Morning Brief: Russia lashes out at NATO

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Russia scoffed at NATO’s warning Tuesday of the end of “business as usual,” accusing the alliance of bias and ripping the “criminal regime” in Georgia. NATO did not specify what punishments might ensue if Russia doesn’t comply with its requests.

The Kremlin did promise to withdraw troops by Friday, though Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) cautions in a Wall Street Journal op-ed this morning that this will happen only if “the parties to the conflict cooperate in good faith” (i.e. Georgia). Russia has also nixed a U.N. Security Council resolution on the matter.

Already, Russia appears to be annexing Georgian territory on behalf of South Ossetia and there are troubling reports of ethnic cleansing on both sides. Abkhazia, meanwhile, plans to call anew for independence.

The WSJ looks at what Russian’s allies have said about the war.

Decision ’08

Barack Obama is going on the attack. Speaking before the VFW convention in Florida Tuesday, he slammed John McCain’s judgment on national security and declared, “I will let no one question my love of this country.”

McCain, landing on an oil and gas rig off the coast of Louisiana, renewed his call for more offshore drilling.

The two candidates are tied in the polls; veep speculation has gone to eleven.

Global Economy

All eyes are on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as investors shy away from purchasing the mortgage giants’ debt. Is a federal bailout inevitable?

U.S. inflation is growing at the fastest pace since 1981.

The United Nations warns of rising “food neocolonialism.”

Americas

Anti-government demonstrations in Bolivia’s business capital turned violent when protestors clashed with supporters of President Evo Morales.

New technology is allowing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compile data on citizens’ border crossings that will be stored for 15 years.

Asia

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is visiting Afghanistan after the deadliest attack on French forces abroad since 1983. Taliban attacks are getting bolder in general.

Nawaz Sharif, angered over the fate of Supreme Court judges, threatened to pull his Pakistan Muslim League-N party out of the ruling coalition in Islamabad; a bombing killed at least 26 people in the tribal areas.

Kim Jong Il reportedly wants the Gumball Rally, a 3,000-mile international car race, to include the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.

Middle East and Africa

Fresh car bomb attacks in Algeria killed 11 people, a day after an attack on a police academy killed 43.

Deal or no deal, Zimbabwe’s parliament will convene next week.

Zambia’s widely respected president died Tuesday at the age of 59.

Europe

Radovan Karadzic claims the judge in his U.N. war-crimes trial is prejudiced against him.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice inked the missile-defense deal with Poland.

Today’s Agenda

John Githongo, Kenya’s former anti-corruption czar (whom we interviewed in February), is heading home after three years of exile.

BP will begin testing the BTC pipeline.

U.S. President George W. Bush travels to New Orleans and Mississippi for the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Barack Obama might announce his running mate. Or not. It might be Biden. Or not.

Obama is in Virginia today, while McCain is campaigning in New Mexico. McCain’s chief Senate allies, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsay Graham, have flown to Georgia.