Morning Brief, Monday, November 27

The Middle East Israeli PM Ehud Olmert today made a dramatic speech, in which he promised to evacuate settlements and occupied lands in exchange for peace with the Palestinians. A Gaza cease-fire negotiated Saturday gets off to a shaky start.  Iraqi PM Maliki has a new strategy: Blame politicians for the violence in Iraq.  Lebanon ...

605974_Olmert5.jpg
605974_Olmert5.jpg

The Middle East

The Middle East

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert today made a dramatic speech, in which he promised to evacuate settlements and occupied lands in exchange for peace with the Palestinians. A Gaza cease-fire negotiated Saturday gets off to a shaky start

Iraqi PM Maliki has a new strategy: Blame politicians for the violence in Iraq. 

Lebanon teeters on the edge of civil conflict. A military plane crashes in Tehran. And the Iraq Study Group today begins debate on diplomatic overtures to Iran and Syria and whether a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq should be recommended.

Europe

EU talks with Turkey break down, and thousands demonstrate in Ankara in protest of the pope’s scheduled visit to Turkey this week. 

Both the NYT and the WSJ run editorials denouncing Putin’s reaction to the death by poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in a London hospital.

Elections in Latin America

Leftist candidate Rafael Correa leads the vote in Ecuador. Candidates in Venezuela hold their final rallies ahead of Sunday’s presidential vote, widely expected to go to incumbent Hugo Chavez.

Elsewhere

A suicide bomber kills 15 in Afghanistan. 

Wal-Mart looks set to join the Indian market, after negotiating a joint agreement with India’s Bharti Enterprises. 

Tensions rise in Chad as government troops deploy around the capital. A UN helicopter fires on dissident troops in DRC.

And Gordon Brown and Hank Paulson make the case for free trade

Carolyn O'Hara is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.

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