The Week in Review
Middle East
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani will be visiting Iraq soon, Al Sumaria News reported Wednesday. Larijani, a leading politician in Iran, has been given responsibility for the Iraq dossier, replacing Qassim Suleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp, Al-Rafidayn wrote on Tuesday. Iran’s goal is to bridge the gap between the two leading Shia groups—led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Ammar al-Hakim/Muqtada al-Sadr—in order for them to form a government. The political scene in Iraq has been deadlocked since the March 7 parliamentary elections. Tehran wants a powerful Shiite bloc to rule Iraq, rather than the Sunni-aligned bloc that actually won the election. During his visit, Larijani is expected to meet with leaders of the various Iraqi factions. Al-Rafidayn says that “While Suleimani operated behind the curtain, Larijani will pursue Iran’s demand toward the two Shia parties more forcefully, and in public. Iran hopes to succeed where the U.S. and Vice President Joe Biden have failed.”
Meanwhile, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said in a press conference on Tuesday that Iranian-trained Shiite fighters in Iraq pose an increased threat to American soldiers in Iraq as the U.S. draws down its forces there. Gen. Ray Odierno drew attention to the “very consistent threat from Iranian surrogates,” specifically referring to the Kataib Hezbollah militia trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. General Odierno said the Iranian threat to U.S. forces has increased as Tehran seeks to boost its political and economic influence in Iraq in the face of a decreasing U.S. military presence. Iran’s influence in Iraq continues to grow across the board—and there is little the United States can do about it.
The discovery of natural gas off the coast of Israel in early June could be the pretext for the next Middle East war, says Gal Luft, executive director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, writing for the Washington Times. Days after the discovery was announced, Hezbollah claimed that the natural gas field extended into Lebanese waters and that it would not allow Israel to “loot” Lebanese gas resources. The discovery not only gives Hezbollah another anti-Israel cause, but also a justification for holding onto its arms. Luft writes that even other Lebanese politicians recognize Hezbollah’s place in defending Lebanon. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt recently said that Hezbollah’s “weapons are important to defend the oil in the Sea of Lebanon and national resources in the country.” Last month, on the 10th anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah talked about the terrorist group’s maritime capabilities, saying it is ready to “wipe out Israel’s navy.” Luft reports that Hezbollah already has an Iranian-trained navy commando and submarine units. Once Israel begins drilling for the gas, the infrastructure will provide soft targets for Hezbollah to attack.
Europe
France’s national assembly voted to ban face-covering veils, such as the burka, on July 13. Only one person voted against the proposal. The bill will probably be approved by the senate in September. However, even then, it may not become law: France’s Council of State or the European Court of Human Rights may rule that it is unconstitutional. Women who wear the veil could face a $180 fine or be forced to attend French citizenship classes. Anyone caught forcing someone to wear a burka could be fined $38,000 and spend one year in prison. Belgium passed a similar law earlier this year, as the backlash against Islam grows in Europe.
The European Union is seeking to gain more powers at the United Nations. EU countries have agreed to propose a resolution that would give the EU speaking rights at the UN General Assembly, according to a ministerial letter sent to British members of Parliament on July 14. Under the proposal, the EU would still be an observer at the UN, but it would have the same right as member nations to submit proposals and amendments, to circulate amendments, to reply, etc. The EU president would be able to address the UN chamber in the same way as a head of state. In 2007, Deputy UN General Secretary Mark Malloch Brown said the EU would eventually take over the UK’s seat in the Security Council. “It is not going to happen with a flash and a bang,” he said, though he added that he hoped “it will happen as quickly as possible.”
Asia
On July 12, China’s premier credit rating agency stripped America of its AAA status. Dagong Global Credit Rating Co. used its first foray into sovereign debt to draw an all-too-real picture of economic realities around the world, giving much greater weight to “wealth-creating capacity” and foreign reserves than Fitch, Standard & Poor’s, or Moody’s. The ratings agency downgraded the U.S. to AA, while Britain and France slipped down to AA-. Belgium, Spain and Italy are ranked at A-, along with Malaysia. Meanwhile, Dagong raised China to AA+ with Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Singapore, along with resource-exporting heavyweights Australia and New Zealand, have the coveted AAA. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, chief of the International Monetary Fund, agreed on Monday that the rising East is a transforming global force. “Asia’s time has come,” he said. Chinese President Hu Jintao said in April that the world needs “an objective, fair and reasonable standard” for rating sovereign debt. “The reason for the global financial crisis and debt crisis in Europe is that the current international credit rating system does not correctly reveal the debtor’s repayment ability,” said Guan Jianzhong, Dagong’s chairman.
Benigno Aquino iii was inaugurated as the 15th president of the Philippines on June 30. The Digital Journalcalled him a “symbol of hope” for downhearted Filipinos in search of a new Philippines. The hope and change promised by Aquino is drawing comparisons to U.S. President Barack Obama. A “lot of promises … were mentioned,” said the Journal, but what made his first speech so “persuasive” and “powerful” was perhaps his “sincerity.”
Latin America/Africa
Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez picked a fight with the Vatican this week. The South American strongman ordered a review of Venezuela’s ties with the Catholic Church amid growing tension between his administration and bishops within the country. An accord with the Vatican gives privileges to the Catholic Church not enjoyed by other churches. Chávez challenged the pope’s authority, saying Benedict was the Vatican’s head of state but not Christ’s emissary on Earth. The leader of the Venezuelan Catholic Church, Cardinal Jorge Urosa, has been publicly critical of the Chávez government, most recently decrying the authorities’ handling of a corruption scandal over spoiled food. Chávez has accused church leaders, whom he has labeled as “troglodytes” and “cavemen,” of siding with the opposition. He said they should stay out of politics and stop trying to instill fear in people by calling him a Marxist. Chávez may be starting a fight he cannot win in the long run.
Somali Islamists linked to al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for two bombs that ripped through crowds watching the World Cup final in Uganda last Sunday, killing at least 74 people. “We will carry out attacks against our enemy wherever they are,” said Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, a militant spokesman in Mogadishu. “No one will deter us from performing our Islamic duty.”
This week, Zimbabwe won a crucial initial judgment from the Kimberley Process Monitoring Committee. The organization provides certification for diamonds to ensure they are not “conflict” or “blood” diamonds. In September, Zimbabwe will be allowed two shipments. The Zimbabwe government is said to have $1.7 billion worth of rough stones. For a $4.4 billion economy, complete certification would be the salvation for dictator Robert Mugabe and his zanu-pf party. Critics fighting the ruling highlight Mugabe’s bloody seizure of the Marange diamond fields and say the money will only prop up a lawless and unaccountable regime that has plundered and now destroyed one of the most prosperous countries on the continent.
Anglo-America
The Financial Times reported Tuesday that control of Congress could change during this year’s midterm elections. Analysts and officials, including White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, have admitted that Democrats could lose control of the House of Representatives. It now appears they might also lose control of the Senate.
American politicians are fighting British businessmen on Capitol Hill. American lawmakers are not only roasting oil company BP and its leadership for the Deepwater Horizon disaster and its continuing failure to cap the blown-out well leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico, but they are also questioning whether BP should have any business in the U.S. at all. A proposal circulating in the House of Representatives would block BP from obtaining future drilling permits in American territory due to its poor safety record. Bloomberg reports that BP is trying to sell up to $10 billion in assets to try to cope with its financial situation.
On Thursday, real-estate data company RealtyTrac claimed that banks repossessed a record number of American homes during the second quarter of this year. According to the company, the 269,962 properties repossessed marked a 38 percent spike over the same period last year. Total repossessions for 2010 will likely top 1 million, Reuters said.
More ugly truths about America’s financial system surfaced this week, with bailed-out insurer aig admitting that it counted as much as $2.3 billion of repossessions as sales, and troubled bank Citigroup saying it misclassified $9.2 billion of its repossessions.
On Thursday, a federal appeals court upheld same-sex “marriages” in the District of Columbia, rejecting an effort to put the issue before city voters. According to the Washington Times, the D.C. Superior Court upheld an earlier ruling that a referendum on same-sex marriage would violate the city’s Human Rights Act.
