USA
U.S., China: Anti-Satellite Missile Dispute Leaked February 2, 2011
The United States warned of military action if China continued strikes on its own satellites, according to leaked cables found on WikiLeaks, The Telegraph reported Feb. 3. The warning said any purposeful interference with U.S. space systems will be interpreted as an infringement of its rights and will defend its space systems with a range of options, from diplomatic to military, the cable said. The Chinese assistant foreign minister complained that U.S. missile defense systems were offensive because of the lasers it uses to attack missiles over the sovereign territory of the launching country. A recent cable from the office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jan. 2010 said U.S. intelligence detected a Chinese anti-satellite missile test, linked to previous space strikes.
EUROPE
Germany: Missile Defense Network To Be Discussed At Conference January 31, 2011
The establishment of a joint Russia-NATO ballistic missile defense network will be a key item on the agenda of the upcoming Munich Security Conference, conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said, RIA Novosti reported Jan. 31. The joint defense network is significant not only from a military standpoint, Ischinger said, but also because it assists in the formation of political trust. A working group in the framework of the conference was set up to focus on the issue, which Ischinger said is crucial for future strategic arms reductions
Dispatch: The Muslim Brotherhood's Strategies in Egypt and Jordan
ASIA
North Korea: Hovercraft Base Detected On West Coast February 1, 2011
North Korea is construting a military base for combat hovercrafts 50-60 kilometers from South Korea’s Baeknyeong Island in the West Sea, according to a South Korean source, citing U.S. intelligence from 2010 that detected construction work for the base in the Koampo area in Hwanghae province, Chosun Ilbo reported Feb. 2. The base can accommodate up to 70 hovercrafts, the source said.
China: ASEAN Trade Up 37.5 Percent February 2, 2011
China’s trade with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members increased 37.5 percent year-on-year in 2010, becoming the top trade partner and export destination for Japan, South Korea, ASEAN, Australia and South Africa, Xinhua reported Feb. 2, citing Ministry of Commerce data. Chinese trade with Brazil grew 47.5 percent, 43.1 percent with Russia, 59.5 percent with South Africa, 30.2 percent with Japan and 42.4 percent with India. China is the second largest trade partner with the European Union, with trade increasing 31.8 percent. China is the second largest business partner and third largest export destination for the United States where trade increased 29.2 percent. The European Union, the United States and Japan remained China’s top trade partners in 2010 and trade increased with the EU 31.8 percent. China’s imports and exports totaled $2.97 trillion in 2010, up 34.7 percent year-on-year
RUSSIA
Russia: Military Wages, Number Of Officers To Be Increased February 2, 2011
Russia will nearly double the wages of military personnel and will increase the number of military officers, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said, AP reported Feb. 2. Serdyukov said that an army liutenant will receive a monthly wage of 50,000 rubles (about $1,700) after the wage increase and that the armed forces will now need 70,000 more officers because of the plans to form additional units. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said that police and other law-enforcement agencies will also get wage increases starting in January 2012.
Russia: 4 Injured In Multiple Explosions February 2, 2011
At least four people are injured following three separate explosions and another defused bomb in Russia’s North Caucasus Dagestan republic, Interfax reported Feb. 2. According to a source in the republic’s Interior Ministry, unknown individuals threw an unidentified explosive device into a shop in Dagestani city of Kizlyar, injuring four. A pub was also attacked in Kizlyar on Feb. 1, but the establishment was closed at the time and no injuries reported. An unknown person threw a handmade explosive device into the private café Maydan in Kizlyar, no injuries reported, according to a law enforcement source. Another bomb was found under a handmade placard at the roadside between the villages of Dugulubgev and Chegem-2 in Kabarda-Balkaria. Bomb technicians disarmed the explosive device, and reports indicate “Imarat Kavkaz” (Caucasus Emirate) was written on the placard.
EGYPT
A Possible Food Crisis in Egypt | STRATFOR
Egypt: 3 Killed, 639 Wounded In Clashes February 2, 2011
Egyptian Health Minister Ahmad Farid said three people died and 639 were injured in conflicts Feb. 2 between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s supporters and opponents in Cairo, Al Misriyah reported. The statement contradicts an earlier report in Lebanese newspaper Almustaqbal citing security officials that said 30 bodies had been found in Tahrir Square on Feb. 2.
Egypt: MB, NAC Will Not Join Talks With Regime - MB Official February 2, 2011
Former Muslim Brotherhood (MB) lawmaker Mohammed al-Beltagi said the MB, the National Association for Change (NAC) and the protesters would stand by their decision to refuse talks with the regime until Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported Feb. 2. The opposition parties that agreed to talks, including the Wafd and Tagammu parties, only represent themselves, not the people, al-Beltagi said. The recent violence in Tahrir Square marks Mubarak’s last effort to retain power, al-Beltagi said, adding that Mubarak was forcing people to choose between losing their lives or keeping him for 10 months.
IRAN
Afghanistan: Iran Lifts Fuel Restriction February 1, 2011
Iran lifted all restrictions on fuel supplies to Afghanistan in response to the Afghan government’s declaration it will not provide fuel to North Atlantic Treaty Organization soldiers stationed in the country, Press TV reported Feb. 2. Kabul wants to maintain friendly relations with Tehran, Afghan ambassador to Iran Obaidullah Obaid stated.
IRAQ
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ISRAEL
Dispatch: Israeli National Security and the Egyptian Crisis
Israel: Airstrike On Egypt-Gaza Border Tunnel February 2, 2011
An Israeli F-16 launched a missile Feb. 2 at a smuggling tunnel underneath the Egypt-Gaza border, KUNA reported, citing unnamed Palestinian sources. The tunnel was in the Al-Jaradat district east of the Rafah crossing. No one was injured by the blast, according to the sources.
Israel: Iran Seeks 'Another Gaza' In Egypt - PM February 2, 2011
Iran wants to exploit chaos in Egypt to create “another Gaza,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, AP reported Feb. 2. Netanyahu told Israel’s parliament that he expects the next Egyptian government to abide by its peace treaty with the country. He warned, however, that Islamic groups took power through democracy in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza. Netanyahu urged the Palestinians to use the regional changes as a chance to restart peace talks. According to BBC, Netanyahu also cautioned that Egypt’s unrest could destabilize the region “for many years.”
Israel: Airstrike On Egypt-Gaza Border Tunnel February 2, 2011
An Israeli F-16 launched a missile Feb. 2 at a smuggling tunnel underneath the Egypt-Gaza border, KUNA reported, citing unnamed Palestinian sources. The tunnel was in the Al-Jaradat district east of the Rafah crossing. No one was injured by the blast, according to the sources.
AFGHANISTAN
A Week in the War: Afghanistan, Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2011 | STRATFOR
Afghanistan: New Zealand Extends Deployment For Half Of Troops February 1, 2011
New Zealand will extend the deployment of its elite special forces in Afghanistan to 2012 but only about 35 personnel will be deployed, compared to about 70 currently deployed, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said, Reuters reported Feb. 1. The current deployment ends March 2011 with the stay extended another 12 months to April 2012. The Special Air Squadron will continue its focus on training Afghan forces and complete its work with a special crisis unit.
Kyrgyzstan: Parliament Approves U.S. Air Base Fuel Supplies February 2, 2011
A Kyrgyz parliamentary committee for international affairs approved a Kyrgyz-U.S. intergovernmental agreement to supply jet fuel to the U.S. Transit Center at the Manas airport in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Interfax reported Feb. 2
Afghanistan: Taliban To Focus On Assassinations - U.S. General February 1, 2011
The No. 2 American general in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, has predicted that the Taliban will focus more in the spring on assassinating Afghan political leaders in an attempt to hamper support for the government, AP reported Feb. 1.Dispatch: The Muslim Brotherhood's Strategies in Egypt and Jordan
MIDDLE EAST
Dispatch: The Muslim Brotherhood's Strategies in Egypt and Jordan
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Brazil: Energy, Trade Deals With Argentina Signed January 31, 2011
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, while in Argentina on Jan. 31, signed energy and trade cooperation agreements with her Argentine counterpart, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Reuters reported. The two countries made an agreement to accelerate plans to build two hydroelectric dams on part of the Uruguay River. Agreements were also made to build two nuclear reactors for investigation purposes and to exchange information regarding biofuels. The countries also agreed to create a commission that will facilitate the joint selling of Argentine and Brazilian goods throughout the world, La Nacion reported. Each president expressed interest in deepening production integration, and Rousseff expressed interest in attracting Argentine investments in Brazil’s oil industry.
U.S.: Treasury Places Special Designation On Los Gueros Organization
February 1, 2011
The U.S. Treasury Department on Feb. 1 designated Los Gueros, a Mexican drug trafficking organization that is part of the Sinaloa Federation, as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker, according to a statement released by the department. The designation targets key figures of both groups, including brothers Luis Rodriguez Olivera and Esteban Rodriguez Olivera of the Sinaloa Federation, as well as their brothers in Los Gueros, Daniel Rodriguez Olivera and Miguel Rodriguez Olivera.
Mexico: Arrest Made In Killings Of Tourists February 1, 2011
Federal police in Mexico’s Acapulco, Guerrero state, arrested on Jan. 31 Miguel Lopez Vasquez, the suspected chief of gunmen from the Independent Cartel of Acapulco, for his alleged involvement in the murders of 20 Michoacan state tourists in September 2010 and 15 decapitations in Acapulco in January.
MISC
Above the Tearline: Super Bowl Security | STRATFOR
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