USA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
EUROPE
Armed Assault in Liege, Belgium
Dispatch: Lone Wolf Attack in Belgium
Poland: Russia Discusses Missile Defense Plans December 6, 2011
Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov met with his Polish counterpart, Gen. Mieczyslaw Cieniuch, in Moscow on Dec. 6 to discuss anti-missile defense problems, issues related to Afghanistan and technical cooperation, PAP reported. The two leaders discussed the problems preventing defense building, including the anti-missile shield. Russia should take measures to respond to the potential dangers regarding missile defense, Cieniuch said. Russo-Polish relations have always been tense, but it is time to find common ground, Makarov said. Russia informed Poland of the steps it intends to take regarding its missile defense, Cieniuch said.
ASIA
China's Real Estate Dilemma
Dispatch: The Chinese Navy's Possible Port of Call in the Seychelles
South Korea, U.S.: Joint Submarine Drills To Be Conducted December 9, 2011
South Korea’s Navy and the United States will conduct submarine drills twice a year beginning in 2012 to strengthen their readiness against possible North Korean provocations, Yonhap reported Dec. 9.
AFRICA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
RUSSIA
Russia: Moscow Deploys Missile System In Chechnya December 14, 2011
Russia deployed a new missile system in the northern Russian republic of Chechnya, Lt. Col. Oleg Kochetkov said Dec. 14, RIA Novosti reported. Kochetkov added that the new system will improve missile defense coordination, track airborne targets and increase missile mobility and durability during battle
IRAN
Iran: Closing Strait Is A Defensive Option - Lawmaker December 14, 2011
Closing the Strait of Hormuz is one of Iran’s options to defend its territory and the waterway will be closed if Iran is attacked, Parviz Sorouri, a member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Dec. 14, Fars News Agency reported. The Iranian military will conduct drills in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to practice defending Iran, he said
Iran: Uranium Enrichment Facilities To Be Relocated December 14, 2011
Iran will relocate its uranium enrichment facilities to safer locations if needed, Director of Iran’s Passive Defense Organization Gholam Reza Jalali said, Mehr News Agency reported Dec. 14. Jalali said the United States and Israel would have already attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities if they were able, adding that Iran’s vulnerability on its nuclear sites is minimal, but the facilities can be relocated if required
Iran: Supreme Leader Orders Arrests Connected To Assassination Plot December 13, 2011
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the arrests of several prominent members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in connection with a suspected assassination plot against him, Jordan-based Al Bawaba reported Dec. 13. He ordered an investigation of those arrested, other IRGC members and also his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Sources said some of Khamenei’s bodyguards were also arrested and interrogated, and that those arrested had tried to convince Khamenei to visit western Tehran’s Mlard missile base Nov. 12. Khamenei was expected to attend a new missile launching ceremony there, the sources added.
Iran: Russia To Participate In Railway December 9, 2011
Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Ali Nikzad said Russia will participate in the construction of the Tehran-Rasht-Astara railway, Mehr News Agency reported Dec. 9. Nikzad said Iranian officials held negotiations to secure Russia’s cooperation in the railway expansion during their recent trip to Moscow, adding that he hopes the plan will be under way soon.
IRAQ
Iraq: Oil Pipeline Attacked December 13, 2011
Three explosive devices were detonated on a pipeline that carried crude oil from Iraq’s southern oilfields to the Zubair 1 storage tanks near Basra on Dec. 13, police said, Reuters reported. The successive blasts caused an enormous fire, and police checked other pipelines for additional explosive devices, the police said.
Iraq: U.S. To Sell More F-16 Fighter Jets December 13, 2011
U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration informed the U.S. Congress of its intent to sell Iraq a second group of 18 F-16 fighter jets, BBC reported Dec. 13, citing Al-Iraqiyah Television. The deal reflects Iraq’s determination to guarantee Iraqi security and independence, a U.S. National Security Council spokesman said.
ISRAEL
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: NATO To Leave Troops After Withdrawal December 13, 2011
NATO will leave around 15,000 troops in Afghanistan after the 2014 withdrawal of combat troops, NATO Chief of Staff in Europe Gen. Manfred Lange said Dec. 13, DPA reported. The exact number of troops depends on the degree of Western support for the Afghan army and police, Lange said. There will be no combat operations against the Taliban after 2014, Lange said, adding that he was confident the withdrawal would take place as planned.
MIDDLE EAST
Dispatch: U.S. Defense Secretary Visits Turkey
The Continued Stalemate in Syria
Agenda: With George Friedman on the Egyptian Elections
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico Security Memo: A Zetas Challenge to the Mexican Government
Colombia: Los Rastrojos Leader Captured December 13, 2011
Cali Metropolitan Police captured “Noro,” head of the Los Rastrojos criminal organization and one of the 20 most-wanted criminals in the Norte de Santander department of Colombia, in a crackdown on criminal gangs Dec. 13, El Espectador reported.
MISC
Geopolitical Calendar: Week of Dec. 12, 2011
Except where noted courtesy STRATFOR.COM
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