Morning Brief, Wednesday, August 1
Middle East HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty Images In a victory for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister pledged that his country will do more to support the Iraqi government. After a tough three months, only 74 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq during July. That number may go up as more reports come ...
Middle East
Middle East
In a victory for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister pledged that his country will do more to support the Iraqi government.
After a tough three months, only 74 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq during July. That number may go up as more reports come in, but the total should still be the lowest death toll since November 2006. Gen. Ray Odierno says it’s too early to tell if there’s a trend, but Vice President Dick Cheney is ready to declare the surge a success.
U.S. Senators grilled the nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding the Iraq war.
Asia
A massive outbreak of dengue fever is plaguing Cambodia and other parts of southeast Asia. The good news for Cambodia: Someone has finally been held accountable for the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge.
Japan’s minister of agriculture fell on his sword following an accounting scandal and a related electoral disaster for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
This just in: China is full of fake Harry Potter books.
Europe
Belarus allegedly didn’t pay its bills, so Gazprom is cutting off the country’s gas supplies (again).
Struggling with a shaky coalition, Poland’s president is calling for early elections.
Eastern European countries are filing suit over EU emissions quotas that they say will damage their economies.
Spain’s Canary Islands are on fire.
Elsewhere
It’s official: Rupert Murdoch will soon be the proud owner of Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, to the boos of the WSJ newsroom. Find out what the world’s most controversial media tycoon’s strategy might be in this recent Seven Questions with Fortune‘s top Murdoch-watcher.
The U.N. Security Council voted to authorize the deployment of 26,000 peacekeeping troops to Darfur.
The U.S. Congress moved to change its ethics rules, but the New York Times offers reasons to be skeptical of the overhaul.
Today’s Agenda
- Two Russian ships are expected to plant a Russian flag at the North Pole today in order to claim the territory on behalf of their mother country.
- It’s the 80th anniversary of China’s People’s Liberation Army. Today’s message from the Communist Party: Hu Jintao is definitely the commander in chief.
Yesterday on Passport
More from Foreign Policy
The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
Presidents, officials, and candidates tend to fall into six camps that don’t follow party lines.
What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?
Ukrainians differ on what would keep their nation safe from Russia.
The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat
Today, there are more terror groups in existence, in more countries around the world, and with more territory under their control than ever before.
Blue Hawk Down
Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment will shape the future of Congress’s foreign policy.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.