach a deal on supply routes to Afghanistan. The summit does produce a formal agreement on the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

NATO Agrees on Afghan Security Transition in 2013

By Helene Cooper and Matthew Rosenberg | The New York Times

The agreement to give the Afghans the lead role in securing their country next summer begins the end of the United States’s involvement in the war.

Excitement Sweeps Egypt Ahead of Landmark Poll

By Sara Hussein | Agence France-Presse

A buzz of excitement swept through Cairo on Tuesday, a day before its first presidential election since an uprising overthrew Hosni Mubarak, ushering in a tumultuous military-led transition.

Putin Consolidates Power, Hires Ousted Ministers

By Vladimir Isachenkov | The Associated Press

Taking a tough stand against dissent, President Vladimir Putin ignored public opposition and hired some Russia's most unpopular former ministers Tuesday and Russian lawmakers debated a draconian bill that raises fines for joining unsanctioned protests 200-fold.

'El Loco' Arrested After 49 Beheaded Bodies Found

By Randy Kreider | ABC News

Authorities have arrested an alleged Zetas drug cartel leader nicknamed "El Loco," AKA the Fool or the Crazy One, on charges that he dumped 49 headless bodies on a highway outside Monterrey, Mexico.

Yemen Bombing Shows Reach of al-Qaeda

By Ali Almujahed and Sudarsan Raghavan | The Washington Post

The assault on troops during a parade rehearsal in the heart of Sanaa narrowly missed killing the defense minister and represented Yemen’s most devastating terrorist attack in years. It occurred as militants linked to al-Qaeda defend newly seized territory in the south.

Euro 'Threat' to Global Outlook

BBC

A weak eurozone is the single biggest threat to the global economy, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Why A Greek Exit Could Be Much Worse Than Expected

By Michael Sivy | Time

At the Camp David G8 meeting last weekend, lip service was paid to keeping Greece in the euro zone. But economists who watch the continuing financial crisis in Europe are increasingly coming to two conclusions: Greece is likely to abandon the common euro currency now used by 17 European countries.

Toward a Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan: Part I

By Shehzad H. Qazi | World Politics Review

The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan planned for 2014 means that some kind of a settlement with the Taliban is all but inevitable. However, the process of negotiating peace in Afghanistan faces several domestic challenges.

ECOWAS Targets West Africa's Coups

By Alex Thurston | World Politics Review

A series of recent crises in Mali and Guinea Bissau have put the Economic Community of West African States in the spotlight, demonstrating the organization’s potential to shape West African politics, but also the limitations on its ability to do so.

Tanzanian Plows Fertile Ground in Pitch for Aid

By Ashish Kumar Sen | The Washington Times

Tanzania’s president is waging a war on hunger -- and while he’s at it, he wants to modernize his East African nation’s agricultural sector to lift millions of his countrymen out of poverty.

Pakistanis Fear Becoming Isolated

By Alex Rodriguez | Los Angeles Times

As U.S. frustration with Pakistan's six-month blockade of Afghanistan-bound supplies became painfully apparent Monday at the NATO summit in Chicago, Pakistanis are growing worried that their government's negotiating strategy could cost their country millions of dollars in American aid and jeopardize its prospects for a voice in Afghanistan's postwar future.

Private Spacecraft Heads for Station (WSJ Subscription Required)

By Andy Pasztor | The Wall Street Journal

The first private spacecraft aiming to dock with the international space station blasted off from Florida and reached orbit with split-second precision, but the biggest tests for the mission are still days ahead.

Global Insights: NATO's Modest Chicago Summit

By Richard Weitz | World Politics Review

If the alliance made no policy changes in Chicago, the gathering did allow the allies to renew their mutual solidarity amid recent talk of the U.S. pivot to Asia.

Beyond Afghanistan, a Weakened NATO Can Still Write Its Own Future

By Kurt Volker | The Christian Science Monitor

As the NATO summit in Chicago wraps up, it’s clear that NATO is in a tough spot, navigating a tenuous transition in Afghanistan as a prolonged euro crisis slashes its capability. NATO must look closer to home to restore its credibility in areas our citizens agree are high priorities.

No Model for Muslim Democracy

By Andreas Harsono | The New York Times

Indonesia’s government has failed to protect Christians and other religious minorities from extremist attacks.

China’s Wobbly Transition

By David Ignatius | The Washington Post

Perhaps when Chinese leaders began to speak over the past several years about a new “Beijing Consensus” and the triumph of the “China Model,” that was a warning that the bubble was about to burst.

Why Asia Wants America

By John McCain | The Diplomat

The United States is still the partner of choice for many Asian nations, says Sen. John McCain. But Washington needs to put aside its political bickering.

Strategic U.S.-China-India Balancing Act

By Harsh V. Pant | The Japan Times

During her talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao as part of the U.S.-China Economic and Strategic Dialogue recently, U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton asserted that "the China-U.S. relationship is stronger than it's ever been."

Al-Assad's Qaeda

By Tariq Alhomayed | Asharq Alawsat

Two bloody incidents have taken place in the region, and we must now connect these two events to one another in order to clarify the bigger and more important picture regarding the course of regional events, whether in Yemen, Syria or Lebanon, and possibly the Gulf in the future.

Why I'm Optimistic About Putin's 4th Term

By Nikolai Petrov | The Moscow Times

Even as President Vladimir Putin unveiled a new Cabinet on Monday, my hopes had already been all but shattered that we would see a slightly more liberal Putin during what is effectively his fourth consecutive term in power.

The PRI Peril in Mexico

By John M. Ackerman | Los Angeles Times

Its presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, represents the old Mexico of corrupt power and privilege.

Morocco's Short-Sighted Politics

By Anna Theofilopoulou | Foreign Policy in Focus

April of this year marked the 21st anniversary since the UN Security Council accepted responsibility for trying to resolve the Western Sahara conflict through a referendum on self-determination. The referendum has never taken place, nor is it likely to ever happen.

A Flawed Court in Need of Credibility

By Richard Dicker | International Herald Tribune

The terrain on which the International Criminal Court works has an unevenness where the same law does not apply to all.

Prioritize the Poorest

By Robert Jenkins and Anthony Lake | Foreign Affairs

The world of international development has long been divided between idealists and pragmatists. The idealists give more weight to addressing the needs of the world's most destitute. The pragmatists are driven more by impact at the aggregate level, such as increasing GDP per capita.

NATO Signs $1.7 Billion UAV Contract

By Kate Brannen | Defense News

At the end of the first day of the NATO Summit in Chicago, the transatlantic alliance signed a $1.7 billion contract with Northrop Grumman for five Global Hawk UAVs.

Oman Purchases 8 Airbus C295s

By Pierre Tran | Defense News

Oman ordered eight C295 aircraft, including three for maritime patrol operations, Airbus Military said on May 21.

Iran Recalls Ambassador to Azerbaijan

Al Arabiya

Iran has recalled its ambassador to Azerbaijan after he insulted Azerbaijani religious saints, the Iranian embassy said Tuesday, amid a row between the two neighbors that has escalated as Baku prepares to host the Eurovision song contest.

U.S., Turkey Fail to Make Progress on Drone Sale

Today's Zaman

U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish President Abdullah Gül met in Chicago on Monday on the sidelines of a NATO Summit but failed to make any progress on the sale of armed drones. Some in the U.S. Congress refuse to agree to a sale of aircraft to Turkey given Ankara's deteriorating relations with Israel.

Portugal's President Visits Indonesia

By Bagus BT Saragih | The Jakarta Post

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated to welcome Portuguese President Anibal Antonio Cavaco Silva today, a “historic moment” that marks a new level of the two countries’ bilateral ties that have experienced ups and downs in past years.

Turkey's Erdogan Visits Pakistan

Today's Zaman

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Pakistan Sunday evening to hold a series of talks with Pakistani Prime Minster Yousaf Raza Gilani and renew cooperation between the two countries.

Brazil Announces Measure to Boost Auto Sales

MercoPress

Brazil lowered taxes on consumer borrowing and created incentives for banks to boost vehicle lending as policy makers struggle to revive economic growth in the Latin America’s largest market.

Colombia Rebel Group Blames Extreme Right for Bombing

Latin American Herald Tribune

Colombia's leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) said Monday that the bombing that left two people dead and 50 others injured in Bogota last week was the work of the extreme right.

After Deadly Drug Op, Honduras Calls for More U.S. Aid

By Geoffrey Ramsey | InSight Crime

Despite mounting criticism of U.S. security efforts in Honduras in the wake of a controversial operation which killed four people, President Porfirio Lobo has asked the U.S. to deepen its role in the fight against drug trafficking in the country.

Opposition Criticizes Ethiopia-Sudan Extradition Deal

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle | Sudan Tribune

Ethiopia’s biggest coalition of opposition parties, the Forum for Democratic Dialogue in Ethiopia (Medrek), has condemned a judicial agreement signed last week between Ethiopia and Sudan on the extradition of criminals.