Morning Brief, Monday, August 20

Middle East

The “surge” in Iraq is failing, according to over half of the more than 100 top foreign-policy experts surveyed by FP and the Center for American Progress for the Sep./Oct. 2007 Terrorism Index.

Under a new policy, Israel began sending illegal Sudanese immigrants back across the border to Egypt. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fired dozens of Hamas holdovers who had remained civil servants in his government. 

Europe

France’s foreign minister was in Baghdad Sunday “to express a French message of solidarity with the Iraqi people”.

Some British mosques are holding citizenship classes in an effort to ward off extremism.

Greece’s prime minister is calling for snap elections. 

Asia

Kazakhstan’s autocratic ruler entrenched his power following this weekend’s parliamentary elections. 

Asia stock markets bounced back after last week’s selling frenzy. 

Voters in Thailand gave tepid endorsement to a new, military-backed constitution. 

Elsewhere 

Hurricane Dean struck Jamaica and is heading north toward Mexico. 

The debate over Ben Bernanke’s performance begins. Rookie mistakes?

Misha Glenny for the Washington Post: “The ‘War on Drugs’ is defeating the “‘war on terror.'”

This just in: U.S. President George W. Bush is having trouble enacting his “freedom agenda”. 

Today’s Agenda 

• President Bush heads north to Ottawa for meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
• Iranian officials resume talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• Turkey’s recently elected parliament votes to elect a new president—most likely Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.