Morning Brief

Monday, December 30, 2013

Al Qaeda Not Involved in Benghazi Attack Top News: The attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi that led to the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans was not planned by Al Qaeda, but was coordinated by local militias and fueled by anger over a video that mocked Islam. According to an investigation by the New York Times, the U.S. wrongly emphasized threats from international terrorist organizations over volatility among local Libyan militias, and relied too heavily on supposed allies to give warning of possible attacks. Analysts also missed signs of building unrest in the days before the attack. The prime suspect in the attack, which hit both the diplomatic mission and the CIA annex, is Ahmed Abu Khattala, an eccentric local militia leader who had been critical of U.S. interests in Libya. Efforts to arrest Khattala have been frustrated by other militia leaders, some of whom are friendly to the U.S., closing ranks around him. The investigation reveals that neither of the two dominant narratives that emerged after the attack last Sept. 11 captured how events transpired: there was no international plot, but the attack wasn't entirely spontaneous. Rather, there were simmering threats that were misread or ignored, and a misunderstanding of the dangers posed by local strongmen. Russia: Two suicide bombings rocked the Russian city of Volgograd on Sunday and Monday, killing at least 32 and wounding dozens. The attacks raise fears that Islamic extremists from the Caucuses might pose a significant threat to the upcoming Olympic games in Sochi, on the Black Sea, which begin in six weeks. The attacks targeted a train station and a trolley bus, and follow an October suicide attack in the city in which six people were killed on a bus. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to bolster security at railway stations and airports, and has promised adequate security at the games. Asia Australian and Chinese icebreakers failed to free a Russian science vessel trapped in the Antarctic ice. The situation in Afghanistan will significantly deteriorate after U.S. drawdown even if the two countries sign the security pact they've been negotiating, according to a new intelligence estimate. China has ordered Communist Party officials not to smoke in public, and to "lead by example," while asking others to do the same, in a renewed effort to ban public smoking. Africa East African regional leaders claim that progress has been made on a peace deal in South Sudan, though fighting continues. A remote-triggered bomb detonated in a restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, killed 10 people. The Democratic Republic of the Congo's army repelled an "unknown armed terrorist group" that attacked the state TV headquarters, the international airport, and a military base. Europe A recent $90 million dollar deal between Russia and Syria to begin exploring the latter's offshore oil reserves is just the beginning of Putin's interest in exploiting the Middle East's offshore potential. In Greece, the residence of the German ambassador was sprayed with automatic gunfire. The government claimed the attack was meant to damage Greece's image before it assumed the European Union presidency. Thousands of protestors have returned to the streets of Kiev after a prominent Ukrainian journalist was attacked on Christmas day. Middle East The Lebanese military fired on two Syrian warplanes that violated its airspace. A team of journalists working for Al Jazeera was arrested in Cairo after meeting with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was declared a terrorist organization last week. The government claims they aired "false news" and "damaged national security." "Barrel bombs" dropped from Syrian government aircraft have killed 517 in the city of Aleppo since Dec. 15, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Americas A military style attack on a California power station has called into question the physical security of the U.S. power grid. El Salvador's Chaparrastique volcano erupted on Sunday for the first time in 37 years, prompting thousands to evacuate, and disrupting air travel. The Colombian air force killed 10 members of the FARC rebel group in a bombing raid. The FARC announced a unilateral ceasefire from Dec. 15. -By Thomas Stackpole ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP/GettyImages The Latest from FP A 'Narrowing Path' for China's Scholars - By Yiqin Fu The Stories You Missed in 2013 - By Ty McCormick Putin's Mediterranean Move - By Keith Johnson China's Angry Spirits - By Liz Carter Spirited Away - By Isaac Stone Fish FP Passport Blog | ForeignPolicy.com | Subscribe to FP | Feedback | About FP FOREIGN POLICY | 11 DUPONT CIRCLE NW, SUITE 600 | WASHINGTON, DC 20036 © 2013 The FP Group. FOREIGN POLICY is published by the FP Group, a division of the Washington Post Company.

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