Morning Brief, Monday, December 17

Middle East

Ayman al-Zawahiri is back with a new tape, in which the al Qaeda deputy denounces Sunni “traitors” for working with the U.S. military in Iraq.

Welcome to Najaf, the new center of Shiite power.

Iraqi government spokesman: U.S. troops will need to stay in Iraq for 10 years.

U.S. officials in Iraq deny giving Turkey explicit permission to carry out Sunday’s airstrikes against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Asia

As promised, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf lifted the state of emergency Saturday.

Trends in Afghanistan have top U.S. and NATO officials deeply worried.

Seeking to professionalize its military, China is recruiting more college students to become soldiers.

South Korea’s election: It’s the economy, stupid.

Europe

Italy’s finance minister warned that Europe will suffer from a U.S. economic slowdown.

Russia sent nuclear fuel to Iran for the first time.

Russia is sending a growing number of Muslim pilgrims to perform the hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Elsewhere

Get ready for the second wave of food inflation.

Free trade zones are facilitating the flow of counterfeit drugs.

The White House is sending mixed signals over the climate-change roadmap that U.S. negotiators agreed upon in Bali.

Today’s Agenda

• The hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage, is getting underway in Mecca.
• Allies of South African President Thabo Mbeki are desperately trying to ensure that the radical Jacob Zuma does not become the ruling party’s designated successor.
• Ahead of a donor conference in Paris, former British PM Tony Blair says he has lined up $5.6 billion in pledges to the Palestinian Authority for the next three years.
• Lebanon’s parliament is supposed to pick a new president.