USA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
EUROPE
Dispatch: U.S. Airmen Shot in Germany | STRATFOR
ASIA
Japan: Japan Should Be Nuclear Armed - Tokyo Mayor March 8, 2011
“All our enemies, China, North Korea and Russia - all close neighbors - have nuclear weapons,” Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said, adding, Japan should develop nuclear weapons and sell them abroad, The Independent reported March 8. Diplomatic bargaining power means nuclear weapons and China would not have “lay a hand” on the Senkakus if Japan did not have nuclear weapons.” Ishihara said. Japan would have gained respect from Russia if it was nuclear armed, Ishihara stated.
South Korea: Chinese Hackers Accessed Defense Drone Plan March 7, 2011
China launched a hacking attack on the South Korean Defense Ministry’s computer system and obtained confidential information about the ministry’s plan to buy the U.S.-made Global Hawk reconnaissance drone, Chosun reported March 7. A spokesman for National Assembly’s Defense Committee Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Hak Yong said South Korea is weighing its options in the matter and has not contacted China yet. According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security data submitted to Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Sung Hun, more than 20,000 hacking attempts occur on South Korean government computer systems every year, most of them from China.
RUSSIA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
IRAN
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
IRAQ
Iraq: Attempted Bombing At Largest Oil Refinery Foiled March 8, 2011
Iraqi security forces on March 8 foiled an attempt to bomb the Baiji oil refinery in the northern Iraqi town of Baiji, Reuters reported. The explosive device was discovered inside a storage tank at the refinery, Iraq’s largest, and was defused, according to a police source. A provincial spokesman confirmed the incident, saying the device was found early in the morning.
ISRAEL
Israel: Additional $20 Billion For Defense Could Be Requested From U.S. March 8, 2011
Israel may seek an additional $20 billion in U.S. military aid to manage potential threats stemming from upheavals in the Arab world, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, The Wall Street Journal reported March 8. The uprisings are a “historical earthquake” and a move towards modernity for Arab societies, Barak said, adding, Israel shouldn’t fear change or risk offering concessions to achieve peace with the Palestinians. Israel worries that Egypt’s new leaders could be pressured to move away from the 1979 peace treaty, Barak said. A strong responsible Israel is as essential to Israel as it is to the United States, and Arab leaders were starting to “hedge their bets” on who is the stronger leader, Iran or the United States, before the uprisings.
Israel: Knesset Passes Citizenship Act March 7, 2011
The Israeli Knesset has passed a citizenship bill that allows the state to revoke the citizenship of individuals that were convicted of terror and espionage offences against Israel, Ynet reported March 7. A total of 26 Knesset members voted in favor of the bill, and 12 members voted against.
AFGHANISTAN
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
MIDDLE EAST
Dispatch: Saudi Arabia Focusing on Potential Domestic Unrest
Portfolio: Persian Gulf Oil | STRATFOR
Egypt: Christians Protest Over Church Burning March 7, 2011
About 5,000 Egyptian Christians and some Muslims gathered outside the state television building for a second day of protests late into the night March 7 after a church was set on fire outside Cairo, Reuters reported. Witnesses and a security source said the church in Helwan was torched as a result of an argument caused by a relationship between a Christian man and Muslim woman. The woman’s family fought among themselves, and two men were killed. Muslims from the woman’s village burned the church March 5.
Palestinian Territories: PNA Seeks Hamas' Removal From Terror Lists March 7, 2011
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is working toward removing Hamas from U.S. and EU terror organization lists in a move towards a joint Palestinian unity government, Palestinian official Nabil Shaath said March 7, The Jerusalem Post reported. Shaath, whose comments came after meeting in Cairo with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, said that he brought up the issue with a number of governments during his recent EU tour.
Oman's Sultan Looks to Contain Unrest, Smooth Eventual Succession | STRATFOR
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico: 18 Dead In Shoot Out, Cartels Enter Non-Aggression Pact - Source March 8, 2011
18 people were killed in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state on March 7 when two criminal groups in the Abasolo town center opened fire on each other, a government representative said, AFP reported March 8. Meanwhile, some cartels have entered a non-aggression pact, according to Marcos Carmona, aka “El Cabrito,” an alleged leader of the Zetas cartel in Oaxaca state, the Public Safety Ministry said. Carmona told authorities Los Zetas, run by former elite soldiers, have a non-aggression pact with Juarez, Tijuana and the Beltran Leyva brothers’ cartels.
Mexico: Suspected Cartel Of Acapulco Leader Arrested March 7, 2011
Mexican federal police have arrested suspected Independent Cartel of Acapulco head Benjamin Flores Reyes (aka El Padrino) and six other suspects in Acapulco, Guerrero state, on March 6, El Universal reported March 7. Flores Reyes reportedly controlled the distribution of drugs and managed the cartel’s lookout groups and allegedly reported directly to cartel chief Moises Montero Alvarez (aka El Koreano).
MISC
Intelligence Guidance: Week of March 6, 2011 | STRATFOR
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
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