Daily News Brief

August 6, 2024

Top of the Agenda

Several U.S. service members were hurt in a suspected rocket attack yesterday on the main base hosting U.S. forces in Iraq, unnamed U.S. officials told multiple news outlets. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the incident “marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region,” according to a Pentagon summary of his call with his Israeli counterpart. It was not immediately clear how many people were wounded. While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, it resembled others carried out by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and comes as diplomats work to contain broader escalation between Israel and Iran in the Middle East.

U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East had come under attack at least 165 times between the start of the Israel-Hamas war and the end of January 2024, when a drone strike killed three U.S. troops stationed in Jordan. Washington authorized limited retaliatory strikes in response at the time, and the attacks had since decreased in intensity. Today, Iraq’s military condemned “reckless” actions against bases on its soil. (WaPo, FT, Reuters)  

Analysis

“There is a very substantial residual American presence in the [Middle East], which might have come as a surprise to many, but that's been a longstanding one,” CFR Senior Fellow Ray Takeyh tells The President’s Inbox podcast. “There are people that probably do want those assets redeployed to the Asia Pacific frontier, but that's going to be a difficult case to make at the time when the region is so turbulent and the American presence is required if for nothing else but to give some confidence to its allies from which it may be asking for some substantial sacrifices.”

“The U.S. has moved additional military assets, including warships and fighter jets, to the region to help defend Israel and in a show of deterrence. But there is a risk that its forces are sucked into combat,” the Financial Times’ Andrew England and Felicia Schwartz write. 

U.S. Campaign 2024

Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, multiple unnamed sources told media ahead of a public announcement. Harris is expected to campaign with her pick at a Philadelphia event later today. (CNN, AP)

Sub-Saharan Africa

U.S. troops have left an air base in Niger that previously monitored Islamist militant groups. They withdrew from another base last month as part of a drawdown of U.S. forces that is due to be complete by September 15. Niger ordered nearly one thousand U.S. military personnel to leave the country following a coup last year. (Reuters) 

Mali/Ukraine: Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine, saying Kyiv was involved in a rebel group’s attacks on Malian and Russian soldiers last month. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it “resolutely rejects” the accusations and that no evidence was provided to support them. (WaPo)

Pacific Rim

Following its two worst sell-offs Friday and yesterday, Japan’s benchmark stock index Nikkei rose more than 10 percent today. Concerns over U.S. economic data had been part of the backdrop to a global sell-off, though some worries were offset by U.S. service sector data released yesterday. (Nikkei) 

North Korea: Pyongyang held a ceremony over the weekend to mark the transfer of 250 new tactical missile launchers to frontline units, North Korean state media reported yesterday. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said “we would encourage North Korea to discontinue taking provocative and unproductive steps and return to the negotiating table.” (Yonhap)

South and Central Asia

Today’s move sets the stage for new elections following the resignation yesterday of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister. President Mohammed Shahabuddin also ordered opposition leader Khaleda Zia released from house arrest and said that many people detained in the protests of the last few weeks would be released. (AP, Dhaka Tribune) 

For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert Joshua Kurlantzick unpacks what’s next for Bangladesh.

Myanmar: The ruling junta announced yesterday that it lost contact with a regional military headquarters in the city of Lashio near the border with China, acknowledging it was taken over by rebels. There are only fourteen such regional command centers in the country. (NYT)

Middle East and North Africa

The United Nations announced it fired nine employees from its agency for Palestinian refugees yesterday following an internal probe that found they could have been involved in Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. The United Nations did not give details of the evidence that led to the decision. Investigators found “insufficient” evidence to support Israel’s charges against another nine staffers and “no evidence” against one, a UN spokesperson said. Israel’s January statement that some UN staffers had been involved in the attack led several donor countries to suspend funding to the agency. All but the United States have since resumed support. (AP, WaPo)

This In Brief by CFR’s Christina Bouri explains the Palestinian aid controversy and what’s at stake. 

Europe

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that rioters targeting Muslim communities in the United Kingdom (UK) would face the “full force of the law” in an address yesterday. Police said they have detained 378 people since unrest was triggered after the fatal stabbing of three young girls last week. (Reuters)

Iran/Russia: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu that Tehran seeks to expand relations with Russia, Iranian state media reported. Shoigu arrived in Iran yesterday for talks with senior officials as tensions mount between Iran and Israel. (Reuters, Bloomberg)

This Expert Brief by CFR Senior Fellow Ray Takeyh looks at what could change under Iran’s new leadership. 

Americas

The Colombian government allowed a six-month cease-fire with the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group to expire and pledged to restart offensive operations, Colombia’s defense minister said yesterday. Peace talks to resolve the six-decade conflict had been faltering as the ELN announced an end to its moratorium on kidnappings. (Reuters)

On The President’s Inbox podcast, CFR expert Will Freeman discusses Latin America’s crime surge. 

Venezuela: The country’s top prosecutor opened a criminal probe into opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia and opposition leader María Corina Machado yesterday after they called on the armed forces to abandon the government’s claim it won the election. (AP)

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