NightWatch
NightWatch is an internationally acclaimed nightly newsletter that tracks and assesses threats to US national security. It has an edgy, executive style unlike any other product of its kind.
KGS now offers NightWatch and a suite of related analytical products exclusively. The NightWatch archive on KGS includes editions not available anywhere else. It is fully indexed and searchable.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| NightWatch 20130521 | North Korea sent one of its most senior vice marshals as Kim Jong Un's special envoy to China. In Iraq only one attack was reported on 21 May. A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army said that the loss of al-Qusair to government and Hizballah forces would result in Syrian Shiites and Alawites being "wiped off the map." |
| NightWatch 20130516 | China announced the start of the annual fishing ban in the South China Sea and promised stronger enforcement. In Pakistan the vote count is not yet final, but it is clear that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz victory is large enough to enable the party to govern without a coalition. Nigeria is deploying some 2,000 troops to retake areas under Boko Haram jihadist control. France announced that it will keep 1,000 soldiers in Mali indefinitely to fight al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. |
| NightWatch 20130515 | North Korean media acknowledged the visit by a senior advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Abe. Abe said he is willing to hold a summit meeting with Kim Jong Un to discuss important issues. North Korea replied to South Korea's talks proposal by stating terms for talks on basic issues, but not Kaesong. On 25 May the Egyptian Shura will discuss the controversial law to retire thousands of judges, deemed obstacles to the government's programs. The Tunisian security forces are cracking down on ultraconservative Muslim groups, while troops pursue al-Qaida jihadists in the southern frontier. |
| NightWatch 20130514 | North Korea has received a high level emissary from Japan, the first foreign visitor this month. For the second time, South Korea has proposed talks on residual issues related to the Kaesong industrial complex. Nigerian President Jonathan has declared martial law in three northeastern states which are threatened by the jihadist terrorist group Boko Haram. Mali announced national elections will be held on 28 July. |
| NightWatch 20130513 | North Korea has replaced its Minister of the People's Armed Forces for the third time in a year, suggesting the senior military leadership is unsettled. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz dominated the general elections. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be the next prime minister, his third term in that office. |
| NightWatch 20130510 | Pakistani national elections are being held on 11 May. The Peshawar High Court ruled that US drone attacks in Pakistan are illegal and constitute a war crime. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov denied Russia is making new arms sales to Syria. US and UK embassies are reducing non-essential staff in Libya because of the security situation. Five suicide bombings in Mali demonstrated that the jihadists remain a threat. |
| NightWatch 20130509 | North Korean missiles have returned to storage as first reported. More Chinese banks reportedly have closed North Korean accounts and have ceased doing business with North Korea. The head of the Free Syrian Army admitted that his group is incapable of overthrowing the Asad government. The US has asked Russia to not sell an advanced air defense missile system to Syria. The leader of Lebanese Hezbollah said that Syria will supply Hezbollah with advanced weapons to use against Israel. |
| NightWatch 20130508 | There is no NightWatch commentary for the night of 8 May. |
| NightWatch 20130507 | Allied officials said North Korea has moved its deployed missiles on the east coast not necessarily stored them. The Bank of China has closed the account of North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank and terminated all funds transfers. Pakistani Taliban warned voters in Karachi to boycott Saturday's election or face death. Syria has dropped off the Internet for no apparent reason. Israel tried to reassure Syria that it has no plans to get involved in the fighting, but will restrict Hezbollah's access to arms. Egyptian President Mursi's cabinet shuffle increases the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. |
| NightWatch 20130506 | North Korea issued its first threat of retaliation of the month, in the event Allied training off the west coast violates North Korean territorial sovereignty. North Korea has terminated its high combat alert condition and returned ballistic missiles to storage. The standoff at 16,300 feet between small Chinese and Indian units in a disputed region of eastern Kashmir has ended. The political party of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif is leading the polls in the campaign for the 11 May elections. Security incidents in April in Afghanistan increased more than 70 percent over March, confirming the start of the Taliban offensive. Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel for its air attacks against Syria. |
| NightWatch 20130506 | North Korea announced that it has no plan to invite anyone from the US in connection with the sentence of Mr. Bae. The Israeli Air Force executed a second attack over the weekend. The second attack reportedly destroyed Iranian missiles meant for Hezbollah which were detected at Damascus airport. |
| NightWatch 20130503 | The last seven South Korean businessmen have returned to South Korea, having settled outstanding North Korean claims for payment at Kaesong industrial complex. US officials reported that Israeli combat aircraft executed a ground attack at an arms warehouse in Syria. Israeli officials have not commented on the report. After 19 months, Tunisian politicians reached a compromise on the distribution of power in the government that should facilitate completion of a new constitution. |
| NightWatch 20130502 | US and South Korean forces will remain on alert during President Park's six-day visit to the US which begins on Sunday. UN figures on violence in Iraq in April indicate a spike in casualties much higher than other sources. The Syrian government continues to show signs of resilience and has begun a new offensive in western Syria. Pakistan announced that 70,000 Army soldiers are being deployed to support civil authorities in holding fair elections and maintaining law and order . Election day is 11 May. |
| NightWatch 20130430 | The North Korean cabinet held its kick-off meeting to implement the new strategic line of economic construction and building a nuclear armed forces. North Korea has tightened security along the China border, erecting new fences, installing new sensors and destroying villages on the border. The last South Korean workers are the Kaesong complex are expected to return to South Korea on 30 April. China has slightly expanded its small military incursion 19 kms into an Indian-claimed region of eastern Ladakh and is providing resupply by truck from China. A sixth French soldier died from an IED in northeastern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20130430 | Seven South Koreans remained at the Kaesong industrial complex on 30 April, awaiting a settlement of final claims. After they leave, South Korea intends to cut the power to the complex. A provincial high court in Pakistan has banned former president Musharraf from holding public office for the rest of his life. Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah confirmed that Hezbollah fighters are assisting Syrian government forces. He warned the opposition that Syria's friends would never let them take Damascus by force or topple the regime. Nasrallah is in Iran for an Islamic scholars conference. |
| NightWatch 20130426 | North Korea rejected South Korea's offer of low level talks about the status and future of the Kaesong industrial complex. South Korea announced it will withdraw the remaining 175 personnel at Kaesong. North Korea also said South Korean aggravation of the situation is compelling the North to be the first to take final and decisive measures. India has protested an incursion by Chinese soldiers in the Ladakh region of eastern Jammu and Kashmir State. Some 200 people have died in three days of fighting in Iraq. Prime Minister al Maliki has labeled the Sunni fighters "insurgents." |
| NightWatch 20130425 | North Korea celebrated the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army on 25 April with patriotic speeches and a parade. A Chinese rear admiral confirmed that China will have more than one aircraft carrier and tha the next one will be larger. The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood said that the Brotherhood has decided to reopen offices and revive its organization in Syria. Hamas leaders have completed high level meetings in Qatar where he met the Emir and Hamas chief Khalid Meshaal. The UN Security Council approved a resolution that will establish a 12,600-strong peacekeeping force for Mali, starting 1 July. |
| NightWatch 20130423 | Japanese Prime Minister Abe said today that Japan would use force to expel Chinese forces should they attempt a landing in the Senkakus. An eight-ship contingent of Chinese civilian government ships stayed in Japanese-claimed waters all day on 23 April. In Pakistan, Musharraf appeared before the Anti-Terrorism Court to answer charges about his involvement in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007. Security in Iraq deteriorated after government security forces raided a Sunni protest camp in Hawijah and clashed with gunmen. Forty-two people died and more than 100 were wounded. |
| NightWatch 20130422 | North Korea made no new provocative statements. There are no new reports of missile or nuclear activity. The Chinese Chief of the General Staff said it is very likely that North Korea will conduct a fourth nuclear test, but provided no timing or other details. The Pakistani caretaker government declined to prosecute former president Musharraf for treason, claiming such an initiative exceeds the authority of a caretaker government. Jordan has granted Israel permission to fly drones over Jordan in order to monitor the Syrian conflict. The French parliament voted unanimously to extend the military mission in Mali until the operation can be declared a military success. |
| NightWatch 20130421 | North Korea deployed two Scud short range ballistic missiles to the east coast launch site late last week. Its news media published an absolute rejection of talks with the US on denuclearization. North Korean press reporting indicates the high level military alert order has not been rescinded. Pakistani former president Musharraf faces a hearing on treason before the Supreme Court on 22 April. |
| NightWatch 20130418 | North Korea has issued a series of statements directed at the US and the Republic of Korea that cumulatively suggest it is looking for an exit from the confrontation. The deployment of a contingent of US soldiers to help Jordan contain spillover from the Syrian fighting could result in clashes with Syrian government soldiers. |
| NightWatch 20130416 | Civilian activities in North Korea are normal, indicating no preparations for war. China published a defense white paper that accuses the US, by implication, of making Asia tenser. Syrian opposition leaders have called on Lebanon to restrain Hezbollah from providing military support for the Asad government. The head of the West African forces in Mali visited one of the towns in the north that the Chadian forces are leaving. |
| NightWatch 20130415 | North Korea's celebration of Kim Il-sung's birthday has been subdued, with no military parade, no special rations for the general populace and no international cultural festival. North Korea sent an ultimatum to South Korea on the 15th that, because Kim pictures were burned at a rally in Seoul, the North will immediately begin its military action without warning. |
| NightWatch 20130414 | North Korean celebrations of Kim Il-sung's birthday have not included a missile launch as of this Watch. North Korea rejected offers of talks this weekend. Missiles have not been seen in several days. On 12 April, Taliban forces overwhelmed an Afghan outpost that had not air support. On 14 April, Chadian President Deby announced the withdrawal of Chadian forces from Mali because they are not trained in counter-guerrilla warfare. |
| NightWatch 20130412 | US and Allied intelligence officials told various media services about late-stage indicators of a pending North Korean missile launch. China still wants North Korea to return to the Six Party talks. The European Union rejected a North Korean request for assistance in the event of a conflict. President Mursi met the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and promoted three service commanders to the rank of field marshal. |
| NightWatch 20130410 | Chinese sources confirm North Korea has closed its border to tour groups but not to passenger rail service, bus service or businessmen. North Koreans are preparing Pyongyang for celebrations of Kim Il-sung's birthday on 15 April. Syria's al Nusra Front opposition group pledged its allegiance to al Qaida leader Zawahiri, but denied it has merged with its Iraqi counterpart. Qatar gave Egypt another $3 billion in economic assistance. |
| NightWatch 20130409 | The North Korean notice that foreigners should leave Seoul appears to be a crude attempt to cause social discord. North Korea evacuated its embassy in the United Kingdom. In Pakistan, Musharraf's hearing on charges of treason was adjourned until 15 April. Al Qaida in Iraq announced a merger with the al Nusra Front in Syria. The two will now be part of "The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant." The French have withdrawn a company of paratroops from Mali, but also began new offensive operations against militants in the northeast. |
| NightWatch 20130408 | North Korea has suspended operations at the Kaesong Industrial Zone. None of the 53,000 North Korean workers showed up for work on 9 April. Defector news sources have reported that planting has begun in the rear area. North Korea warned that it would launch a missile attack against Japan if it extended its sanctions against the North. Japan has deployed and activated ballistic missile defenses. In Pakistan former president Musharraf's application to run for parliament has been accepted in a single jurisdiction on condition that he is not tried for treason by the Supreme Court |
| NightWatch 20130407 | South Korean intelligence has detected signs of increased activity at North Korea's nuclear test site, suggesting preparations for another nuclear test. Chinese officials made three statements of concern about the confrontation in northeast Asia. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang received the diplomatic circular encouraging evacuation. The Chinese embassy is operating normally, according to a spokesman. He also said China will safeguard its nationals, enterprises and other interests. |
| NightWatch 20130405 | North Korea notified resident embassies in Pyongyang that it cannot protect them in the event of a conflict after 10 April and encouraged them to evacuate their staffs. South Korea reported that it has now detected two long range ballistic missiles at the east coast site. |
| NightWatch 20130404 | North Korea published no threatening statements on 4 April and 5 April is Arbor Day, a national holiday. Kaesong is operational but plants have started to shut down for lack of supplies. Syria warned Jordan about the dangers of training Syria opposition fighters. Large demonstrations are expected in major Egyptian cities on 5 and 6 April. |
| NightWatch 20130402 | North Korea acted to terminate South Korean access to the Kaesong industrial zone on the morning of 3 April. On 2 April the Pyongyang government announced that it would readjust and restart the uranium enrichment facility and the graphite-moderated reactor at Yongbyon. Afghan President Karzai said Taliban leader Mullah Omar could run for president in the 2014 elections. Most of the 200 South African soldiers have withdrawn from the Central African Republic. |
| NightWatch 20130401 | North Korea's legislature passed a law making nuclear armed forces a core part of national defense and, thus, outside the scope of negotiations. Al Qaida claimed responsibility for the incursion into Timbuktu, Mali. |
| NightWatch 20130331 | In North Korea, the continued functioning of the Kaesong industrial zone and the Central Committee plenary meeting in Pyongyang might be the first signs that tension is starting to ease. In Mali, French and Malian forces clashed with militants in Timbuktu this weekend. |
| NightWatch 20130329 | North Korea published a "Special Statement" from the civil sector organizations, apparently as a complement to yesterday's statement by the Supreme Command. It also threatens destruction if the South or the US make a provocation. Kim Jong Un seems unable to back down and the North Korean propagandists are running out of exaggerated language. |
| NightWatch 20130328 | North Korea announced that Kim Jong Un had approved attack plans and placed missile units on standby in response to the US B-2 bomber flight operations. At full combat readiness, North Korean forces are supposed to be on standby. South Korean operations were normal again at the Kaesong joint economic zone. France announced a staged withdrawal of forces from Mali that will leave 1,000 French troops in Mali at the end of 2013. |
| NightWatch 20130327 | North Korea terminated the military hotline and Panmunjom and announced it has no communications channel with South Korea or the US. South Korean factory operations at Kaesong, North Korea, were normal on 27 March. Civil order and normal business activity are returning in Bangui, Central African Republic. Questions about the mission of South African soldiers in Bangui have stoked political tension in the South African parliament. Tunisia has set up crisis cells to monitor terrorist activities on the Libyan and Algerian borders. Mali announced that 63 of its soldiers and 600 jihadists have been killed in fighting since 11 January. Five French, one Togolese and one Burkinabe soldier also have died. |
| NightWatch 20130326 | North Korea has raised its artillery, rocket and missile forces to full combat readiness, called readiness condition one and threatened instant retaliation if attacked. China's reaction to the North's action was mild, urging restraint. Vietnam claimed that a Chinese maritime law enforcement ship fired on and damaged a Vietnamese fishing boat in disputed waters in the South China Sea. China did not deny the accusation, but claimed its ship fired flares. |
| NightWatch 20130325 | North Korean media have shown Kim Jong Un visiting only military installations in the past four days, consistent with the war atmosphere the leadership has generated. Chinese official media reported that China has signed a major new arms deal with Russia for the first time in ten years. The leader of the pro-western Free Syrian Army was wounded seriously in an assassination attempt. Egyptian authorities have ordered the arrest of five opposition activists for inciting last Friday's clashes with government supporters. |
| NightWatch 20130321 | Customs data indicate China exported no crude oil to North Korea in February. That implies that the nationwide North Korean training has been relying on stocks. Chinese President Xi Jinping's note thanking Kim Jong Un for his congratulations contained a reminder of China's policy of bringing peace and stability to the region. Xi's first trip abroad will be to Moscow, where he is due to arrive on the 22d. An Islamist detonated a car bomb in Timbuktu, Mali, killing one soldier. This is the first suicide attack in Timbuktu since the French campaign began. |
| NightWatch 20130320 | North Korea conducted an hour-long air raid drill using a nationwide public radio broadcast for the first time. It was most likely a reaction to US statements about B-52 flights over South Korea. Pakistani general elections will be held on 11 May. Concerning Syria outside experts cannot confirm the use of chemical weapons near Aleppo. The French premier told parliament that French forces will be out of Mali by the end of April. Banks on Cyprus will remain closed through 26 March at least. Bailout talks in Russia are inconclusive. |
| NightWatch 20130319 | Chinese regulators warned four North Korean banks to obey Chinese laws, as part of the stricter enforcement regime in effect. In Syria, there is still no confirmation that either side used chemical weapons. Egypt will begin rationing bread and cooking fuel in two months. The Cypriot parliament averted widespread civil disorders by voting down a proposal to tax bank deposits to help pay for an EU bailout. |
| NightWatch 20130318 | North Korea's mobilization exercise is causing food shortages and other hardships for civilians. Syrian combat aircraft fired rockets at Syrian opposition targets in northeastern Lebanon for the first time. France suffered its fifth combat death in the Mali campaign. |
| NightWatch 20130317 | China's National People's Congress ended on the 17th. President Xi delivered a speech in which he described China's posture as standing, not rising, and laid out his vision of The Chinese Dream. India's Chief of Army Staff warned Pakistan that confidence building measures are impossible as long as Pakistan exports terrorism. On the 16th, the elected government of Pakistan completed a full five-year term for the first time in Pakistan's history. |
| NightWatch 20130315 | North Korea is continuing winter training which will culminate in nationwide exercises by the end of the month. North Korean civilians on islets off the southwest coast have been advised to evacuate. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is expected to close the National People's Congress on the 17th with a press conference. |
| NightWatch 20130314 | A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said the nature of an armistice means it can be broken by not abiding by it. China's National People's Congress elected Li Kegiang as the new Premier. India's Home Secretary and Indian media have suggested that the Pakistan-based terrorist group, Lashkar e Taiba, is responsible for the murder of five paramilitary policemen in Kashmir this week. |
| NightWatch 20130313 | China's National People's Congress elected Xi Jinping as President of China. On 11 March, Xi briefed the People's Liberation Army delegates on his idea of The Chinese Dream, his strategic concept. In Indian Kashmir, armed militants killed five paramilitary policemen. This was the first high profile attack in Srinagar in three years and the deadliest in five. In Afghanistan, a suicide bomber killed six people at a buzkashi match in Konduz Province. The Egyptian government has appealed the Administrative Court's suspension of parliamentary elections. It also is drafting a new election law in case it loses the appeal, which will be heard on Sunday. |
| NightWatch 20130312 | In North Korea, Kim Jong Un made another visit to the coastal artillery unit in the southwest -- his second visit in five days. North Korean civil defense preparations are continuing. China restated its support for dialogue and the Six Party Talks. France is seeking to replace its forces in Mali with a UN combat reaction force instead of the normal peacekeeping operations. |
| NightWatch 20130311 | North Korean media reported the Armistice is invalid and not in effect. Extensive civil defense preparations are taking place, but the North-South joint industrial park at Kaesong remains working. A mob of Pakistani muslims burned hundreds of houses and buildings in a Christian community in Lahore, Punjab Province, because somebody accused a Christian of blaspheming against Mohammed. |
| NightWatch 20130310 | South Korean authorities tried to test the north-South hotline and found it had been terminated by the North. This is the first step in ending the Armistice arrangements. China called on Japan to correct its mistakes about the Senkaku Islands and work with China to prevent tension from getting out of control. A Pakistan-based al Qaida leader said in a video that after Afghanistan is recovered, Indian Kashmir is the next target. |
| NightWatch 20130308 | North Korean threats, public indoctrination and civil defense and other preparations appear driven by the need to be ready for the consequences of terminating the Armistice Agreement on 11 March. Protests continue in Egypt. The Egyptian electoral commission has retracted the announced dates for voting. The French Defense Minister visited French and Chadian troops in northeastern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20130308 | North Korea again denounced the UN Security Council, without mentioning China, but threatening to conduct so many missile and nuclear tests that they would be considered "permanent." China's reaction to North Korean threats and announcements has been bland. China called on all parties to remain calm and not escalate the situation. Hamas said a US Presidential visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem under Israeli escort would be a declaration of war against "our Arab and Muslim nation." The Egyptian army now has security responsibility for Port Said. The Egyptian police strike continues to spread. |
| NightWatch 20130305 | The US and China have reached agreement on a draft UN Security Council resolution that would impose unprecedented sanctions on North Korea. China's agreement is a measure of its displeasure over North Korea's nuclear detonation last month. A North Korean general, speaking for the army Supreme Command, said that after 11 March North Korea will no longer honor the armistice and will dismantle its operations at Panmunjom. China and India have agreed in principle to establish a dialogue about Afghanistan, in anticipation of the US withdrawal in 2014. Venezuela's Vice President will assume the power of the presidency with the death of Hugo Chavez, until elections are held in the next 30 days. |
| NightWatch 20130304 | Chinese and Japanese patrol boat crews exchanged words near the Senkakus. A senior Chinese official blamed Japan for escalating the dispute by nationalizing the islands, one of which had been privately owned. China's National People's Congress opened in Beijing with a gloomy state of the nation report read by outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao. However, China's defense budget will increase 10.7 percent to $119 billion in 2013. Iran's two-ship naval task group has docked at the Chinese port of Zhangjiagang, after an 11,000 km voyage. Egyptian authorities called out the army to stop clashes between demonstrators and police in Port Said, where five have died and 400 have been injured in two days of clashes. |
| NightWatch 20130303 | In Pakistan, 45 people died and 150 were injured by a terrorist bomb attack in Karachi. France announced that a third soldier died fighting Islamists in northeastern Mali. Chad announced that its forces killed Belmokhtar, who was the mastermind behind the attack at the Algerian gas plant. The claim has not been confirmed as yet. Anti-austerity protests took place in Bulgaria and Portugal. The leader of the Italian anti-austerity party leader, Grillo, said he supports the idea of an online popular referendum on Italian membership in the eurozone. |
| NightWatch 20130228 | Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft and patrol ships are maintaining an aggressive patrol schedule near islands in dispute with Japan and in the South China Sea. Dennis Rodman and the Harlem Globetrotters are the first Americans to meet and dine with Kim Jong Un and his wife. French authorities announced that French forces will remain in Mali at least until July. |
| NightWatch 20130227 | South Korean press reported that China is now strictly enforcing border controls over the 79,600 North Koreans who work in China, apparently as punishment for the North's nuclear detonation. Two Iranian ships are due to call at the Chinese east coast port of Zhangjiagang this week. This is the first time since the overthrow of the Shah that Iranian naval ships have sailed in the Pacific Ocean. Iraqi Prime Minister al Maliki warned that the overthrow of the Syrian government could generate a ripple effect of instability in Iraq and Lebanon. |
| NightWatch 20130225 | North Korea honored today all those who worked on the successful 12 February nuclear test. Pakistan experienced a nationwide electricity blackout on Sunday night and Monday morning, owing to a failure at a single power station. The outcome of the Italian general elections indicates that they are referendum against austerity measures. In northeastern Mali, Chadian forces lost ten more soldiers killed in continuing fighting with the jihadists who lost 28 killed. |
| NightWatch 20130224 | A Chinese communist Central Committee plenum will convene this week to address strict adherence to the constitution and the law. Park Geun-hye is the first woman to hold the office of President of the Republic of Korea. Jordan has closed its northern border to Syrian refugees because of the increased terrorism threat. Egyptian President Mursi has adjusted the dates for parliamentary elections to accommodate a request by the Coptic Christian community that they not coincide with Easter celebrations. In Tunisia, demonstrators protested the new prime minister-delegate. In Mali, French President Hollande announced operations have entered their final phase the same weekend that the Islamists announced the fighting has just begun. |
| NightWatch 20130223 | The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers implied in a joint press conference in Moscow that the only condition in which they will protect North Korea is to prevent foreign military intervention. Indian intelligence warned authorities in Hyderabad of a possible terrorist attack three days before the two bombing attacks on the 21st. Egyptian opposition groups protested President Mursi's election law and warned of a further deterioration of the political situation. Thirteen Chadian soldiers died in fighting jihadists in northeastern Mali. The US announced it has increased the number of US Air Force personnel in Niger to 100. They are armed for self-protection. |
| NightWatch 20130221 | In Egypt, the new electoral law was approved today, enabling President Mursi to decree phased parliamentary elections, starting on 27 April. The new lower house of parliament will convene on 6 July. In Mali, Malian forces clashed with Islamist militants in Gao in northern Mali. Islamists also detonated a car bomb near a French and Chadian base in Kidal, injuring two civilians. |
| NightWatch 20130219 | There is no NightWatch commentary for the night of 19 February. |
| NightWatch 20130218 | A Japanese news service reported that Iran paid North Korea to permit Iranian scientists to observe the 12 February nuclear detonation in North Korea. This is a sole source report that has not yet been corroborated. On 22 February India will hold its first day-night air firepower demonstration at the training range near the Pakistan border. Pakistan's Supreme Court has taken suo motu notice of the continuing violence against Shiites in Quetta, Baluchistan. |
| NightWatch 20130217 | North Korea reportedly has informed China that it will conduct more nuclear and missile tests this year. In Pakistan, Sunni extremists killed 85 Shiites in a bomb attack at a bazaar in Quetta, Baluchistan. This is the second mass murder in Quetta this year.. |
| NightWatch 20130214 | South Korea showed that it has armed surface ships and submarines with advanced precision cruise missiles to counter the North Korean threat. North Korea staged a large rally in Pyongyang to celebrate the nuclear detonation on the 12th. A senior Iranian general in the Revolutionary Guard Corps was assassinated in Syria, while heading back to Lebanon. In Mali, confidential documents left behind by the fleeing jihadists detail their strategy and tactics for establishing a base in Mali and their intention to operate in the Sahara region for the long term. |
| NightWatch 20130213 | South Korean officials said the South will deploy cruise missiles against North Korea and develop its own ballistic missiles. China's official reaction to the North Korean nuclear detonation was tepid in that it implied no action to punish North Korea. Qatar has turned over the Syrian embassy building to the Syrian opposition. Russia announced it will continue arms sales to the Syrian government. |
| NightWatch 20130212 | There is no NightWatch commentary for the night of 12 February. |
| NightWatch 20130211 | The US Geological Survey reported significant seismic activity in North Korea on 12 February. North Korea appears to have conducted its third nuclear test. Iran's president offered to talk personally with the US, but confirmed that the nuclear program is not negotiable. In Egypt, more clashes occurred in Cairo on 11 February, the second anniversary of the overthrow of President Mubarak. Tunisia is expected to announce the formation of a new national unity government. French and Malian forces restored control of Gao in northeastern Mali, but a second suicide bomber detonated there on 10 February. |
| NightWatch 20130208 | A recent Gallup poll of Iranian attitudes about Western sanctions indicates that the sanctions are hurting most people's livelihood, but the majority of Iranians support the nuclear program. A jihadist suicide bombing in Gao, Mali, is the strongest indication yet that the fight against terrorists is evolving into an insurgency . |
| NightWatch 20130207 | North Korea denounced South Korea after the South Korean Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff suggested South Korea might launch a first strike against the North if it were clear that the North intended to attack the South with nuclear weapons. A North Korean official reportedly has traveled secretly to China for talks, the first since the UN Resolution condemning the North's satellite launch. Iran's Supreme Leader rejected the US invitation for direct, bilateral talks about Iran's nuclear program. Several fundamentalist Egyptian imams have issued fatwas calling for the killing of political opposition leaders. The Islamist party that leads the ruling coalition in Tunisia rejected its prime minister's plan to replace the government. |
| NightWatch 20130206 | Tension is rising over the prospect of a North Korean nuclear detonation. South Koreans are guessing the date. The Chinese have issued their sternest, unofficial warning to date that North Korea will pay a "heavy price" if it conducts a nuclear test. Anti-government riots in Tunisian cities prompted the government to dissolve and call for new elections. French and Malian forces fought their first ground battle against Islamist militants in northeastern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20130205 | There is no NightWatch commentary for the night of 5 February. |
| NightWatch 20130204 | South Korean government agencies are on alert in anticipation of an "imminent" North Korean nuclear test. Over the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired the third high level meeting of officials in a week. The most recent was an expanded meeting of the Central Military Commission. The leader of the Syrian opposition coalition renewed his invitation for talks with the Asad government, which has not responded. Iran's President will visit Egypt this week to attend the meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Cairo. France began withdrawing forces from Timbuktu on the 4th, as part of a staged withdrawal. |
| NightWatch 20130131 | Syria has threatened to retaliate for the Israeli air attack on 30 January. In Egypt the Grand Imam of the most prestigious mosque in Cairo convened a national dialogue meeting to try to end the street violence. In Mali the French operations appear to be entering a consolidation phase. |
| NightWatch 20130130 | South Korea successfully launched a satellite from its Naro space center for the first time. China is exerting economic pressure on North Korea by tightening enforcement of customs regulations. Syria confirmed the Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked a target near the Lebanese border. Local security officials said the IAF took out a convoy that was delivering advanced air defense systems from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. In Egypt the governor of Ismailia eased the curfew, an indication of improved security conditions. French troops have taken control of Kidal, the last major base held by the Islamists. |
| NightWatch 20130129 | In Egypt protests continued in Port Said and Cairo, but were smaller than in previous days. The Egyptian Army chief warned that the situation could lead to the collapse of the state, if the economy and political situations do not stabilize. An Italian analysis of conditions in eastern Libya around Benghazi indicates al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is trying to take over the entire area. In Mali, French, Malian and African forces are consolidating recent gains in the north. |
| NightWatch 20130128 | India and Pakistan resumed bus service across the Line of Control in Kashmir, a sign of eased tension. In Egypt, civil disorders and protests continued in Port Said for a fifth day, despite the state of emergency. The Egyptian government passed a law empowering the armed forces to make civilian arrests to restore order. This is the second time since November that President Mursi has resorted to the military to back up his government. A secular Touareg rebel group claims it has taken control of Kidal from Islamists in eastern Mali. French and Malian forces entered Timbuktu city. |
| NightWatch 20130127 | On 26 January, Kim Jong Un convened a meeting of state security and foreign affairs officials to provide specific tasks in connection with "substantial and high-profile state measures" to retaliate for the latest UN resolution and sanctions. Three Egyptian provinces along the Suez Canal are under a 30-day state of emergency because of weekend riots that killed 50 and injured more than 300 people. French and Malian forces have moved rapidly to occupy towns abandoned by the Islamists, including Timbuktu. The Chadian-Nigerien task group is in the eastern town of Gao to garrison it against further Islamist intrusions. |
| NightWatch 20130125 | North Korea’s National Defense Commission declared the end of denuclearization talks and an all-out war of confrontation in which future missile and nuclear tests would target the US. China reacted by calling for continued denuclearization talks and threatening to reduce North Korean aid if it conducts a third nuclear test. Parties that are pro-monarchy won the Jordanian election because the Muslim Brotherhood boycotted. The UK and other European states have warned their nationals to depart Benghazi, Libya, immediately because of a specific, imminent terrorist threat. The buildup of coalition forces continue in Mali, causing one of the three Islamist fighting groups in the north to seek negotiations. |
| NightWatch 20130123 | There is no NightWatch commentary for the night of 23 January 2013. |
| NightWatch 20130121 | For the second time in a week, Taliban fighters executed a high profile attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. Eritrean soldiers suppressed an apparent coup attempt. Jordanian parliamentary elections are set for 23 January. Egyptian parliamentary elections are expected in April. Algerian Prime Minister Sallel gave the first detailed account of government operations against the terrorists who seized the gas plant at In Amenas. In Mali, the Islamist fighters abandoned two southern towns, which French and Malian forces now control. |
| NightWatch 20130117 | Pakistan's Supreme Court has given the government more time to examine the case against Prime Minister Ashraf before arresting him. The Islamabad government announced that parliament would be dissolved on 16 March and that general elections would be held in 90 days. This prompted firebrand cleric Qadri to call off his anti-parliament demonstration. Algerian forces recaptured the gas plant in eastern Algeria, but the death toll remains unknown. In Mali Islamist rebels were seen in a village only 90 miles from Bamako, marking their closest approach to the capital. |
| NightWatch 20130116 | Indian and Pakistani senior generals reached an agreement that both sides must enforce the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Kashmir and de-escalate tension. In Algeria, Islamists affiliated with al Qaida seized western hostages at a gas facility in eastern Algeria, in support of Islamist rebels in Mali. French and Malian ground forces moved to recapture Diabaly. |
| NightWatch 20130114 | In Mali, rebel fighters apparently captured another town in the area supposedly controlled by the Malian government. French air attacks continued and the anti-Islamist coalition continued to assemble itself. |
| NightWatch 20130113 | Indian troops in Kashmir engaged in a firefight with Pakistan Army soldiers in the Poonch Sector of the Line of Control on the night of 12 January. Military leaders from both countries will discuss the security situation on the 14th. Syrian forces claim to have restored government control over a rebellious hotbed suburb of Damascus. French Air Forces supporting Malian and French ground forces routed Islamist rebels from Konna on Saturday. French air attacks reportedly have prompted the rebels to withdraw from Timbuktu. At least five African states are committing ground forces to support the French and Malian forces. The UK is providing heavy lift aircraft support. |
| NightWatch 20130111 | In the Central African Republic, the government and rebels have reached a ceasefire agreement. Concerning the deteriorating security situation in Mali, France and Germany have decided to provide military aid to the Malian government to stop the rebel offensive aimed at Bamako. |
| NightWatch 20130110 | Tension between India and Pakistan increased again on 10 January because of the death of a Pakistani soldier from Indian Army artillery fire. This was the third ceasefire violation in five days. Central African Republic officials and rebels have agreed to a ceasefire. Islamist rebels in Mali have taken a town in southern Mali for the first time, indicating an intention to move against Bamako, the capital. |
| NightWatch 20130109 | The economic costs of the islands dispute between China and Japan are high in both countries, but especially in Japan. The cost of Islamic democracy in Egypt has made the country nearly insolvent. The Mursi government has yet to develop a plan for fixing the economy which grew at 5% per year before the uprising, but is now growing at less than half a percent a year. |
| NightWatch 20130108 | Japan formally protested the presence of four Chinese maritime surveillance ships near the Senkaku Islands. China rejected the protest. Indian authorities and media report that a Pakistan Army team inside Indian Kashmir killed two Indian Army soldiers. This is the second security incident along the Line of Control in Kashmir in three days. |
| NightWatch 20130107 | Central African Republic officials and rebel delegates will being negotiations for a peaceful settlement in Gabon this week. A Malian Army clash with northern rebels resulted in the capture of 12 government soldiers and all their gear and vehicles. |
| NightWatch 20130106 | Pakistani forces firing in support of infiltrators into Indian Kashmir are most likely responsible for the weekend clash along the Line of Control in Kashmir; escalation is not likely. The Pakistan Army has identified internal threats as a strategic priority for the first time. Egypt's president Mursi has named Islamists to many of the most important posts in his cabinet, including finance. In the Central African Republic, rebels have captured two more towns, despite ongoing peace talks. |
| NightWatch 20130105 | A day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivered a conciliatory New Year's speech, the North Korean National Defense Commission published a strong warning to South Korea over its adoption of routine defense precautions during the New Year's holiday. Pakistani political commentators said the US killing of Mullah Nazir damaged Pakistan's internal security. The al-Qaida affiliate in northern Mali suspended its pledge to halt fighting because the government is not acting in good faith. In the Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo have sent troops to defend the Bangui government. |
| NightWatch 20130103 | NightWatch will not be published this night because news services have reported no significant changes to the international threat environment. |
| NightWatch 20130102 | In the first New Year's address by a North Korean leader in 19 years, Kim Jong-un stressed the leadership of the communist party and economic priorities for 2013. Afghan opposition leader and former prime minister of Afghanistan, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, announced that his forces will fight to the last departing NATO soldier and kill as many as he could. . He also said he and his Hizb-e-Islami Party would run for office in future elections. |
| NightWatch 20121227 | Russian public statements about Syria convey increasing doubt that the Asad government can last and suggest the pace of decline is quickening. The Egyptian government has begun a criminal investigation of the top three opposition leaders, a day after President Mursi called for dialogue. The US and UN have withdrawn their diplomats from the Central African Republic as rebel forces move nearer to Bangui. |
| NightWatch 20121226 | The head of the Syrian military police has defected to the rebels. Major General al-Shahal stated that the Asad government has used chemicals against rebels in Homs. The Egyptian electoral authorities announced that Egyptians approved the new constitution by a 63.8% majority. President Mursi signed the constitution and announced that economic improvement would be the priority of his government. |
| NightWatch 20121223 | South Korean officials claim that debris from the North Korean rocket indicates it had military purposes and Iranian support. News services reported the first instance in which Syrian rebels imposed strict Muslim law in Aleppo, reportedly with Saudi support. Egyptians voted overwhelmingly in favor of the new Islamist constitution in the second round of voting. Egypt is no longer a secular state. |
| NightWatch 20121220 | Russia apparently has abandoned its plan to have four French MISTRAL-class amphibious helicopter carriers. The two ships that were to have been built in St. Petersburg shipyards will not be funded. Yemen has reorganized its armed forces ostensibly to eliminate the family and associates of former president Saleh from key military command positions. Rebels in Central African Republic seized a seventh town. |
| NightWatch 20121219 | Park Geun-hye is the president-elect of the Republic of Korea. She will be the first female President of the Republic. An Iranian lawmaker who was in North Korea in mid-October said he was informed by the North Koreans that they were preparing for a satellite launch. Chad has deployed 2,000 soldiers to help Central African Republic defeat rebels who have seized five towns.. |
| NightWatch 20121218 | The North Korean satellite is tumbling in orbit and not functional, according to astronomers and space watchers, but the rocket worked. Syria's Vice President flew today to Aleppo in northern Syria to deliver relief supplies. Russia is sending a five ship naval task group to Syria to replace the three Russian ships at Tartus and to be ready for evacuating Russian citizens. On the second anniversary of the Arab Spring, Tunisian President Marzouki was pelted with stones for his failure to alleviate poverty and create more jobs, the reasons for the uprising in the first place. |
| NightWatch 20121217 | The conservative Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide victory in Japan's general elections on Sunday, spurred by the North Korean rocket launch. The daughter of the late South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee is the front runner in the presidential elections which will be held on 19 December. China formally has submitted to the UN its geology-based claim to ownership of the Japanese-owned Senkaku Islands. In the first round of voting on 15 December, Egyptians voted to approve the new constitution by a small majority. The next round of voting will take place on 22 December. Libya's governing national congress ordered the closure of its southern and eastern borders because of rising security problems with tribes and jihadists. |
| NightWatch 20121213 | The North Korean rocket performed without error, but the satellite it launched is tumbling in space. This rocket almost certainly was launched with Iranian assistance. Syrian government forces fired six SCUD ballistic missiles at opposition targets. This is the first reported use of SCUDs against the rebels. Egypt's Electoral Commission announced that the referendum on the new constitution will occur on 15 and 22 December. |
| NightWatch 20121213 | Japan formally protested violation of its airspace by a Chinese surveillance aircraft. The Defense Ministry said it was the first in more than 50 years. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister said that an opposition victory in Syria cannot be ruled out. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is to meet a Syrian opposition delegation on the 14th. Large pro-government demonstrations are expected in Egypt on the 14th and on the 15th, the day of the constitutional referendum. |
| NightWatch 20121212 | North Korea successfully launched its long range rocket. The US labeled as a terrorist group the jihadist fighters making progress against the Syrian government. The Egyptian Army is the agent calling for dialogue between opposing political interests. Mali's fight against terrorists was set back by the arrest of the prime minister by the former coup mongers. Unrest is increasing in Morocco, along with Jordan. |
| NightWatch 20121210 | North Korea extended the launch window for its long range rocket to 29 December, owing to technical problems with the first stage. Major pro- and anti-government demonstrations are expected in Cairo on the 11th and the Army is expected to maintain order. |
| NightWatch 20121207 | North Korea has begun fueling its three-stage rocket, suggesting a launch as early as Monday. Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal arrived in the Gaza Strip from Qatar. This is his first visit to the Hamas-controlled enclave. He participated in a celebration of victory over Israel. After three weeks of protest demonstrations, there is no resolution to the Egyptian constitutional crisis. |
| NightWatch 20121206 | North Korea has assembled a three-stage rocket in the gantry of its west coast launch site. It awaits fueling. Launch is likely to be on or near 17 December, the anniversary of Kim Chong-il's death. China warned India and Vietnam to cease oil exploration in the South China Sea. India's Navy Chief said India is prepared to send naval ships to protect its interests. Pakistani Taliban are experiencing a leadership struggle that could result in a more determined effort against US forces in Afghanistan and less violence in Pakistan. Egypt's President is now depending on the Army to defend his regime, much as Mubarak did. Tunisian workers in four regions went on strike today over the economic failings of the Islamist government. |
| NightWatch 20121205 | Western nations are concerned by new reports that Syria has weaponized its chemical weapons for use against Syrian opposition fighters. The Egyptian government is calling on regular military units to defend it and to keep pro- and anti-Mursi supporters apart in Cairo. Allied military intervention in Mali cannot occur before September or October 2013, according to a UN official. |
| NightWatch 20121204 | Despite large and mildly violent protests in Cairo, the government is not in danger of collapse. The new constitution is likely to be approved in the 15 December national referendum. In Burkina Faso, the Mali government held the first direct talks with Tuareg and Ansar al Dine rebel representatives from northern Mali. The rebels pledged to respect national unity and reject extremism. |
| NightWatch 20121203 | North Korea announced it will launch a space rocket with a satellite payload between 10 and 22 December. The preparations are genuine. Syrian military chemical warfare units reportedly have assembled binary chemicals used in making the nerve agent Sarin at key locations in Syria. Syria will use them as a last resort to defend the regime. The constitutional crisis continues in Egypt. A major anti-Mursi demonstration is set for 4 December. A referendum on the new Islamist constitution will take place on 15 December. |
| NightWatch 20121128 | Chinese and North Korean propagandists have not commented on The Onion's ridicule of Kim Jong-un which they published as praise. Pakistan's mass proliferator of nuclear weapons technology to enemies of the United States, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has registered a new political party to contest next year's general elections. Saudi King Abdallah appeared on state TV, putting to rest rumors of his demise. In Egypt, anti-Mursi protests continued for the sixth day. The new Islamist based on Sharia will be announced on 29 November. Mass protests are set for 30 November. The Army said it will not rescue president Mursi. |
| NightWatch 20121127 | North Korea has intensified its crackdown on anti-government activities, including defacing statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Chong-il. Saudi Arabian officials strongly denied internet postings that claimed King Abdallah has been clinically dead for two days. Anti-president Mursi demonstrations in Egypt expanded on the fifth day of protests. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has requested the Army to protect it. |
| NightWatch 20121126 | One credible news outlet reported that Afghanistan government forces essentially have lost control of Logar Province, just south of Kabul. Iranian naval ships are due in Sudan about the same time as the first Iranian cargo ship carrying replacements and supplies for Hamas in Gaza. In Egypt, anti-government protests continued for a fourth day. Egyptian president Mursi has tried to clarify his latest political blunder with no success . |
| NightWatch 20121125 | Satellite imagery has detected early North Korean preparations for a long range missile launch. China publicized the first landing of a Chinese fighter on its first aircraft carrier Liaoning. In Gaza, Hamas authorities announced that the truce with Israel does not prohibit restocking of rockets. Israel announced it detected an Iranian ship carrying rockets for Hamas. Riots against Egyptian President Mursi's proclamation of dictatorial powers have lasted for three days and could threaten his government. |
| NightWatch 20121121 | The Burmese government announced its willingness to sign an agreement that would put its nuclear program under international supervision. This could expose the extent of North Korean involvement. The US and Egypt brokered a ceasefire arrangement between Israel and the Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip. |
| NightWatch 20121120 | North Korean leadership activities indicate the country has returned to peacetime combat readiness. There are no news service updates about unrest in Jordan, oddly. Israel and Hamas came close to reaching a ceasefire agreement, but the terms relayed by Egypt favor Hamas far more than their feckless rocket fire merits. |
| NightWatch 20121119 | The European Union has recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the legitimate government of Syria, joining France, Turkey and Qatar. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan called Israel a terrorist state. An Israeli military spokesman said Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip is decreasing after six days of fighting. No order for an Israeli ground attack has been reported by any news source. Ceasefire talks are talking place in Egypt. |
| NightWatch 20121116 | Turkey is the second government to recognize the new Syrian opposition leadership group. Protests continued in Jordan for a third day and turned more anti-government than before. More protests are expected on Friday after prayers. In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli air attacks intensified after an Iranian-made rocket landed near Tel Aviv. Israel has called up 30,000 reservists. European Union states endorsed the African Union military plan for recovering northern Mali from Islamists. |
| NightWatch 20121115 | China's 18th National Party Congress ended on 14 November, after electing a new Central Committee. In Jordan, for a second day, unions and demonstrators protested a reduction in the government subsidy for gasoline and propane. One academic called it the start of the Jordanian Spring. Mounting tension with Hamas in Gaza and increased rocket attacks into southern Israel prompted Israeli air attacks to decapitate leadership and to destroy rocket sites. In Europe, unions staged strikes or demonstrations in 22 countries, but the worst occurred in Spain, Portugal and Italy. |
| NightWatch 20121113 | Satellite imagery taken in September indicates North Korea has performed two or more rocket engine tests, most likely to determine the cause of the catastrophic missile launch failure last April. France announced its official recognition of the new Syrian opposition leadership. The African Union has approved formation of a multi-national force of 3,300 soldiers drawn from three African states to mount a campaign to recapture northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20121108 | South Korea's defense minister warned today that North Korea has completed preparations for a third nuclear detonation and could also launch a missile. Neither is likely during China's 18th National Party Congress. President Hu Jintao warned the opening session of the National Congress today that corruption could lead to the fall of the party and the communist system. Three mortar rounds from Syria landed inside the Golan Heights, but Israel did not react. |
| NightWatch 20121107 | In China on 7 November, a preparatory meeting of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party appointed Xi Jinping as the new secretary-general of the Party. The Congress opens on 8 November. Xi is the new leader of China. Iranian reaction to the US presidential election was tepid. It indicated Iran is not interested in talks with the US any time soon. The periodicity of bombing attacks in Damascus indicates the regime is giving ground. The Greek parliament approved another round of austerity measures, despite hundreds of thousands of opposition protestors during the past three days. European economists forecast a deepening recession in coming months that will have world-wide ripple effects. |
| NightWatch 20121106 | In China the four-day Communist Party plenary meeting ended on Sunday. The 18th National Congress opens on 8 November to ratify the leadership lineup already approved by the Communist Party. The Chief of Army Staff in Pakistan warned the Supreme Court against pressing too hard to stop Pakistan Army meddling in civilian politics. The Chief Justice of Pakistan pushed back, as part of the continuing struggle over respect for the rule of law. |
| NightWatch 20121106 | NightWatch will not be published because of the US elections. There is no significant change in the international situation.. |
| NightWatch 20121101 | In China a plenary meeting of the central committee is making final preparations for the convening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party which will install a new leadership team in Beijing. The US announced it has stopped providing support to expatriate Syrian politicians who have no influence on the fighting. The move will have no influence on the fighting in Syria which is being led by jihadists. Armed Libyan activists again entered parliament to protest the new cabinet. Libya is now a fractured state. Greek sovereign debt projected over the next two years will approximate twice the gross domestic product. Projections are worse than the worst case scenario estimated by European banking and financial authorities. |
| NightWatch 20121031 | China has proposed a four point plan for a peaceful settlement of the Syrian fighting. The Kingdom of Jordan also favors a peaceful settlement because it fears it might be the next target of Islamist fundamentalist revolution if the Asad government falls in Syria. The freely elected government of Tunisia is using the same violent suppression tactics against Islamic fundamentalist protestors as its authoritarian predecessor did. The Libyan Congress approved the new cabinet. |
| NightWatch 20121031 | Iraqi auditors believe as much as US $800 million is being sent out of the country illegally each week. In Ukraine, the government party of President Viktor Yanukovych won a solid victory in parliamentary elections and fewer than 100 people, made up of civilians and former rebel fighters, charged into the meeting hall of the General National Congress. |
| NightWatch 20121029 | Diplomatic and leadership activities in North Korea are normal, indicating the semi-state of war is a defensive precaution during US-South Korean exercises. The Sunday Times of London reported the 24 October Israeli air attack on the arms plant at Yarmouk, Sudan, was a rehearsal for an attack against Tehran. The Syrian ceasefire never took hold and is now ended. |
| NightWatch 20121026 | North Korea has declared a nationwide semi-state of war alert which will last until 31 October. This is the second highest alert level, just below state of war alert. The timing roughly parallels US and South Korean exercises that began on 25 October. The Syrian ceasefire and the celebration of Eid al-Adha began with rebel bomb attacks and Syrian government forces counterattacking rebels who refused to cease firing. |
| NightWatch 20121025 | After a three week hiatus, four Chinese civilian fisheries patrol ships entered waters claimed by Japan near the Senkaku Islands. Japan complained to China. Syrian authorities announced they will implement a ceasefire starting the morning of 26 October for four days, on condition that the rebels cease firing and do not use the lull to improve their military position or to resupply. Algeria will support an African-led intervention force in northern Mali, but will not admit it in public. European states have agreed to finance the intervention force by African troops to oust al-Qaida and other extremists from northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20121023 | The Emir of Qatar visited the Gaza Strip and promised increased aid. Sheikh al-Thani is the first head of state to visit Gaza since Hamas was elected to office in 2007. In Yemen the al-Qaida franchise has been forced by Yemeni forces with US assistance to abandon the town of Abyan and fight as guerrilla units. Prospects for a ceasefire in Syria are small owing to continuing fighting. The US is backing the Lebanese president's effort to achieve a change in the cabinet government so that it is more supportive of Syrian opposition fighters. |
| NightWatch 20121022 | South Korean activists succeeded in launching balloons that released anti-regime leaflets over North Korea. South Korean forces are on alert for retaliatory artillery fire from the North. An Arab League official doubts that a truce can be arranged in Syria this week. |
| NightWatch 20121021 | South Korean authorities have prevented a balloon launch of anti-North Korean leaflets in reaction to North Korea's specific identification of the launch site for retaliatory artillery fire. China has called for both Koreas to maintain peace and stability. The US and Iran both denied any agreement to hold bilateral talks. The assassination of a top anti-Syria Lebanese intelligence general is another manifestation that the Syrian internal conflict is spilling over into Lebanon. |
| NightWatch 20121018 | Spillover fighting from Syria has added urgency to Iraqi demands for accelerated delivery of F-16 fighter jets. The joint command of the Syrian opposition fighters has conditionally accepted the Syrian government's offer of a truce during Eid-al-Adha which begins 26 October. Some 70,000 Greeks protested new austerity measures; the demonstrations turned violent. |
| NightWatch 20121016 | South Korea's defense chief apologized to the nation that his forces failed to detect the recent North Korean defector and dismissed three officers for their lapse in vigilance. Iran claimed that it manufactured the drone that Lebanese Hezbollah claimed it flew in Israeli airspace and was shot down by the Israelis on 6 October. |
| NightWatch 20121016 | US and North Korean heads of delegation met informally in Dalian, China in late September, but no negotiations or secret meetings transpired. Swiss authorities have ordered military exercises to test the country's ability to cope with civil unrest and an influx of refugees because of the economic crisis in the eurozone. The draft Egyptian constitution has not passed muster with the Egyptian court system because it is Islamic in tone and the drafters are not representative of the Egyptian population. A decision is expected next week. |
| NightWatch 20121014 | Cambodia's king during the Vietnam War, Norodom Sihanouk, died in Beijing, China on 15 October. Syria and Turkey have closed their airspace to civil air traffic from either country. Syria announced it is ready to talk with Turkey to ease tension. The major towns of Egypt experienced weekend protests against President Mursi's failure to keep his campaign promises. Egypt announced a limit on fuel subsidies, which almost guarantees more violent protests. The UN Security Council has requested African states to submit a military intervention plan for northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20121012 | Indonesian authorities raised their alert status to its highest level on the anniversary of the terrorist Bali bombing on 12 October 2002. The Pakistan Supreme Court has approved a letter from the government of Pakistan that asks the Swiss government to resume corruption investigations against the President of Pakistan. A pro-Mubarak Prosecutor General defied President Mursi 's order that he resign, calling the President's order a usurpation of his constitutional authority. |
| NightWatch 20121010 | Uzbekistan's President Karimov warned the nation to prepare for the unrest that will follow the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan. Turkey forced a Syrian cargo aircraft to land in Turkey and found it to be carrying non-civilian cargo. Two Arab news outlets published articles evaluating President Mursi's first 100 days in office. While Mursi is popular, Egyptians are not satisfied with his performance in improving the economy. |
| NightWatch 20121010 | A North Korean soldier crossed the most heavily mined border in the world -- the Demilitarized Zone-- to defect to South Korea. North Korea said its missiles can range mainland US, in denouncing a US-South Korean agreement to permit the South to develop longer range ballistic missiles. Pakistanis expressed outrage over the shooting by a Pakistani Taliban boy of a Pakistani teenage girl whose crime against Sharia is she has been an activist for the education of women. Turkish and Syrian exchanges of mortar or artillery rounds are in their seventh day. Israeli sources judge Hezbollah flew the unarmed drone that Israeli jets shot down over Gaza over the weekend. President Chavez won re-election to another six-year term on Sunday. |
| NightWatch 20121004 | Despite a Syrian official apology for a mortar round that killed five Turks, Turkey shelled Syria for two days and the US backed a UN Security Council resolution that condemned Syria. Israel's Foreign Minister said he believes a "Persian Spring" will follow the "Arab Spring." Tripoli experienced protests today over the new Libyan prime minister-elect's selection of 28 cabinet ministers, who include Muslim Brotherhood members but no one from the pro-NATO National Forces Alliance or key tribes. The new Libyan government is drifting Islamist. |
| NightWatch 20121003 | Chinese fisheries patrol ships continue to operate near the Senkaku Islands which Japan owns but China claims. The Iranian currency is essentially worthless as a medium of international exchange. Its collapse led to violent protests in Tehran. Turkish artillery forces asymmetrically retaliated against Syria over a Syrian mortar shell that killed five civilians in a village inside Turkey. |
| NightWatch 20121003 | At the UN this week, a North Korean Vice Foreign Minister warned that hostile US policies risked 'thermonuclear war." The North's hyperbole shows its leaders are upset that Iran has displaced North Korea as the focus of world concern. Georgian President Saakashvili conceded the electoral defeat of his party to a more pro-Russian coalition. The Iraqi government has decided to dissolve a 1995 treaty that permits Turkish soldiers to be stationed in northern Iraq to control the Kurdish communist insurgents who operate from Iraqi Kurdistan. |
| NightWatch 20121001 | The NATO Secretary-General has floated the idea that NATO forces might withdraw from Afghanistan earlier than planned because of the green-on-blue murders. However, he also said joint Afghan-NATO patrols have resumed. Western sanctions are considered responsible for a major drop in the value of the Iranian rial in the past week. Kenyan and African Union forces drove al Shabaab militants from their last coastal base at Kismayu. |
| NightWatch 20120927 | A leaked Israeli Foreign Ministry report finds that international sanctions on Iran are having a dramatic impact on the population but no impact on the nuclear program. Discontent with the government reportedly is increasing. In Syria, more than 305 people died in the bloodiest day of the insurrection. News sources claim that Lebanese Hezbollah forces are now fighting as allies of the Syrian government. Sudan and South Sudan signed agreements that will allow both to profit from a resumption of oil shipments from South Sudan through Sudanese pipelines. |
| NightWatch 20120926 | Japan asserted its sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands in the same terms the Chinese used, meaning Japan will not compromise on the issue of sovereignty. In Somalia, with Kenyan combat air support, al Shabaab fighters are being driven from Kismayo, the last port they controlled. At the UN General Assembly session, Egyptian President Mursi spoke as if he were the leader of the Arab world. West African, French and Malian resources are being pooled to support a combat operation against al Qaida elements and sympathizers in northern Mali. Mali has asked for a UN blessing. Greece has now joined Spain as the venue for large scale protests against more austerity measures required by Eurozone authorities. Governments could fall. |
| NightWatch 20120925 | The special session of the North Korean Supreme Peoples' Assembly passed a law extending the school year for high school students, but approved no agricultural or other reforms. China commissioned its first aircraft carrier, but the ship lacks combat capabilities. The NATO command in Afghanistan announced a minor reduction in anti-government attacks. More importantly it confirmed the number of such attacks is 100 per day, which is higher than in earlier years. In Madrid, Spain, thousands of protestors clashed with police over a new round of austerity measures. At least 32 people were injured. |
| NightWatch 20120925 | In North Korea. the special session of the Supreme Peoples Assembly which convenes on 25 September will address agricultural reforms to enable farmers to keep more of their crops. Egyptian courts thus far have upheld the ruling that the parliament is unconstitutionally elected and may not sit. This effectively leaves President Mursi in the position of an autocrat. President Mursi said that Egyptian forces deliberately responded slowly to the attack on the US Embassy in Cairo. |
| NightWatch 20120920 | Muslim protests occurred in multiple Pakistani cities on 20 September. Most were peaceful but a protest in Islamabad turned violent and required Army intervention. French and German diplomatic missions in mnay countries will be closed to workers as well as the public on 21 September as a precaution against violent protests. Publication of anti-Muslim cartoons in France on 19 September has already sparked protests in AFghanistan and seems likely to incite another wave of protests in the Middle East and Asia. |
| NightWatch 20120919 | In China, anti-Japanese crowds attacked the vehicle of the US Ambassador to China. The car was damaged, but no injuries have been reported. US diplomatic facilities will be closed in 20 countries this Friday as a precaution against anti-US demonstrations. |
| NightWatch 20120917 | China continues to contest Japan's claim to sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Anti-US demonstrations occurred in four nations, down from 33 yesterday. Egypt held its first "quartet" session on the Syrian crisis with Turkey and Iranian delegates. The Saudi Foreign Minister did not attend, owing to illness. Ultra conservative Muslims in northern Mali desecrated another Muslim shrine over the weekend. |
| NightWatch 20120916 | Anti-US protests have ended in most regions, but not south Asia. Protestors tried to storm the US Consulate in Karachi. The US Embassy suspended all public functions because of the threat of demonstrations. Non-violent demonstrations also have begun in Kabul, Afghanistan, and in Ankara, Turkey. |
| NightWatch 20120915 | China sent six surveillance ships into Japanese territorial waters near the Senkakus which China claims. China filed papers with the UN to comply with the Convention on Law of the Seas to back up its claims to the Senkakus. Anti-American and Anti-Obama demonstrations occurred in more than 22 Islamic nations and territories. The US Embassy compound in Tunis was breached. The German Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, was burned. A British newspaper published that the terrorist attack in Benghazi resulted in a significant loss of classified intelligence information, in addition to the deaths of four American officials. |
| NightWatch 20120913 | Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said the US and Russia should cooperate more to prevent such atrocities as those in Libya and Egypt. Egyptian President Mursi called on the US to punish the filmmakers that supposedly incited the rioters. Egypt has not apologized or issued condolences to the US. Video on the Web showed Libyan Muslims dragging the body of US ambassador Stevens through the streets of Benghazi. |
| NightWatch 20120913 | Anti-US protests and demonstrations occurred in 12 countries and Gaza City on 12 and 13 September. The US Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, was overrun but security forces eventually restored order. More and larger protests are expected in nearly every Muslim country on 14 September. Some might turn violent. |
| NightWatch 20120911 | Egyptian authorities ordered the arrest for suspicion of corruption of former prime minister Ahmad Shafiq, who lost in the presidential election to President Mursi. No news services reported any action by Egyptian authorities to control the anti-US crowds in Cairo or to protect the US Embassy compound which they stormed. Egypt's oil minister said 'rumors' that Egypt was buying Iranian oil are not true. Militant Muslim extrements fired rocket grenades and engaged in gunfights with security personnel guarding the US Consulate in Benghazi.The Consulate was "stormed" and one American worker was killed. |
| NightWatch 20120910 | South Korean authorities announced that North Korea has agreed to accept flood and humanitarian relief from the South. Iran announced that it is in talks to sell Iranian crude to Egypt. Russia has again proposed a conference of all players in the Syrian crisis, but the US announced its opposition. Egypt hosted a conference of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran to form a quartet of regional powers to work towards a settlement of the Syrian crisis. Islamists in northern Mali amputated hands and feet of highway robbers after an Islamic judge found them guilty. |
| NightWatch 20120906 | NightWatch will not be produced for the night of 6 September. |
| NightWatch 20120905 | Chinese authorities rejected US Secretary of State Clinton's meddling in South China Sea sovereignty issues. Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad admitted that Western sanctions were harming Iran, but they have had no impact on the nuclear program. US Intelligence has confirmed that Iran is airlifting critical supplies to the Syrian government, overflying Iraq with the permission of the Baghdad government. Al Maliki is acting like an Iranian satrap. |
| NightWatch 20120904 | North Korea has announced a decision to convene a second session of the Supreme Peoples' Assembly this month. Two US officials were wounded in a suicide bombing attack in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Monday. Russia blasted the US for criticizing its non-compliance with arms control treaties. Syria has begun mobilizing reservists in the continuing fight against the Sunni uprising. Russian media announced the Navy has no plans to evacuate the Russian base at Tartus, Syria. President Mursi has appointed new governors in Egypt, four of whom are Muslim Brotherhood Islamists. The pro-al Qaida Islamists in northern Mali are unable to manage a government. They want Malian officials to return to the north to operate electricity, water works and schools. |
| NightWatch 20120830 | The leader of a Pakistani Islamic terrorist front organization wrote that India's hold on Kashmir will not last after US forces depart Afghanistan. In Iran UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Egyptian President Mursi made comments that criticized Iran or Syria, during the Non-Aligned Movement summit. |
| NightWatch 20120829 | Despite recent belligerent statements, the North Korean regime wants to send a delegation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Moscow and held its first direct talks with Japanese officials in four years. Egyptian President Mursi arrived in Tehran from Beijing, China. He will attend the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. |
| NightWatch 20120828 | South Korean news services report that North Korean leaders are considering another attempt at currency reform to solve the North's chronic economic problems. Egyptian President Mursi was in Beijing today, an extension of his balanced foreign policy. |
| NightWatch 20120827 | The Supreme Court of Pakistan postponed until 18 September the hearing on government compliance with a Supreme Court order. The Taliban's beheading of 17 people for attending a party is likely to generate a severe backlash. The Taliban overreached. Iran's hosting of the Non-Aligned Movement is reinvigorating the movement and contradicts US claims that Iran is isolated. Syrian Christians are leaving Syria, which is the nursery of Christianity. There are only two hot conflicts in the world but US arms sales to foreign countries tripled last year, according to the Congressional Research Service. |
| NightWatch 20120824 | US military statements about fight in Afghanistan that were intended to show progress, in fact, show no progress in a decade. The Saudis will send a deputy foreign minister to Tehran to monitor the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran. |
| NightWatch 20120823 | North Korea stated its willingness to discuss relief aid with a South Korean non-governmental organization. The former Pakistani ambassador to the US said it is time for a "divorce" between the US and Pakistan because 75% of Pakistanis consider the US to be the "enemy". A former member of the opposition Syrian National Council said the opposition will never break the Asad regime unless the Alawites defect. Egyptian President Mursi overruled the courts to release from prison a newspaper editor who insulted the President. Nigerian President Jonathan said military intervention in northern Mali is inevitable if talks with the militants fail. |
| NightWatch 20120822 | Kim Jong-un will not attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran, but North Korea will send a high-powered delegation. India is building its own aircraft carrier, but it will not be launched until 2013, three years behind schedule. Egyptian President Mursi will visit China before attending the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran. Protests in Tunisia on 22 August against Islamist press censorship resonate with anti-censorship protests in Egypt this week. |
| NightWatch 20120821 | Egyptian President Mursi will attend the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran on 30 August. No Egyptian head of state has visited Iran in more than three decades. The visit carries enormous regional symbolism. Israel's demand that Egypt withdraw tanks from its Sinai operations is a ruse to test Egypt's compliance with the peace treaty terms. Mali has a new unity government that is vowing to reconquer the north. |
| NightWatch 20120820 | NightWatch will not be published for the night of 20 August. |
| NightWatch 20120819 | In Afghanistan, so-called 'green on blue" attacks must be considered recent manifestations of Mullah Omar's long term plan to drive a wedge between Afghans and Coalition forces. This is the tactic of choice of the Taliban ralliers. |
| NightWatch 20120816 | A Pakistani Taliban attack group failed to breach security at a key Pakistan Air Force Base on 15 August. Kidnappings and other security incidents indicate the Syrian fighting is spreading to Lebanon. |
| NightWatch 20120815 | NightWatch will not be published for the night of 15 Auigust. |
| NightWatch 20120814 | Chinese officials announced several economic agreements to help develop North Korea's special economic zones. Egyptian President Mursi gave medals to Field Marshal Tantawi and Lieutenant General Sami Annan, on their retirement. Tunisian extremists called on the government to strip Tunisia's first female Olympic medal winner of her "nationality" because they judged her running outfit to be indecent. |
| NightWatch 20120813 | Kim Jong-un's uncle Chang Song-taek is leading a large delegation to China to try to revive Chinese interest in modern economic projects in North Korea that China froze after the failed North Korean space launch in April. Indian Defence Minister Antony asserted India's claim of ownership of western Kashmir which Pakistan occupies, but calls a liberated territory. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has suspended Syria's membership. Egyptian President Mursi all-but apologized for replacing the top military leadership. |
| NightWatch 20120812 | Syrian rebels claim to control a secure base in the area between Aleppo and the Turkish border, a key step in the evolution of an insurgency. Egypt's President Mursi has retired Field Marshal Tantawi and the Army Chief of Staff, General Enan. Anti-government protests occurred in major cities of Morocco over the government's failure to keep its promises to end corruption, control prices and to release reform activists from prisons. |
| NightWatch 20120809 | Multiple news services reported that North Korea might hold the world's second largest deposits of rare earth mineral ores, after China. Pakistani intelligence reportedly is planning a meeting with 1,500 imams and the Afghan Taliban in Quetta. Syrian opposition sources claim they killed a Russian general who was an adviser to the Ministry of Defense. Egyptian forces are executing a major operation to rid the Sinai desert of terrorists. Egyptian President Mursi fired his intelligence chief and other senior officers because of the 6 August terrorist attack that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. |
| NightWatch 20120807 | Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council is making a fact-finding trip about security conditions in Syria and Lebanon. Iraq announced that it is reviewing its relations with Turkey after the Turkish Foreign Minister made an unauthorized visit to Iraqi Kurdistan. Egyptian protestors chased and beat up the new Egyptian prime minister at a funeral for the 16 soldiers killed in Sinai this week. President Mursi did not attend the funeral because of the threat protestors would beat him up too. |
| NightWatch 20120806 | A senior North Korean official has begun a new outreach initiative to several Southeast Asian states. A Taliban ambush in Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan has inflicted the worst losses experienced by New Zealand's small coontingent and is a portent of Taliban expansion. Syrian opposition forces retain the capability to execute bomb attacks in Damascus. The defection to the opposition by the Syrian Prime Minister means that the Sunni elite that has benefited and profited from working with the Asad government also is leaving. the Muslim Brotherhood has called for real reform or revolution in Algeria. France said it will support African forces in retaking northern Mali, but will not send troops. |
| NightWatch 20120802 | Kim Jong-un received the head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party. This was his first meeting with a foreign dignitary as North Korea's leader. A late July speech by Supreme Leader Khamene'i calling for a "resistance economy' is the latest admission that sanctions are biting deeply in Iran. A new Egyptian cabinet was sworn into office. It includes Field Marshal Tantawi who continues as Minister of Defense. |
| NightWatch 20120801 | China has begun soliciting bids from oil companies to explore blocks in tghe South China Sea that overlap those already being explored under concessions granted by other coastal countries. India's indigenously developed submarine-launched, nuclear-capable, ballistic missile has entered production. Iraq has increased security on the Syrian border to prevent Syrian fighters from entering. The Saudis have not confirmed whether Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the head of Saudi intelligence, is alive or died from wounds sustained in a 22 July assassination attempt. |
| NightWatch 20120730 | A high level Chinese communist party delegation is visiting Pyongyang, possibly to arrange a visit to Beijing by Kim Jong-un. US officials warned the Syrian opposition against reprisals and dismantling of the existing administration, in the event it wins, so as to avoid the problems the US encountered in Iraq. The new Egyptian cabinet will be announced on 2 August. The number of unemployed workers in Spain nearly 25% but the number of unemployed young workers is 53%. |
| NightWatch 20120729 | A statement from the North Korean National Defense Commission suggests the struggle over national priorities is not settled. Pakistan's Supreme Court has given the government two more weeks to avoid a second contempt conviction. Syria's Muslim Brotherhood has emerged and is making a bid to capture control of the opposition fighters in Syria. |
| NightWatch 20120727 | The chief of the Russian Navy said Russia is involved in talks to establish naval bases in Cuba, Vietnam and the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean. A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said the friends of Syria have not yet entered the fight, but vowed to carry the fight to the "despised Arabs." Syria apparently is allowing semi-autonomy to Syrian Kurds in the northeast as a means of putting pressure on Turkey to stop supporting the Syrian opposition. The Turks are in a near panic over this because they fear an autonomous region in Syria will be used by Kurdish insurgents to attack Turkey. |
| NightWatch 20120726 | The Pakistani Taliban is the first Islamic jihadist group to state its support for the persecuted Muslims of Burma. Two senior Iranian officials said Iran is committed to Syria and is ready to provide experience and capabilities support. The chief of the Russian navy said Russia intends to keep its base in Tartus, apparently in response to a Syrian opposition threat to attack the base. Egyptian President Mursi held talks with Ismail Haniya, the Hamas chief in Gaza. A senior Malian official announced that Mali would welcome a West African military intervention force to help recapture the north, in a reversal of previous policy. |
| NightWatch 20120725 | North Korea media confirmed that the woman who has appeared in public with Kim Jong-un is is wife. North Korea called on the US to treat the North as an equal negotiating partner. The Pakistani government of prime minister Ashraf has refused to comply with a direct order of the Pakistan Supreme Court creating conditions for its summary resignation and another constitutional crisis. |
| NightWatch 20120724 | Chinese officials apparently demanded a senior North Korean delegation to explain just what happened in Pyongyang last week when the Chief of the General Staff was sacked and possibly shot to death. China officially established a new prefecture to cover the South China Sea. Pakistani relations with Afghanistan and the US are strained again, over artillery shelling, refugees and bottlenecks in Karachi to resupply operations. Egypt's new prime minister is Hisham Kandil, a minor minister in the transitional government who will not challenge President Mursi. |
| NightWatch 20120723 | South Korean media reported that Kim Jong-un successfully beat back a military challenge and that the civilians have taken control of the economy from the military. North Korea also announced a complete review of the nuclear program in response to a thwarted, but marginally credible, sabotage plot that was sponsored by South Korea. A Syrian government spokesman said Syria could use chemical weapons against foreign forces. Later Syria reverted to its longstanding policy of not confirming or denying possession of weapons of mass destruction. |
| NightWatch 20120719 | Ramadan began on the evening of 19 July. Opposition fighters attacked a provincial police station in Old Damascus and claim to have overrun three border crossing posts in eastern Syria. Iranian and Hezbollah leaders praised the stand of the Syrians. |
| NightWatch 20120718 | North Korean media reported Vice Marshal Hyon is the new Chief of the General Staff, signalling the end of the leadership crisis this week. Kim Jong-un and the Party leaders beat back a challenge by the military leaders. The bombing in Syria that killed top defense and security officials is a major blow to the Asad family, but does not necessarily mean the Alawite government will collapse, especially if Iran increases its support. |
| NightWatch 20120717 | By a decision of the North Korean Workers' Party Central Committee, the National Defense Commission and the Supreme People's Assembly -- all the top organs of state authority -- Kim Jong-un was promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Only Kim Il-sung and Kim Chong-il have held that rank previously. In Syria fighting has moved closer to Damascus. Israeli sources claim the Syrian army has thinned forces on the Golan Heights to reinforce Damascus. |
| NightWatch 20120716 | North Korean media announced the promotion of General Hyon Yong-chol to the rank of Vice Marshal, making him a potential replacement for Vice Marshal Ri. The US Navy in the Persian Gulf showed Iran that it will shoot small boats. |
| NightWatch 20120715 | In a surprise announcement, North Korean news said that Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, the Chief of the General Staff, was dismissed from all military and party positions because of illness. A purge probably is in progress. A Chinese patrol combatant ran aground on a Philippine shoal, but was refloated after two days. The International Committee for the Red Cross declared Syria to be in a state of civil war without providing any credible explanation. Egypt's Supreme Council for the Armed Forces warned that no single group will be allowed to dominate Egyptian politics. The French foreign minister suggested that the deployment of an international military force to reunite Mali is only a matter of time. |
| NightWatch 20120712 | The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed Prime Minister Ashraf to report by 25 July on its actions to reactivate criminal proceedings in Switzerland against Pakistani President Zardari. If Ashraf fails, he risks a criminal indictment for contempt of the Supreme Court. In a weekend poll on Iranian state television, more than 60% of Iranian respondents said they would prefer an end to the nuclear program if it resulted in an end to western sanctions. |
| NightWatch 20120711 | Three Chinese patrol ships are operating in Japanese claimed waters, setting the stage for another confrontation. Pakistani bureaucrats are delaying supply shipments to Afghanistan, apparently deliberately. Egyptian President Mursi said he would abide by the Court's decision that the parliament is unconstitutional and cannot be convened. Mursi flew to Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip to meet the King and beg for assistance. The military leaders of Mauritania, Algeria, Niger and Mali met to discuss the security situation in northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20120710 | The Afghan Taliban denied responsibility for the execution of the woman caught in adultery. UN Envoy Kofi Annan said Iran can play a positive role in ending the fighting in Syria. Russia has sent a naval task group to the Mediterranean Sea to engage in exercises near Syria. The Egyptian constitutional court declared unconstitutional President Mursi's order to convene the People's Assembly. The Assembly did convene for less than 15 minutes before adjourning. The outcome of the Libyan elections has not been announced. Greece's finance minister announced that Greece will soon need another bailout. |
| NightWatch 20120709 | The US explained its pivot to Asia is justified by the need to promote democracy and human rights, though every country in Asia holds elections and protects human rights as it defines them. Thousands of Pakistanis protested the decision to reopen NATO supply lines. An attack against a Pakistani military base supported the protestors. The Egyptian military authorities announced that they expected all institutions of government to respect the law. The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court affirmed that its disqualification of the Egyptian parliament was a final and binding order. Results from the Libyan elections have not been announced. |
| NightWatch 20120709 | The Chinese aircraft carrier embarked on its ninth sea trial on 6 July, which could last through the end of the month. The Tlass family, formerly influential Sunnis in the al Asad regime, defected from Syria because of personal disagreements. They are now in Paris. Egyptian President M. Mursi has convened the parliament to write a constitution, in defiance of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Libyan election results will be announced on 9 July. Transitional prime minister M. Jabril has called for a national unity government, but the Muslim Brotherhood might dominate the parliament. |
| NightWatch 20120705 | Turkish authorities found the bodies of the two F-4 crew members shot down by Syrian air defenses last month. The location of the discovery tends to support the Syrian version of the shoot down. News reports that assert that Syrian President al Asad is ready to step down from office appear to be unfounded. On 7 July Libyans will vote in free general elections for the first time. |
| NightWatch 20120703 | Pakistan has agreed to reopen to NATO convoys the supply routes to Afghanistan, following a US statement of condolences. Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad admitted that the new sanctions on Iran are the most onerous to date. Syrian President Asad said he regretted the downing of the Turkish fighter and said the incident will not escalate to conflict. A meeting of the Syrian opposition degenerated into a fist fight among the delegates. |
| NightWatch 20120702 | North Korea again is threatening more space launches, despite a widespread drought and deteriorating economic situation. Iran once again is threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic in response to international sanctions. Egypt's new President appears to be going out of his way to antagonize the United States. In Mali the Islamists are destroying ancient shrines in Timbuktu, just as the Taliban did in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in 2001. In Mexico, voters returned the PRI to office by electing Enrique Pena Nieto as their new President, by a narrow margin. |
| NightWatch 20120629 | Turkey reinforced part of its border with Syria where its reconnaissance jet was shot down. Syrian opposition fighters detonated two bombs in Damascus, the third such incident this week. Unconfirmed reports indicate Jordanian intelligence is cracking down on the Syrian opposition in Jordan. Field Marshal Tantawi will be the Defence Minister in the new Egyptian cabinet. Islamist fighters have taken Gao from the Tuaregs and are increasingly in control of northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20120627 | NightWatch will not be published for the night of 27 June. |
| NightWatch 20120626 | Coalition forces confirmed a significant increase in Taliban attacks in Afghanistan that corresponds to the Taliban's spring offensive. Tension between Turkey and Syria continues to increase. Several Egyptian court rulings that support president-elect Mursi suggest the courts are breaking ranks with the army. Mursi held his first meeting with Field Marshal Tantawi and staff on 25 June. |
| NightWatch 20120625 | China is scaling back its investment in a key economic development project in North Korea because it has "no business value." Turkish relations with Syria remain tense in the aftermath of the downing of a Turkish reconnaissance aircraft. Jordan apparently is aiding and abetting defections by Syrian air force pilots. Mohammed Mursi is Egypt's new president-elect. |
| NightWatch 20120622 | Raja Pervez Ashraf is the new Prime Minister of Pakistan. Syrian air defenses downed a Turkish fighter aircraft that reportedly strayed into Syrian airspace. The Egyptian armed forces warned the Muslim Brotherhood they would deal firmly with any attempts to harm public and private interests. Spanish authorities announced they will request officially a European Union bailout loan on 25 June. |
| NightWatch 20120621 | A Pakistani drug enforcement agency has issued an arrest warrant against the top nominee to replace Pakistani prime minister Gilani. His name will be withdrawn. A Syrian air force pilot flew his aircraft to Jordan where he was granted humanitarian asylum. A Saudi expert and advisor to the Saudi cabinet said Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood lacks the vision and experience to govern Egypt. |
| NightWatch 20120620 | Greece has a new prime minister but the coalition of three parties has not agreed on a government. The coalition is the same political elites who got Greece into its economic crisis. The Egyptian election commission announced an indefinite delay in declaring a winner in the presidential election. The al-Qaida affiliates in northern Mali said they want Sharia not independence. Nevertheless, the Tuaregs in the north still want an independent Tuareg state. |
| NightWatch 20120619 | The Supreme Court of Pakistan has disqualified Prime Minister Gilani from holding public office because of his conviction for contempt of court last April. In Egypt, anti-army government demonstrations resumed in Cairo after the military took back its control of the government and the parliament was dissolved. The pro-military candidate Ahmed Shafiq claims he won the election and that Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mursi's claim is false. Official election results are expected on 21 June. |
| NightWatch 20120618 | Russia is sending two amphibious assault ships with Russian marines to Tartus, Syria, to protect Russian nationals and the Russian base there, as well as to show solidarity with the Asad government. Unofficial returns indicate the Muslim Brotherhood candidate won the presidency, but will exercise its powers under the oversight of the Egyptian armed forces leadership. |
| NightWatch 20120617 | Greek voters opted to remain in the eurozone by voting for the New Democracy and Pasok, socialits, parties in a close race. Both support austerity measures but hope to renegotiate the terms. In Egypt, unofficial plus informal returns from an extraordinarily low voter turnout indicate the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate for the presidency won. It is less clear that the Egyptian military leadership will accept the vote. |
| NightWatch 20120614 | Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the parliamentary elections last year were unconstitutional and that at least the lower house must be dissolved. It found that the constitutional assembly likewise is unconstitutional as well as the law banning Mubarak-era officials from running for office. It is a clean sweep for the survival of the Mubarak-era political machine and will certainly lead to violent political protests. |
| NightWatch 20120611 | South Korean President Lee said that it is the policy of his government to retaliate immediately for any North Korean provocation. North Korea announced that it has no plans for a third nuclear test and accused South Korea of forcing it to test. The Burmese government has imposed martial law in Rakhine State on the Bangladesh border to stop clashes between the Rohingya Muslim minority and Buddhists. President Thein Sein said the clashes jeopardize the transition to democracy. |
| NightWatch 20120610 | The Indian Navy's refurbished Russian-built aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya has begun sea trials prior to transfer to India. French forces will begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July and complete the withdrawal in December 2012. In National Assembly elections in France, the Socialists appear to have won an outright majority in the first vote. The extension of a $125 billion loan to Spanish banks signifies agreement that the banking system must be saved, not that Spain's condition of insolvency is solved. |
| NightWatch 20120608 | The Shanghai Cooperation Organization asserted a role as an alternative leadership forum for Central Asian and key Middle Eastern issues, including Afghanistan and Syria. China displayed the extent of its strategic reach west across the Asian landmass to the Mediterranean and south to the Indian Ocean by way of Iran and Pakistan. Russia used the meeting to propose formation of an expanded coalition of states to exert pressure on both sides for peace in Syria. The US rejected the proposal. Fitch downgraded Spain's credit rating and warned of an increased likelihood Spain will need a financial bailout. |
| NightWatch 20120606 | Leaders of Russia, China, central Asian states, Iran, Afghanistan,India and Pakistan are deliberating regional security and the future of Afghanistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The Philippines has invited US forces back to their former bases. India declined the US invitation to assume a more active role in Afghanistan and to deepen the military relationship with the US. Two days before presidential elections, the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court will rule on the constitutionality of a law that banned the Army's candidate for president. |
| NightWatch 20120605 | Three Indian Navy combatants will hold exercises off Tokyo with the Japan Self Defense Forces starting 9 June. The Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has given the parliament a 48-hour deadline to appoint a 100-person panel to draft a new constitution. South Sudan and Sudan reportedly have agreed to cease fighting and to create a demilitarized zone between them. Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Venezuela announced their withdrawal from the Rio Pact. |
| NightWatch 20120604 | North Korea threatened to attack the headquarters of multiple South Korean news outlets for criticizing North Korea. The threat is preposterous. The International Atomic Energy Agency has rejected a North Korean invitation to send a mission to the North. Burma's defense minister indicated on 2 June that Burma has abandoned its nuclear weapons program, which North Korea has been assisting. NATO announced it has reached agreements with central Asian states on withdrawing NATO forces and equipment from Afghanistan without relying on Pakistan at all. Libya has postponed its national elections set for 19 June, until early July. |
| NightWatch 20120601 | The Tunisian government warned Salafists against causing political violence. The rebel factions in northern Mali are unable to agree on a government or the role of Sharia in public life. June is shaping up to be the month of significant elections, including French parliamentary elections; Egyptian presidential elections; Greek run-off parliamentary elections and Libyan elections for a constitutional assembly. |
| NightWatch 20120530 | Russian authorities indicated they will not support any additional UN sanctions or actions against Syria. They oppose any new UN Security Council meetings on Syria. A retired senior US diplomat confirmed that the Saudi King told him that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia will get one. |
| NightWatch 20120529 | In Takhar Province in northern Afghanistan, Taliban Pashtuns have attacked three girls' schools in a week with poison gas. The Egyptian presidential run-off election will pit the Muslim Brotherhood's Islamist candidate against a crony of former President Mubarak. The deeper question for which there is no answer yet is why more than half the registered voters in Egypt declined to vote in the first free election in Egyptian history. Mali is now a fragmented state because the Tuaregs and Islamists have declared independence for the north. The two groups do not agree on the role of Islamic law in governing their new state, however. |
| NightWatch 20120525 | The unofficial election results in Egypt indicate an Islamist and an ex-Mubarak era official will compete in the runoff election next month. These results are not consistent with the results of the parliamentary elections six months ago. The voter participation also was less than six months ago. Both conditions suggest significant voter fraud or manipulation. |
| NightWatch 20120524 | General Sareth Fonseka, who executed the destruction of the Tamil Tigers insurgency in Sri Lanka in 2009, was released from prison this week, but is banned from politics for seven years. For the first time in 7,000 years the leader of Egypt will be decided by a free vote of the people and the outcome is not known. Standard and Poors downgraded Tunisia's credit rating, mainly because the economy is linked to Europe, much of which is in recession. |
| NightWatch 20120523 | North Korea's denunciation of G8 criticism also included two invitations to the US for talks. The North executed three people last week for cannibalism. New Zealand will withdraw its small contingent from Afghanistan in 2013, a year earlier than announced. Egyptian presidential elections began on 23 May and will last through 24 May. An Islamist is expected to win. |
| NightWatch 20120523 | South Korea has proposed that human rights abuses in North Korea are more urgent than nuclear and missile issues. A South Korean official said North Korea is technically ready to conduct a third nuclear test. The first of two days of Egyptian presidential elections concluded peaceably and with a huge turnout. No early returns have been reported. |
| NightWatch 20120521 | The leaders at the NATO summit agreed that combat operations will be transferred to Afghan forces by mid-2013, effectively ending the war 18 months before the US timetable of the end of 2014. Syrian opposition claims of having poisoned six top officials were belied by public appearances of the officials. The Syrian opposition's claims of successes have no credibility. |
| NightWatch 20120518 | Fighting in northern and western Afghanistan has declined, but remains high in the 13 Pashtun provinces. The government cannot survive without NATO tactical air support. France will withdraw its combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, keeping a campaign promise by President Hollande. Shiites in Bahrain protested a proposal for a political and security union with Saudi Arabia. |
| NightWatch 20120516 | China's aircraft carrier completed its sixth sea trial on 15 May. Pakistan apparently is preparing to reopen the NATO supply lines from Karachi to Afghanistan. An Australian consortium has discovered oil off the Horn of Africa. A Greek government program to collect back property taxes by linking them to electric bills failed. |
| NightWatch 20120515 | There is no NightWatch for the night of 15 May. |
| NightWatch 20120514 | Iran plans to conduct a space launch sometime after 21 May, according to the Defense Minister. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have begun discussions about forming a political union. A jihadist group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings in Damascus, Syria, last week. Syrian parliamentary election results will be announced on 15 May. In a higher than usual voter turnout, Algerians resoundingly voted to maintain the status quo by returning the ruling party to power with an enlarged bloc in parliament. The Greek parties and President have failed to form a coalition government, but efforts continue. Greek depositors have begun a run on the banks by withdrawing their deposits. Spain is making preparations for a credit crisis to burst. |
| NightWatch 20120511 | China warned its tourists against traveling to the Philippines because of the continuing standoff over Scarborough Shoal. Unidentified elements detonated two suicide bombs in Damascus, Syria, in the worst security lapse of the uprising. Defense budget cuts are forcing the Royal Naval to terminate continuous deployments to the anti-piracy patrol off Somalia. The third attempt to form a Greek government began on the 10th. Voter participation in Algerian parliamentary elections reached 42%, but the Bouteflika government will not allow reforms through the election process. There is no Arab spring in Algiers. |
| NightWatch 20120509 | A ruling by a low level administrative court that would suspend Egypt's presidential elections will be overturned, but has further discredited the process as inept if not corrupt. All three top parties after the Greek elections have failed to form a coalition government, which means another election must be held in 30 days. |
| NightWatch 20120508 | The standoff between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal is now in its third week with no signs of resolution. China will not back down. Egyptian security forces have begun new operations against terrorists in Sinai, apparently to prevent increased Israeli military operations. UN warnings about the danger of civil war in Syria are not supported by the facts of the security situation. Greek political parties are making a third attempt to form a coalition government. If this attempt fails, new elections must be held in 30 days. German and EU leaders have switched from focusing on austerity to focusing on growth in the last 48 hours, after the French and Greek elections. |
| NightWatch 20120507 | Iranian elections on Friday strengthened the conservative, but anti-Ahmadi-Nejad bloc in the Majlis. The new French President is Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande. Following Greek parliamentary elections, the first attempt to form a government has failed. In Serbian elections, the vote favored the Socialist Party in another backlash against economic hardship. Armenia's moderate economic growth helped the incumbent Republican Party remain in control of the government in 6 May elections. Victor Ponta is the new prime minister of Romania. Putin was sworn in as the new President of Russia. Syria held parliamentary elections on 7 May as scheduled, despite some outbreaks of violence. |
| NightWatch 20120504 | Iran held a run-off election for the Majlis that is likely to increase the conservative, anti-Ahmadi-Nejad majority. On 6 May France will hold presidential elections. President Sarkozy is trailing in the polls. Greece will hold parliamentary elections on 6 May, but there is no front runner. This will be a backlash against European Union-mandated austerity measures. In the first week of the presidential election campaign in Egypt, military police in Cairo and Suez clashed with anti-army protestors led by Islamists. |
| NightWatch 20120503 | The UN in Afghanistan declared its highest security alert for Kabul and the road to Jalalabad in anticipation of Taliban attacks. Saudi Arabia warned Iran against threats to the sovereignty of any of the Gulf Arab states. Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has restated its commitment to adhere to the schedule previously promulgated for transferring power to an elected government by 30 June. At a conference in Moscow, Russian defense officials, including the Chief of the General Staff, threatened pre-emptive attacks against new NATO missile defense sites, "during a period of heightening tension." |
| NightWatch 20120502 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20120502 | The anti-government attacks in Afghanistan just hours after the US President left resulted in at least seven killed. Taliban claimed that the spring offensive began on 3 May. Kuwait is insisting that Iraq use its oil and oil-related revenues to pay reparations for the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Israel has activated six reserve battalions and the armed forces have Knesset authorization to activate up to 22 battalions to improve border security. |
| NightWatch 20120501 | China rejected a Philippine proposal for international mediation of claims in the South China Sea. New information reinforces the judgment that last week's high level North Korean visit to China reflected new strain in relations. The Egyptian presidential election campaign officially began on 30 April. Elections will be held on 23 and 24 May. Tunisians are demonstrating over the Islamist government's failure to improve the economy. In Mali the presidential guard attempted a counter-coup against the Army junta. The junta claims to have the situation under control. |
| NightWatch 20120429 | Under pressure from China, North Korea might have decided to postpone its nuclear test. The Egyptian political situation remains confused, but a change in the interim government appears imminent. The conservative Romanian government lost a vote of confidence to socialists who oppose the austerity measures directed by the International Monetary Fund. The Czech government in Prague barely survived a no confidence vote over its austerity measures,. Europe is becoming more unstable. |
| NightWatch 20120426 | The Egyptian election commission has published0 the final list of presidential candidates. It includes former prime minister Ahmad Shafiq, a Mubarak era official. The Sudanese government has ordered severe austerity measures and cutbacks to government services to finance the war against South Sudan. Sudan is insolvent and incapable of sustaining a war. |
| NightWatch 20120425 | The Supreme Court of Pakistan convicted Prime Minister Gilani of contempt of court for failing to comply with a court order to reopen a criminal corruption case against President Zardari. Gilani now has a conviction on his record. France advocates military action against the Syrian government, but the opposition has failed to secure a base for outside support. A panel of Egyptian fundamentalist clerics endorsed the Muslim Brotherhood candidate for president. The United Kingdom officially is in a double dip recession, according to the Office of National Statistics. |
| NightWatch 20120424 | International news services report that North Korea has nearly completed preparations for a nuclear detonation of some kind. South Korean armed forces are on alert against threats to the leadership and the nuclear test. The Egyptian election commission disqualified a Mubarak-era former prime minister after the armed forces council approved a new law disqualifying such persons. Later the armed forces council reversed itself and exempted the former prime minister from the new law. The Muslim Brotherhood parliament sought to bar --belatedly -- all Mubarak-era officials from campaigning for the presidency. |
| NightWatch 20120423 | North Korea issued on 23 April a direct threat of attack against the South Korean leadership. Chinese statements about the recent North Korean official visit failed to contain the usual metaphor that their relations are as close as "lips and teeth." China withdrew two of its three ships from Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea to ease tension with the Philippines. Three US Army soldiers and three civilians died in a car crash in Bamako, Mali. |
| NightWatch 20120422 | North Korea has become hypersensitive to real and perceived threats. This condition is dangerous and means the leadership is weak and unsure of itself. South Sudanese forces withdrew from the Heglig area which Sudanese forces claim to have captured. Uganda is threatening military intervention on behalf of South Sudan if war breaks out. Sudanese Muslims burned a Christian church in Khartoum. Egyptians in Cairo demonstrated against the military government on Friday. Amr Musa, a liberal nationalist and former foreign minister is said to be the front runner for the presidency, for now. A Mali Army colonel, a native Tuareg, is leading a government counter-offensive to take back northern Mali from the Tuareg and Islamist rebels. |
| NightWatch 20120419 | South Korea announced it has fielded a long range cruise missile that has been under development since 2010. India successfully test launched a three-stage long range ballistic missile that can reach every major city in China. Afghanistan experienced no demonstrations protesting the photos of the dead suicide bombers. Australian forces will remain in Afghanistan through 2014. Saudi Arabia announced a major aid package for Egypt, totaling $1.75 billion. Sudan has declared war against South Sudan, but South Sudanese forces repulsed four attacks by Sudanese armed forces against the Heglig oil region which South Sudan seized last week. |
| NightWatch 20120418 | China has called for the removal of all nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula and has decided to stop the practice of sending North Korean defectors back to North Korea. Both signify official displeasure with North Korea. The published photos of American soldiers posing next to the remains of a Taliban suicide bomber in Afghanistan require no US apologies. Syria is prepared to accept 250 UN ceasefire monitors and will provide helicopter support for them. |
| NightWatch 20120417 | North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivered his first speech on the 100th anniversary of his grandfather's birth. That is one more speech than his father Kim Chong-il delivered. Japanese press claims Iran helped finance the North Korean space launch and an Iranian delegation witnessed the failure. India plans to test launch the 5,000-km Agni V ballistic missile on 18 April, which can range all major cities in China. The Egyptian election commission has disqualified 10 of 23 presidential candidates including the three front runners. Officials in Bamako, Mali, have opened talks with the Tuaregs who control northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20120417 | North Korea declared itself no longer bound by its 29 February agreement with the US to freeze nuclear and missile tests and to host UN nuclear inspectors. The Egyptian election commission has upheld the disqualification of all three top contenders for the presidency, putting Egypt again on a path towards violent instability. |
| NightWatch 20120413 | North Korea's failed space launch did not interrupt the events in honor of Kim Il-sung's 100th birthday, which included electing his grandson to the remaining top party and government positions. China and the Philippines have eased the naval standoff in the South China Sea. The Syrian ceasefire is holding. Russia announced Russian naval ships will patrol the coast of Syria. Islamists staged two days of demonstrations in Egypt against Omar Suleiman's bid for the presidency. Guinea-Bissau experienced its third military coup since 2003. |
| NightWatch 20120412 | The North Korean space launch failed, which makes a nuclear detonation and demonstration more likely. The Philippines has stood down from a naval confrontation with China over disputed shoals in the South China Sea. Syrian forces stopped fighting at dawn on 12 April, but opposition fighters detonated a bomb two hours after the ceasefire, killing an officer and 24 others. In Egypt former spy chief Omar Suleiman announced he is running for president to stop Egypt from becoming a religious state. He could win. Sudanese combat aircraft bombed the South Sudan town of Bentiu on 12 April. In Greece unemployment rose to 21.8 percent, generally, and is over 50 percent for youths between 15 and 24. Labor conditions must be considered volatile. |
| NightWatch 20120410 | A North Korean space official declared all preparations have been completed for the space launch. Neither the opposition nor the Syrian government have complied with the UN ceasefire plan. An Egyptian court has issued a temporary injunction against the constitutional assembly because its composition does not represent Egyptian society, as prescribed in the military decree establishing it. Tunisians are shocked by the brutality with which the democratically elected, Islamist government suppressed anti-government demonstrations on 9 April, Martyrs' Day. |
| NightWatch 20120409 | North Korean preparations for a space launch continue. The launch might be accompanied by a nuclear-related detonation. Neither side in Syria is abiding by the UN peace plan. The vice president of Malawi has taken the oath of office as the new president. Sanctions against Iran are having significant indirect effects. There are no calls to halt the nuclear program, but banking and trade restrictions effectively have limited any progress that depends on outside support. |
| NightWatch 20120406 | North Korean party media have hinted that Kim Jung-un will be named Party General Secretary next week. The most viciously anti-American candidate for president of Egypt has been found to have an American parent, which would disqualify him from running for office. The President of Malawi has died, sparking a constitutional succession crisis between his vice president and his brother. Tunisia's Constitutional Assembly has voted that Tunisia shall remain a secular state instead of a n Islamic theocracy. Mali's Tuaregs declared the north an independent state, but France and the African Union have denounced the declaration. |
| NightWatch 20120405 | South Korean forces are trying to locate three or four North Korean midget submarines that left ports on the east coast. The North Korean space launch rocket is expected to be assembled on the launch pad on 6 or 7 April. For the first time since 1991, the Indian Navy is operating a nuclear-powered attack submarine, the INS Chakra, on lease from Russia. Syria is engaged in a final, intense crackdown on the opposition before the 12 April deadline to cease operations. The Tuaregs in Mali announced they have achieved their objectives and have halted military operations. |
| NightWatch 20120404 | The US and allied navies in northeast Asia are preparing to deploy Aegis-equipped combat ships to strategic locations to guard against a threat or mishap from a North Korean space launch. The Japanese government has renewed its sanctions against North Korea for the eighth time. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate promised that he would give religious clerics the power to review legislation for conformity with Islamic law. The disarray caused by the military coup in Bamako, Mali, has enabled al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb to begin creating a base in Timbuktu. |
| NightWatch 20120403 | NightWatch will not be produced on 3 April because none of the threat situations NightWatch is following have changed. |
| NightWatch 20120402 | Commercial satellite imagery of the west coast launch complex shows that North Korean technicians are making steady progress towards executing a space launch by mid-April. In Syria, the government has agreed to a ceasefire and withdrawal of forces in 12 days provided the anti-government forces do the same. A powerful, joint Anglo-French naval task group is being formed to attack Somali pirates ashore. France has declined to send troops to Mali for any purpose. The Tuaregs announced they have achieved their primary objectives in seizing the main towns in northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20120401 | Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi has been elected to the new Burmese parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood has reversed a year old pledge by announcing a Brotherhood candidate to run for the Egyptian presidency in the late May elections. Tuareg and Islamist rebels have captured the major towns in northern Mali. |
| NightWatch 20120330 | Japan announced it will shoot down the North Korean space launch if Japan is threatened. Afghanistan experienced another incident of fratricidal killings. Tuareg rebels in Mali captured the northern town of Kidal, have encircled Timbuktu and are moving to capture Gao. Spanish labor unions conducted two days of large demonstrations against labor reform to coincide with the new conservative government's announcement of a severely austere budget aimed a bringing deficit spending under control. |
| NightWatch 20120329 | Officials in Azerbaijan denied, denounced and rejected a US media report that Israel would use an Azeri airfield to launch an attack against Iran. On 28 March, Syrian President al Asad visited the neighborhood in Homs that was destroyed in recent fighting. He promised to rebuild it. West African heads of state have ordered that all land borders with Mali be closed to all trade except humanitarian aid and all banks cease doing business with Mali until the army mutineers restore the rightful government. |
| NightWatch 20120328 | The US announced it is suspending food aid to North Korea because of its announced intention to conduct a space launch next month. The Indian Chief of Army Staff wrote a letter to the government that the Army is not prepared for war. Egypt's constitutional committee held its first meeting on the 28th, but was boycotted by secularists for being biased in favor of Islamists. The Egyptian Army published an unusual warning to the civilian politicians to leave Army commercial enterprises alone. The President of Mali announced he is alive, well and safe in Bamako. |
| NightWatch 20120327 | North Korea insists that its moratorium on long range missile launches was never intended to apply to peaceful space research. In Pakistan, large demonstrations were held in Islamabad to oppose NATO and US supply operations for Afghanistan. In Afghanistan raids in Kabul and other cities apparently disrupted Taliban plans to start the spring offensive this week. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated parliament acknowledged Western pressure for it to give the Egyptian Army leaders a pass for any atrocities committed during the Egyptian uprising. West African states finally have begun to exert pressure on the coup leaders in Mali to restore democracy. |
| NightWatch 20120326 | North Korea said that any criticism of its nuclear program at the nuclear security summit in Seoul would be a declaration of war. The North's threats are tiresome. Afghans in army or police uniforms killed three NATO soldiers on 26 March. Tuareg rebel leaders are negotiating the status of a northern city with the new junta. Senegalese president Wade conceded defeat in elections to President-elect Sall, marking an unusual peaceful transfer of power. |
| NightWatch 20120325 | Japan's defense minister ordered missile defense systems to be prepared to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it threatens Japan. South Korean officials said North Korea has moved a long range rocket to the west coast launch complex. North Korea announced it will convene a session of the Supreme People's Assembly on 13 April in honor of Kim Il-sung's 100th birthday celebrations on the 15th. Pakistani Taliban have threatened to murder any members of parliament who vote to approve a resumption of NATO supply operations through Pakistan. The coup in Mali has backfired by prompting Tuaregs to seize more towns in northern Mali and by risking a cutoff of the aid that the coup leaders overthrew the government to obtain. |
| NightWatch 20120322 | Reports of gunfire in Beijing and of a coup by the followers of Bo Xilai and Maoists are not credible. A Pakistani parliamentary review of US drone attacks calls for an end to them and for an official US apology. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood may run a Brotherhood candidate for president. In Mali soldiers attacked the presidential palace in Bamako in what might have been an attempt to overthrow the government. |
| NightWatch 20120322 | Something unusual involving military vehicles in Beijing, China, occurred on 19 March. It appears to be another round of leadership purges related to the dismissal of party secretary Bo Xilai. Kurdish leader Massud Barzani has accused Iraqi prime minister al Maliki of hoarding power and wanting to build a million-man military force loyal to himself, making him a Shiite-version of Saddam Hussein. Mali army units looted the presidential palace in Bamako as part of the coup. A group of company-grade officers declared they had suspended the constitution and dissolved national institutions. A counter-coup reaction appears likely. |
| NightWatch 20120320 | The UN confirmed a North Korean invitation for UN nuclear inspectors to return to North Korea. The US exempted 10 European Union countries and Japan from penalties for buying Iranian oil. Syrian government forces routed opposition fightes from their only center in eastern Syria at Deir el-Zour. |
| NightWatch 20120319 | North Korea has invited the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit. The North also insists its planed launch of a satellite violates no agreements with the US. The outbreak of fighting in Damascus in the past two days signals a serious security lapse and significant threat if it continues. |
| NightWatch 20120316 | North Korea announced it will launch a satellite into space between 12 and 16 April, during the period of celebrations in honor of the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung on 15 April. Iraq refuses to halt Iranian cargo flights suspected of carrying arms for the Syrian government. Iraq has ordered a halt to arms smuggling and infiltration in support of the Syrian opposition fighters. |
| NightWatch 20120315 | The Chinese Communist Party's Organizational Department announced the replacement of Bo Xilai as party secretary of Chongqing. In India, a court has issued warrants for the arrest of three Iranians for a bombing attack against the wife of an Israeli diplomat. The European Union has ordered SWIFT, the company that handles global banking transactions, to disconnect on 17 March Iranian financial institutions subject to European sanctions. French President Sarkozy said he opposes arming the Syrian opposition because of the likelihood of sectarian civil war. There were more exchanges of attacks in the Gaza Strip on 15 March. |
| NightWatch 20120314 | A senior North Korean diplomat has revived a proposal for the US and North Korea to exchange liaison offices in the respective capitals. The Syrian army swept Idlib of opposition fighters and two more senior opposition leaders left the movement. Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Damascus. Senior leaders from Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas met to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, Syria and the Muslim Brotherhood's relationship with Iran and Hezbollah. |
| NightWatch 20120313 | Syrian President al-Asad announced Syria will hold parliamentary elections on 7 May. The Syrian opposition leadership is showing signs of internal disarray. Russia's Deputy Defense Minister said Russia will continue to fulfill its arms contracts with Syria. Hamas and Egypt attempted to broker a ceasefire between Israel and two other Palestinian terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, but attacks continued for a fifth day. |
| NightWatch 20120312 | Russia and South Korea will hold strategic defense talks this week. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani appointed Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam as the new Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, effective 18 March. The Taliban vowed to avenge the killing of 16 civilians in Kandahar Province by a US soldier. The Egyptian parliament has called for a vote to reject US aid. Spanish workers protested new labor laws that are part of the government's austerity program. |
| NightWatch 20120308 | North Korea greeted Syria on the 49th anniversary of the Syrian revolution. Syria celebrated 8 March Revolution Day as a national holiday. The Egyptian parliament is expected to vote no -confidence in the military-backed prime minister and his government. Tribal leaders in eastern Libya said their decision to declare the province of Cyrenaica a semi-autonomous federal region is final and irreversible. |
| NightWatch 20120307 | South Korea's National Defense Minister said South Korean forces are prepared for a chance to avenge the North's attacks in 2010. Six UK soldiers died in an IED explosion in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The Arab Red Crescent found the Baba Amr district of Homs to have been evacuated. The UK Prime Minister admitted Britain has been providing aid to Syrian opposition groups, confirming the Syrian government's charges of outside meddling. Libya's government in Tripoli said it will use force to maintain Libyan unity. |
| NightWatch 20120306 | North Korea and US representatives plan to meet in Beijing to finalize details on the US provision of 240,000 tons of food aid. The Palestinian group Hamas announced it would not fight for Iran in a conflict with Israel. The eastern Libyan region of Cyrenaica has declared itself semi-autonomous. |
| NightWatch 20120229 | Japan announced a new program for sea lane safety that involves assisting coastal countries in improving maritime security. After talks with the US, North Korea announced a moratorium on long range missile launches, nuclear tests and uranium enrichment plus accepted UN inspections, in return for 240,000 tons of food aid from the US. Elections for the 290 members of the Iranian Majlis will take place on 2 March. Egypt announced that presidential elections will begin on 23 May. |
| NightWatch 20120228 | North Korea has not yet staged a provocation in response to Allied exercises in South Korea. China is using the same tactics as Syria to suppress Uighur dissidents in Xinjiang Province in western China. US news reports of the gravity of the security situation in Homs, Syria, do not square with non-US reporting. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood will control the upper and lower houses of parliament after the military returns power to the elected representatives of the people. It will not be a good time for holdovers from the Mubarak era. The German constitutional court has ruled unconstitutional some of the actions taken to support the European Financial Stability Facility. |
| NightWatch 20120227 | India announced it will hold a large military exercise in the Rajasthan Desert opposite southern Pakistan. Suicide bombers attacked Jalalabad, Afghanistan, as part of the continuing protests of the burning of the Korans. Qatar's prime minister said he thinks Qatar should do whatever is necessary to support the Syrian opposition. |
| NightWatch 20120226 | North Korea threatened "sacred war" but the US and South Korean exercises began on 26 February regardless. Pakistani authorities demolished the house that bin Laden died in. In Afghanistan, protests over the burning of the Koran continued, resulting in two more Americans shot and killed and seven injured in a bombing attack over the weekend. In Egypt and the Gaza Strip Hamas leaders for the first time announced their support for the Syrian Sunni Arab opposition against the al-Asad regime, which has been a main Hamas supporter. |
| NightWatch 20120223 | US and North Korean envoys discussed a variety of issues, including food aid, despite earlier assurances that food was not on the agenda. An Afghan National Army soldier killed two and wounded four Americans over the Koran burnings. The daily number of deaths in Iraq is approaching that in Syria. |
| NightWatch 20120222 | North Korean and US officials met in Beijing for talks about North Korean readiness for talks. An accidental Koran burning by US soldiers has sparked nation-wide anti-US protests in which eight people have died. Yemeni President Saleh is due to return to Sanaa to complete the transfer of power to his successor, former Vice President Hadi. Iran announced plans for civil defense drills in the petrochemical trade zone. Ethiopian and Somali government forces captured the central town of Baidoa. |
| NightWatch 20120221 | South Korea executed without incident live-fire artillery training on the five islands it holds off the northwest coast of South Korea. Pakistan is seeking the extradition of former President Pervez Musharraf in connection with the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Kyrgyzstan expects all foreign military personnel to depart in 2014, including US military personnel at Manas International Airport. The US does not confirm the arrival at a Syrian port of a group of Iranian naval ships that entered the Suez Canal last week. Greece received its European Union bailout loan. |
| NightWatch 20120216 | Thai police are convinced specific Israeli diplomats were the targets of the bombings in Bangkok this week. Malaysian police arrested an Iranian in Kuala Lumpur who is suspected of involvement in the bombing plot. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Cyprus where he signed a search and rescue agreeement with the Cypriot government. He is the first Israeli head of government to visit Cyprus. |
| NightWatch 20120216 | China announced it will make a major investment in a North Korean special economic zone. A new ultra-nationalist and Islamist political coalition, known as the Defend Pakistan Council, plans an anti-NATO demonstration on 20 February in Islamabad. Syria announced it will hold a referendum on a new constitution on 26 February. Egypt announced presidential elections will be held in May. Italy's national statistics agency report the country is officially in recession. |
| NightWatch 20120214 | North Korea promoted Kim Chong-il posthumously to his father's rank of Generalissimo. Thai police arrested an Iranian in connection with the Bangkok bombings which they believe were aimed at "foreigners", meaning Israelis. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood announced its willingness to form the next government. A Brotherhood member would serve as prime minister and 16 others would serve as cabinet ministers. The crisis in Egyptian relations with the US is being fueled by holdovers from the Mubarak regime. Greek central bankers expect the country to default. European Union officials said action will be taken against Spain because of its failure to properly address its financial problems. |
| NightWatch 20120213 | US and North Korean nuclear delegations have agreed to meet on 23 February in Beijing. South Korea has offered to hold Red Cross talks with the North on 20 February. Pakistan's Supreme Court has indicted Prime Minister Gilani for contempt of court in failing to resume criminal cases in Swizterland against President Zardari. Lebanese Hezbollah warned that Hezbollah would not allow Lebanon to be used against other Arab states. Israel warned it would not tolerate attacks against its diplomats, after one was injured by a car bomb in India. For a second day violent street demonstrators in Athens protested austerity measures passed by parliament on 12 February. |
| NightWatch 20120212 | Rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had been assassinated appear unfounded. The Syrian offensive against the rebel center at Homs continues. Last week the Egyptian military leadership restated its commitment to presidential elections without announcing a date for the polls. The Greek parliament passed the austerity bill required as a condition for the EU and IMF bailout, but protestors rioted in Athens. |
| NightWatch 20120209 | The collapse of Iran's rial and banking sanctions on trades using hard currencies are blocking imports of rice, tea, palm oil and other essential commodities. Shortages and high prices have not led to riots yet. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has called for the government in Cairo to step down and for parliament to approve a new coalition government. Somalia's Al Shabaab announced its affiliation with al Qaida. The Greek government and creditors announced a deal that should help pave the way for another large bailout. Greek unions have called for two days of nationwide strikes to protest new austerity measures included in the deal with creditors. |
| NightWatch 20120208 | South Korea has proposed working level talks with North Korea for controlling pests at tombs in the North that are revered by both Koreas. A well-respected field grade US Army officer has published a highly pessimistic report of security conditions in Afghanistan after a year long trek through the countryside. All news services indicate that the fight for the town of Homs will be the make or break action in the Syrian uprising. Egyptian leaders are defiant of US threats to cut aid because of their decision to prosecute foreign activists. |
| NightWatch 20120207 | Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Kayani will engage in security talks with US Central Command Commander General Mattis next week, to relieve strain in the security relationship. Saudi women who want automobile drivers' licenses are taking their case to court. Iranian proxies Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas are making preparations for cuts in Iranian aid because of instability in Syria. Greek workers held their second nationwide strike of the year to protest more government imposed austerity measures. |
| NightWatch 20120206 | The security situation in Syria does not appear to be as dire or dangerous as US media report. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said the US reaction to the Russian and Chinese veto of the draft UN resolution against Syria was "nearly hysterical." |
| NightWatch 20120203 | North Korea has made an overture to South Korea that states its gripes, but reverses its refusal to deal with the South Korean government under any conditions. Iran continues to bluster against its enemies while losing ground in Syria. The Islamist opposition won Kuwait's parliamentary elections. Islamists and other civilian activists are taking advantage of the soccer riots to intensify pressure on the military government to return to barracks. |
| NightWatch 20120202 | North Korea, including Pyongyang, continues to suffer from a severe electric power shortage. Pakistan's Supreme Court has cited Prime Minister Gilani for contempt of court. He could be fined, go to prison or both. Money speculators and a declining currency have prompted the Iranian government to threaten execution of those caught speculating. |
| NightWatch 20120201 | North Korean media denounced a report published by South Korean and Japanese media that said China would intervene in North Korea during a crisis. In Iraq, Sunni Arab ministers returned to the cabinet and resumed their duties, after talks with the Prime Minister. Russia restated its commitment to honor arms contracts with Syria and its determination to block any unbalanced UN resolution against Syria. |
| NightWatch 20120131 | India selected the French Dassault Rafale multi-role fighter as the replacement for its fleet of aging MiG-21s. The contract for 126 fighters is valued at nearly $11 billion. Saudi Arabia has dictated terms to the Afghan Taliban before allowing them to participate in peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Iranian leaders face the prospect of a strategic setback if the al Asad government in Syria is replaced by a Sunni Arab regime. A Somali press outlet reported that the leader of the al Shabaab movement in Somalia has been kidnapped. The report has not been confirmed. |
| NightWatch 20120130 | Syria's security situation continues to deteriorate, indicated by the fighting near Damascus. Belgian transport workers staged a general strike to put pressure on European Union leaders who met in Brussels. |
| NightWatch 20120129 | France announced that it will withdraw its combat forces from Afghanistan in 2013. France and Afghanistan also announced their agreement that NATO should accelerate the transfer of combat responsibilities from NATO to Afghan forces. An IAEA nuclear inspection team has arrived in Iran. Greece rejected a German proposal that the EU have oversight of Greece's budget. French President Sarkozy announced plans to impose a transaction tax on stock sales starting in August. |
| NightWatch 20120126 | The Iranian central bank devalued the currency by 8 per cent and raised interest rates on deposit accounts to stop capital flight. Syrian security forces executed a sweep operation in a town near Damascus, protecting the center of power in the capital. |
| NightWatch 20120125 | A surge in international meetings and preparations for other meetings indicates international events are in transition. The US rescue operation in Somalia significantly helps protect Americans abroad by demonstrating that no enemy of the US is safe anywhere. |
| NightWatch 20120124 | Former Pakistani leader Musharraf's threat to return to Pakistan has so intimidated civilian politicians that they have passed a resolution ordering his arrest. France announced it will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in 2012, but its final decision depends on the outcome of talks with President Karzai on the 27th. Egypt's military government lifted the emergency laws on the one year anniversary of the overthrow of the Mubarak government. The Army wants to lower its political profile before an economic and political crisis breaks later this year. |
| NightWatch 20120123 | The Pakistan Army rejected NATO findings about the 26 November killings of 24 Pakistani soldiers and blamed the incident on the failure to follow established procedures for cooperation and the lack of a unified command structure in NATO/ISAF. A prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood has been elected the speaker of the Egyptian parliament. Supporters of the late leader Muammar Qadhafi seized the town of Bani Walid by force. The European Union agreed to implement an oil embargo on Iran and to freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank. |
| NightWatch 20120122 | North Korean propagandists now claim that Kim Jong-Un was responsible for past nuclear tests. France is considering an early withdrawal of its 3,500 forces after an Afghan soldier killed four on 20 January. Iraqi authorities arrested more Sunni Arab politicians on the 20th. Egyptian authorities have confirmed that Islamist parties won 70% of the 498 seats in parliament. |
| NightWatch 20120119 | Japan intends to seek a waiver from US sanctions against Iran. The Bangladesh Army foiled a plot to install a more Islamist government. Pakistan's Supreme Court continued until 1 February the contempt hearing against the Prime Minister and his government. The Syrian Army maintains a cordon around the town of Zabadani, but rebels hold the town for now. |
| NightWatch 20120118 | India's foreign secretary announced that India will not cooperate with US sanctions and will not seek US approval. The Syrian Army agreed to a temporary ceasefire with rebels holding the town of Zabadani, but intends to retake the town. Russia and China will block any UN Security Council move to approve military intervention in Syria. Libya will not be repeated. |
| NightWatch 20120117 | China and the United Arab Emirates announced their intention to establish a strategic partnership. Saudi King Abdallah has appointed a "moderate" to head the virtue and vice commission. He favors allowing female clerks to sell garments to women in women's stores. Iran wants Saudi Arabia to reconsider its pledge to compensate for oil shortfalls resulting from sanctions on Iranian oil sales. |
| NightWatch 20120116 | The Associated Press opened a bureau in Pyongyang, making it the first western press agency with a full time presence in North Korea. Chinese police completed their second patrol of the Mekong River, with local cooperation. The Supreme Court of Pakistan issued a contempt of court citation against the Prime Minister for failure to pursue corruption cases involving President Zardari. The Afghan Taliban said that their agreement to engage in talks does not mean they will stop armed struggle. Standard and Poors downgraded the credit ratings of nine European countries, including France. Violent protests against austerity measures are increasing in Europe, outside of Greece and Italy. |
| NightWatch 20120112 | There is no NightWatch for the night of 12 January. |
| NightWatch 20120111 | The first born son of North Korean leader Kim Chong-il openly criticized the North's hereditary succession as anti-socialist. The Pakistani government dismissed the Defence Secretary prompting the Pakistan Army to issue a public threat of "serious consequences." With Uzbekistan's assistance, Afghanistan has its first common carrier railroad service. |
| NightWatch 20120110 | North Korea announced a special amnesty for prisoners, as part of Kim's popularity contest. A senior Chinese expert said in an interview that the Six Party Talks are dead because nuclear weapons have been enshrined as the legacy of North Korea's late leader Kim Chong-il. In Pakistan a constitutional crisis has been reactivated after two years in which the Supreme Court has found that the President and Prime Minister both are constitutionally barred from public office. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood has decided to wait until parliament convenes on 23 January before taking on the power of the Egyptian Army. |
| NightWatch 20120109 | Sunday, 8 January, was the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It passed with no public celebrations. North Korea and the US have resumed negotiations about US food aid. China told the visiting South Korean President that it wants stability on the Korean peninsula. Turkey has arrested a former Chief of the General Staff for coup plotting. Kenyan and Ethiopian forces are making gains against al-Shabaab insurgents in southern Somalia. |
| NightWatch 20120105 | Pakistan's Supreme Court has agreed to investigate a controversial memo that purports to ask for US help in countering a Pakistan Army coup against the civilian, elected government. New oil sanctions against Iran appear to be having the effect of damaging the Iranian economy. As yet they have had no effect on Iran's nuclear policy. An Italian bank's financial advisor has warned investors to guard against a possible collapse of the euro zone, for the first time. |
| NightWatch 20120104 | On 1 January China cut excessive prime time television entertainment programming by two-thirds because the communist leadership considers Western television entertainment programming to pose a strategic threat to China, according to President Hu Jintao. The Chinese aircraft carrier has completed its third sea trials. Egypt's third round of parliamentary elections was extended a second day. |
| NightWatch 20120103 | The Afghanistan Taliban have confirmed that they will open a political office in Qatar for communicating and negotiating with the US. Iranian naval readiness has declined after the strain of recent exercises and will take weeks to rebuild. Egypt held its third and final round of parliamentary elections on 3 January. Greece is negotiating a second bailout by demanding creditors accept 50% losses on government obligations or Greece will withdraw from the euro zone. |
| NightWatch 20120101 | The North Korean party Political Bureau voted by acclamation to appoint Kim Jong-un as Supreme Commander. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki declared 31 December a national holiday to celebrate Iraq's freedom from the US military presence. |
| NightWatch 20111229 | The North Korean government awarded Kim Chong-il its highest state award, Hero; Kim retains all his positions of power, even in death. Afghanistan's Karzai government this week signed its first oil production contract, with a Chinese firm. Two US Navy ships transited the Strait of Hormuz this week without incident. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki has replaced the Sunni Arab members of his cabinet because of their continuous absence from cabinet meetings. |
| NightWatch 20111228 | North Korea held a funeral for Kim Chong-il on 28 December; the images conveyed stability and continuity. India and Pakistan extended for another five years two key confidence building agreements, as expected. Saudi Arabia announced it would offset any loss of oil from an Iranian blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. The Arab League monitoring mission in Syria, headed by a Sudanese general, said it found nothing to be frightened of on its second day of monitoring at Homs. |
| NightWatch 20111227 | The funeral for North Korean leader Kim Chong-il will be held on 28 December. An Iranian vice president warned that Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz to all oil shipments if oil sanctions are imposed on Iran. In Iraq, Muqtada al Sadr announced his faction's opposition to Prime Minister al Maliki's crackdown on Sunnis and called for early elections. A senior International Monetary Fund officer told the French press that Europe's financial crisis is turning into a crisis of confidence in public debt and in the solidity of the financial system. |
| NightWatch 20111226 | North Korean news media reported Kim Jong-un now is the leader of the Party Central Committee and Supreme Commander. In Pakistan, the power struggle between the Army and the government continues. Iranian media reported that Iran's armed forces are ready to expand military and security ties with Iraq. |
| NightWatch 20111222 | North Korea is expelling foreigners or confining them to quarters during the national mourning period, consistent with a high state of national war readiness. Turkey and Israel will renew cooperation between their air forces in the next two years. The Iraqi government has demanded that the Kurdish regional government hand over Sunni Arab Vice President al Hashimi to government custody. The Kurds have refused. |
| NightWatch 20111222 | In Pakistan the political struggle between the civilian government and the Pakistan Army leadership is intensifying. The purge of Iraqi Sunni Arab politicians continued, with another senior minister under investigation. The Mexican government has dismissed the entire police force of Veracruz because of heavy infiltration by criminals, mainly from the Zetas drug cartel. |
| NightWatch 20111220 | North Korean leader Kim Jong un paid respects to his father, marking his first public appearance since the death of Kim Chong-il. Djibouti sent an advance contingent to Mogadishu, making it the third African nation to join the African Union forces fighting al Shabaab Islamic terrorists. Algeria has sent a contingent of troops into northern Mali to help fight al-Qaida terrorists. |
| NightWatch 20111219 | North Korea test fired two short range ballistic missiles as the first acts of the new regime. Pakistan President Zardari has returned to Islamabad. NATO rejected Afghan President Karzai's appeal for an end to night raids, which undermine support for his government. |
| NightWatch 20111218 | North Korean leader Kim Chong-il died of a heart attack on a train during an inspection tour on 17 December. His funeral will be held on 28 December. In Iraq, sectarian political tension has begun to increase between Sunni and Shiite political parties. The second round of Egypt's parliamentary elections again favored Islamist parties. |
| NightWatch 20111216 | South Korea has acceded to US pressure to tighten sanctions on Iran. During Indian Prime Minister Singh's visit to Moscow, Russia announced two major arms deals. Two senior Pakistani generals raised the political stakes against the Zardari government by testifying against it before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. |
| NightWatch 20111215 | NightWatch will not be published in honor of the official end of the US intervention in Iraq. |
| NightWatch 20111214 | China accepted a Seychelles invitation to use its port for resupply and rest during anti-piracy escort missions, but declined the invitation to build a base. Pakistani President Zardari traveled to Dubai for medical treatment for a heart condition because he feared threats against his life in Pakistan. Iran plans to exercise its capability to close the Strait of Hormuz. The second round of Egyptian parliamentary elections began on 14 December. |
| NightWatch 20111213 | China has promised to cooperate in investigating the death of a South Korean coast guardsman by a Chinese fisherman. The Afghanistan government reportedly has an agreement with the Taliban that reduces attacks against schools in return for a more conservative religious curriculum. The Afghan-Iranian Joint Military and Defense Cooperation Commission held its first meeting in Tehran on 13 December. Jordanian media reported a crackdown in Tehran starting in November because of a thwarted assassination attempt against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran's parliament passed a bill that will allow free trade with Syria. |
| NightWatch 20111212 | Pakistan announced rules of engagement that would allow air defense units to shoot down US drone aircraft whenever they enter Pakistan's airspace. Syria held local elections for more than 17,500 positions. Egypt's economic problems are much worse than previously thought, according to Prime Minister Ganzuri. Algeria announced it will shoot down US and French reconnaissance drones. |
| NightWatch 20111208 | The Egyptian military-backed government announced it would appoint a commission to draft a constitution rather than rely on the elected parliament whose primary task was to draft a constitution. In Somalia, al Shabaab fighters attacked targets in the suburbs of Mogadishu, ending a four month lull. Ethiopian soldiers assisted Somali government forces in countering the attacks. |
| NightWatch 20111207 | Turkey denied that it has allowed armed Syrian opposition elements to operate from Turkey. Syria confirmed it fired on opposition elements hiding in Turkey. In Egyptian runoff elections, Islamist parties continued to make gains. China announced that trade losses in Europe will compel it to seek new markets in Asia and Latin America. |
| NightWatch 20111206 | A Pakistan-based terrorist group claimed responsibility for attacks against Shiites in three major Afghan cities. Turkish support for Syrian rebels is becoming more overt, indicated by a clash along the border on 6 December. France and Germany are engineering a two-tiered European Union. |
| NightWatch 20111205 | Pakistan's civilian government is seeking a reset of relations with the US so that it is the authority for all agreements -- overt or clandestine -- with the US. The turnout for Egypt's elections was lower than first reported, weakening many assessments of its significance as a manifestation of the will of the people. in Russian elections, Prime Minister Putin's United Russia Party lost seats in the Duma, but Putin has not necessarily been politically weakened. Germany and France support a new European Union Treaty that would compromise the economic sovereignty of its members. |
| NightWatch 20111201 | Russia expressed public concern about North Korean nuclear activities. Russia also sent cruise missiles for coastal defense to Syria. A UN official declared Syria is now in a civil war, but failed to provide substantiation or authority for his declaration. In Egypt the election results are to be announced by 3 December. Islamist parties appear to have won a majority. |
| NightWatch 20111130 | North Korea announced it is making progress in building and processing enriched uranium fuel for a light water reactor. Pakistan will restore its cooperation if NATO apologizes for the deaths of 24 Pakistani paramilitary troops on 26 November. Norway and France have withdrawn ambassadors from Iran because of the attack on the British Embassy this week. The core European Union states registered unprecedentedly high levels of unemployment for October. |
| NightWatch 20111129 | North Krea's news agency announced it will begin a Chinese language service beginning 1 December. China's aircraft carrier began its second set of sea trials on 29 November. This week the US Secretary of State will make the first visit to Burma at this level in 50 years. Pakistan-US relations have deteriorated but are not as bad as the public media analysts suggest. Iranian students broke into the UK Embassy in Tehran to protest British sanctions. The Moroccan King named the head of the Islamist party as prime minister with responsibility for forming a new government. |
| NightWatch 20111129 | North Korea and Iran reportedly are cooperating in the construction of a new missile facility in Syria. Syria says the new sanctions imposed by the Arab League and the European Union will hurt only the ordinary people. That appears to be accurate. Egyptians appear to have given a strong mandate to the Muslim Brotherhood in parliamentary elections on the 28th. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development published a forecast that predicts recession or near recession in Europe for the next two years. |
| NightWatch 20111127 | North Korea has again threatened to turn Seoul, South Korea, into a sea of fire. Pakistani public hostility to the US will spike because of the death of more than two dozen Pakistani soldiers from a NATO helicopter attack. A moderate Islamist party, modeled after the Turkish ruling party, won a plurality in Moroccan national elections. |
| NightWatch 20111123 | Russia continues its saber-rattling about NATO's anti-ballistic missile basing program. Yemeni President Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia to sign a power transfer agreement. Egyptian protests continued for a fifth day. Sahelian African states said they will form a joint air force to consolidate assets and eliminate redundancy in fighting al Qaida in North and Sahelian Africa. |
| NightWatch 20111122 | North Korea refused to accept South Korean humanitarian aid for flood victims. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani has accepted the resignation of Pakistan's ambassador to the US over the "memo" scandal. The Somali government in Mogadishu denied reports of a second Ethiopian military intervention. Egypt's military government has accelerated the date for presidential elections to June 2012. Moroccan parliamentary elections on 25 November are expected to be a referendum on King Mohammed's political reforms. |
| NightWatch 20111121 | China has affirmed it will strengthen military ties with North Korea, apparently in retaliation for US basing Marines in Australia. The Pakistan government has begun preliminary talks with the Pakistan Taliban. Ethiopian troops have returned to Somalia, according to eyewitnesses. Anti-military government riots occurred for the third day. Lebanon's Hezbollah and Amal promised to support Syria and Iran against international conspiracies. |
| NightWatch 20111118 | A major political crisis is emerging in Pakistan that involves a request from President Zardari to the US to prevent a military overthrow of the government. In Egypt anti-military protests have resumed, but the Muslim Brotherhood has refused to join the protestors. The European Commission has proposed various options for controlling sovereign debt that all involve significant compromises to national sovereignty. |
| NightWatch 20111117 | Russian sources said North Korea will be paid $100 million annually for allowing Russian natural gas to transit a pipeline to South Korea. The Emir of Kuwait wants harsh punishment for the cell-phone activists and protestors. The Syrian opposition and others want the Turks or the Saudis to intervene in Syria. Various Libyan groups are putting pressure on the transitional government, confirming Libyans have a limited and literal understanding of modern democracy. Tunisia's interim President is Moncef Marzouki a German-educated human rights activist. Italian Prime Minister Monti is promising harsh austerity measures that will not sit well in Rome. |
| NightWatch 20111116 | North Korea is experimenting with tourism from China, vice South Korea, using South Korean-built facilities. India and Pakistan are moving to establish most favored nation trade relations. Iran said it is willing to share its nuclear power technology with Turkey. The Arab League suspended Syria, as part of Sunni Arab efforts to contain Iranian influence as well as stop the killing of Syrian Sunni Arab protestors. Tunisian Islamists won a plurality and will form the next government. |
| NightWatch 20111116 | Chinese economists expect a downturn in the global economy that will include a downgrade of the US' credit rating. Afghanistan President Karzai has raised stiff conditions before agreeing to a strategic agreement with the US. The Arab uprising finally reached Kuwait where reform-minded protestors stormed parliament. Egyptian Army Field Marshal Tantawi apparently is running to be elected President of Egypt in 2012 or 2013. Kenya is willing to commit forces to the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia. |
| NightWatch 20111110 | Iran has renewed an offer of talks about its nuclear program to deflect UN discussions of more sanctions. Russia announced it will oppose more Iranian sanctions. The Palestinian Authority doubts it will achieve full UN membership. Niger has intercepted a weapons convoy from Libya protected by Malian Touaregs. Greek Prime Minister Papandreou has resigned. The Italian government hopes to pass a financial stability package by 12 November. |
| NightWatch 20111109 | South Korea has authorized the World Health Organization to distribute South Korean-financed medical aid to malnourished North Korean children. A Tunisian court approved the extradition to Libya of Qadhafi's former foreign minister. Lucas Papademos is likely to be the new Greek prime minister; Greece has not yet accepted the EU bailout plan. Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi has offered to resign after the budget bill is passed, which will add political turmoil to economic stress. |
| NightWatch 20111107 | South Korean officials have leaked information indicating North Korea is making progress in enriching uranium for dual use purposes. Italy is on the verge of becoming the next Eurozone country in danger of default on sovereign debts. |
| NightWatch 20111106 | A new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency reportedly will charge that iran has a nuclear weapons program. Syria released a large number of prisoners, consistent with one provision of the Arab League peace plan. Greece has a new coalition government that is not led by Papandreou. |
| NightWatch 20111104 | Russia and South Korea are working together on plans to build a natural gas-driven electric power plant in North Korea in return for permission to run a pipeline to South Korea. A US soldier has died in Kenya under suspicious circumstances. The Greek government of Prime Minister Papandreou has survived a vote of confidence. Cyprus sovereign bonds have been downgraded because of the ripple effects of the Greek financial crisis. |
| NightWatch 20111103 | The Japanese and Indian defense ministers agreed to hold joint naval exercises in 2012. Kenyan authorities said they will shoot down unidentified aircraft that support al Shabaab Islamic militants. The Egyptian military government insists that military affairs will remain exempt from civilian oversight in a future civilian government. Greece has backed down from holding a referendum on the European bailout plan. This will lead to more street violence. China is willing to chip in to help Europe provided there is no probability of loss!! |
| NightWatch 20111102 | An unmanned Chinese space vehicle successfully docked with the Chinese space lab. Pakistani leaders have promised to do what they can to restrain the Haqqanis. Iran said its forces are on full alert against an Israeli attack. Israel tested a Jericho missile on 2 November. Greece will hold its referendum on the European bailout plan on 4 December. |
| NightWatch 20111101 | In an interview in Russia, President Lee reverted to his initial hardline approach for dealing with North Korea. The new Saudi Crown Prince said compromise with Iran over the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US is unnecessary. Israel's government has authorized the armed forces to take all necessary measures to stop rocket attacks by Palestinians in Gaza. Greek Prime Minister Papandreou has announced a national referendum on the European bailout plan, risking his government, a Greek government default, ejection from the Eurozone and spreading panic and recession in Europe, if not beyond. |
| NightWatch 20111031 | North Korean contract workers in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are banned from returning home because of fear their experiences of the Arab uprisings will contaminate North Koreans. China refused a French request for increased Chinese purchases of bonds issued by the 17 Eurozone nations. The Chinese do not consider European sovereign debt to be risk free. The Libyan transitional council elected a US-educated electronics engineer and university professor as Libya's interim prime minister. |
| NightWatch 20111028 | In Tunisia, rioters in Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, burned down government buildings because nothing has changed. A revolution has not yet taken place in Tunisia, |
| NightWatch 20111027 | Russia is hosting North and South Korean delegates at talks in Moscow about restarting nuclear talks. An Iraqi official said the national reconciliation program will end after US troops depart. Saudi Interior Minister Naif is the new crown prince. On 27 October, al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia attacked the invading Kenyan forces but suffered significant losses. No Kenyan soldiers died. In Tunisia, the Islamist party Ennahda won 41,47% of the electoral vote for the National Constituent Assembly. |
| NightWatch 20111026 | Despite a prominent news service report, no evidence indicates China seeks to build ground, air or naval bases in Pakistan. The allied coalition in Afghanistan will transfer security responsibility for 17 more areas to Afghan forces in the next two weeks. Qatar announced it will lead a 13-nation military coalition that will protect Libya after NATO operations cease. |
| NightWatch 20111025 | US talks with North Korea in Geneva ended with no date set for future talks and mixed reviews. The North's delegation seems more pleased than the US delegation for unstated reasons. The Haqqani faction of the Afghan Taliban rejected the US offer of peace talks. Tunisia's Ennahda Party has won 43% of the vote, according to unofficial returns. |
| NightWatch 20111024 | President Karzai said Afghanistan will side with Pakistan in the event the US or India attack Pakistan. A moderate Islamist party appears like to win the most votes in Tunisia's elections on 23 October. Kenya claims its invasion of Somalia has the support of Western countries. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner won a landslide victory for a second term. |
| NightWatch 20111024 | North Korean and US delegates began talks about having substantive talks in Geneva. The Afghan presidential staff issued a correction that President Karzai's unreserved support for Pakistan against the US was taken out of context. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for two minor terrorist bombings in Nairobi, Kenya. Tunisia's Ennahda party claimed victory in Sunday's elections. Libya's chairman of the Transitional National Council proclaimed Liberation Day on 23 October, which starts the timetable for government formation. He also declared any law contrary to Sharia is null and void. |
| NightWatch 20111021 | India will relax its emergency laws in some areas of Jammu and Kashmir State because security conditions have improved. Libyan military officials said they captured Qadhafi's on Saif al-Islam. NATO announced it will end operations this month. NATO is taking credit for a Libyan success that was primarily financed by US taxpayers. Russia staked its claim to Libyan resources, based on agreements with the Qadhafi regime. |
| NightWatch 20111020 | South Korea announced a large-scale joint forces exercise for later this month to defend against North Korean provocations. A high-powered US delegation is in Pakistan reportedly to demand more cooperation in suppressing militants. Turkey announced that 22 ground forces battalions are involved in anti-Kurdish rebel suppression operations.. Libyan leader Qadhafi is dead. The Kenyans announced their forces will remain in Somalia until no insurgents remain. |
| NightWatch 20111019 | The US and North Korea are holding talks on resuming remains recovery operations and plan to hold preliminary nuclear talks next week. Turkish ground and air forces are attacking Kurdish rebels in Iraq in retaliation for rebel attacks in southeastern Turkey on 18 October. Palestinian President Abbas said he will present to Hamas an offer to hold general elections, which could result in Hamas leading the Palestinian government. |
| NightWatch 20111018 | North and South Korea representatives are engaged in Track II informal talks at the University of Georgia. US, Afghan and Pakistan forces have commenced seemingly separate operations against the Haqqani network. A quartet of Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia are to meet to discuss Iraq's future security problems. Gilad Shalit was returned to Israel by Hamas. Italian banks and Spanish sovereign debt were downgraded today. Standard and Poors downgraded Italian banks and Moody's downgraded Spanish sovereign debt. |
| NightWatch 20111017 | The Indian government has approved the second phase expansion of defense forces opposite China, including creation of a new army corps and basing a nuclear-capable cruise missile regiment targeted against China. The Israeli soldier held by Hamas reportedly has been moved to Egypt in preparation for his return to Israel. Somalia's al Shabaab has threatened to retaliate against Kenya by using suicide bombers to target Kenyan skyscrapers and tourist sites. |
| NightWatch 20111016 | In Sri Lanka a visiting Chinese general tried to drum up Sri Lankan recruits for Chinese military academies. In Afghanistan, anti-government elements detonated the first suicide bombing attack in Panjshir Province, indicating an expansion of violence into the most stable province in Afghanistan. Kenya has sent military forces into Somalia to create a buffer zone against al Shabaab kidnappers and terrorists and to stabilize the border. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have declined to enter the Eurozone until the monetary union stabilizes. |
| NightWatch 20111012 | Vietnam and India signed six agreements, including one that promotes oil exploration in the South China Sea, which is likely to provoke China. The governor of Pakistan's northwestern province has vowed to crush the Pakistani Taliban after surviving an assassination attempt. Iran reportedly has cut some $350 million in financial aid to Lebanese Hezbollah owing to the effects of sanctions and increased burdens from supporting Syria. Greek finance ministry officials have called for a week long work stoppage to protest government ordered pay and pension cuts. |
| NightWatch 20111011 | North Korea and the US are heading for a second round of talks about future six party talks. Burma has promised to release 6,300 political prisoners in a gesture to build international respectability. Saudi Arabia has vowed to respond to the Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the US. Hamas and Israel announced an agreement to swap one Israeli POW for 1,000 Palestinians. European banking institutions announced that Greece cannot meet its fiscal targets because its gross domestic product is declining and it is unable or unwilling to implement agreed austerity measures.. |
| NightWatch 20111006 | Hong Kong has denied a student visa to North Korean leader Kim Chong-il's grandson because North Koreans overstay their visa. The Patriarch of the Maronite Catholics in Lebanon and Syria has warned about the consequences for Christians of a Sunni Muslim takeover in Syria. Yemeni security authorities denied they have proof that al Awlaki is dead. A key Luxembourg-French-Belgian bank, Dexia, collapsed today. |
| NightWatch 20111005 | Afghan security services thwarted a plan to assassinate President Karzai using one of his bodyguards. Iraqi politicians want a US military training mission in 2012 but refuse to grant it immunity from Iraqi law. Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have condemned the Syrian internal security crackdown. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood's political party will not abandon its slogan, "Islam is the solution." Large anti-military protests are planned in Cairo on 7 October. Greek government workers went on strike to protest government austerity measures |
| NightWatch 20111004 | India and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement for combating terrorism. Pakistan refuses to cooperate in the investigation of the murder of former Afghan President Rabbani. Greek officials announced that more austerity measures are unnecessary, but most analysts predict a Greek sovereign debt default is not avoidable. |
| NightWatch 20111003 | India's new Chief of Air Staff said India is building capabilities to meet security challenges outside the Indian Ocean. The target time period is after 2022. In Pakistan, the leader of the Haqqani syndicate denied ties with Pakistani intelligence and said his group relies on Mullah Omar for supervision and finances. The Egyptian military leadership has again made significant concessions on election rules, in reaction to public pressure. |
| NightWatch 20111002 | Afghan President Karzai has terminated talks with the Taliban because Pakistan is the primary actor. He wants talks with Pakistan that exclude the Taliban. Iran objects to Palestinian statehood if it includes recognition of the existence of Israel. Syrian leaders have denounced their proxy Hamas because Hamas is supporting the anti-Syrian opposition. Formation of a new Libyan government has been delayed until after the fall of Qadhafi's strongholds. |
| NightWatch 20110929 | China successfully launched into orbit the first module of its space lab. UN data on violence in Afghanistan shows the security situation to be much worse than the NATO command has indicated. In Syria, the US ambassador was pelted with eggs and rotten fruit for attempting to show support for the opposition. Large demonstrations are expected in Egypt on 30 September. |
| NightWatch 20110928 | Chinese officials have snubbed the US and the international community with respect to Chinese interests in the South Pacific and in the South China Sea. The Lithuanian government expects a new Putin presidency in Russia to inaugurate a dangerous period for the Baltic states.. |
| NightWatch 20110927 | China will launch the first module of a Chinese space station by the end of September. Pakistan reached out for cover to China which promised to support Pakistani sovereignty against US ground incursions from Afghanistan. Pakistan warned the US against blaming Pakistan for US failures in Afghanistan. Turkey announced an arms embargo on Syria. Egyptian general elections begin on 28 November and run through 11 March. Qadhafi family members left Algeria for Egypt, probably en route Europe. |
| NightWatch 20110927 | US military contacts with China again will be disrupted by US arms sales to Taiwan. The Taliban proved again that they can attack anyone they want in Kabul, including the CIA. The King of Saudi Arabia has granted Saudi women the right to vote in town and city elections. Hamas has promised to resume conciliation talks with Fatah, in the Palestinian Authority. In Libya, the Berbers who helped capture Tripoli want better treatment by the new regime than they received by Qadhafi. |
| NightWatch 20110923 | North Korea and the US have agreed to hold talks about holding talks on POW/MIA remains recovery in North Korea. Yemeni President Saleh's return to Yemen has rallied and revived his supporters. Palestinian President Abbas submitted an application for membership to the UN as an independent state of Palestine. |
| NightWatch 20110922 | The US and North Korea are pursuing bilateral talks to discuss six party talks. The US finally has accused Pakistan of exporting terrorism to Afghanistan. Afghan security authorities accused Pakistani intelligence of complicity in the murder of former president Rabbani this week. |
| NightWatch 20110921 | South-North Korean talks in Beijing ended with no progress towards six-party nuclear talks. The Afghan Taliban deny killing former president Rabbani, suggesting a rogue group committed the murder. Iran finally released on bail the two American backpackers who flew to Oman. The Yemen ceasefire did not last 24 hours. The new Libyan cabinet will be named by 1 October. |
| NightWatch 20110920 | A suicide assassin murdered a former president of Afghanistan, the fourth sensational attack in Kabul this summer. Iran warned Saudi Arabia to not sent armored forces to prop up the government in Yemen as it did the monarchy in Bahrain. Standard and Poors downgraded Italy's credit rating again. |
| NightWatch 20110919 | South and North Korean emissaries are to hold talks about nuclear talks in Beijing on 21 September. Iran has stalled the release of two US backpackers because the judge is on vacation. Several UN Security Council members are trying to discourage the Palestinians from seeking full membership in the UN. The Libyan rebels plan to announce a new interim cabinet this week. |
| NightWatch 20110915 | US relations with Pakistan are strained again because the six insurgents who attacked in Kabul on the 13th came from Pakistan and were in communication with Pakistanis. On 23 September, the Palestinian Authority will submit a resolution to the UN General Assembly requesting full membership. Israel evacuated its embassy staff in Jordan in reaction to threats of violent demonstrations. Egypt's civilian government announced that it might reopen the Camp David Accords. |
| NightWatch 20110914 | Japan's coast guard rescued a boatload of refugees from North Korea. The five-hour battle in Kabul, Afghanistan, is a strategic setback for Coalition forces despite the low casualties. Iran's President announced that two US backpackers will be pardoned and released in a few days, apparently after the ransom is paid. |
| NightWatch 20110914 | The North Korean boat defectors who drifted into Japanese waters were bound for South Korea and will be repatriated there. A Pakistani intelligence source said that Ayman al Zawahiri, the al Qaida leader, has left Pakistan for Yemen or Somalia. Although Greece and Italy have promised to adhere to austerity plans, the financial crisis in the Euro zone is not easing. |
| NightWatch 20110912 | A US defense spokesman denied that North Korean jamming forced a US reconnaissance aircraft to land. Qatar reportedly will host a "political office" for the Taliban to facilitate talks with the Coalition. Turkey announced it will commit three frigates to protect Turkish aid ships in the eastern Mediterranean. The Palestinian Authority will propose full membership in the United Nations next week. Egypt will extend the state of emergency in reaction to the trashing of the Israeli Embassy over the weekend. China has recognized the Libyan transitional government. Qadhafi's son Saadi has been detained in Niger. |
| NightWatch 20110909 | A domestic Indian Muslim terrorist group also has claimed responsibility for the bombing at the Delhi High Court. Turkey's statement that its warships will escort aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip escalate the political crisis with Israel. Egypt's ruling military council has directed the cabinet to take tough measures to stop "a deterioriating security situation." Libyan leader Qadhafi continues to vow to fight on. The Niamey government denied he is in Niger. |
| NightWatch 20110907 | Islamic terrorists who operate from Bangladesh and Pakistan claimed responsibility for the briefcase bombing at the New Delhi High Court that killed at least 9 and injured 45 people. In Pakistan, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for two suicide bombers who attacked the residence of a senior security officer in Quetta, killing 28 and injuring 82. Pakistani officials are on alert in response to a threat of kidnapping by the Pakistani Taliban. Libyan rebel fighters claim they have located and surrounded Qadhafi, but provided no details. |
| NightWatch 20110906 | NightWatch will not be produced for the night of 6 September. |
| NightWatch 20110902 | Tajikistan has agreed to extend the Russian military base lease another 49 years. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency has produced a report that charges Iran continues to develop nuclear warheads. |
| NightWatch 20110901 | The Philippine President's trip to China accomplished little to nothing in any area of national life. The US has rejected Pakistan's insistence on a detailed agreement on CIA actions in Pakistan. Yemeni activists have called for a million man march on 2 September. The African Union is concerned that black Africans might face reprisals from the rebels and Arab Libyans for their having supported Qadhafi and having killed Arab Libyans during the fighting since February. |
| NightWatch 20110831 | A Chinese ship probably violated international law when it tried to intercept an Indian Navy ship in international waters off Vietnam in late July. Pakistan's two ammonium nitrate fertilizer plants have been the primary source of Afghan Taliban explosives for more than ten years. The visit to North Korea by Iran's head of parliament on 4 September confirms that Iranian ties with North Korea remain strong. Unqualified Lebanese support to Syria attests to the restoration of Syrian control in Beirut and Iran's breakout into the Mediterranean Sea. The Qadhafi family government is in disarray, but fighting continues. |
| NightWatch 20110830 | The appointment of a new Unification Minister signifies a further easing of the South Korean government's hard-line policy for dealing with North Korea. Construction of a $20 billion railroad in Burma is expected to begin in December 2011. A senior Hamas official declared "defunct" the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in April. |
| NightWatch 20110829 | Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda will be the next prime minister of Japan. Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar wrote a lengthy greeting in honor of Eid ul Fitr observances that implied a need for a comprehensive negotiation on his terms. In Misrata, Libya, demonstrators protested the pending appointment by the National Transitional Council of a former general in the Qadhafi regime to be head of security in Tripoli. The general defected in May, but fought the rebels prior to that. Algeria has given refuge to Qadhafi's wife, his daughter, two sons and their children. |
| NightWatch 20110828 | Kim Chong-il has returned to Pyongyang. North Korea announced plans to develop the Mount Kumgang resort whose assets it confiscated from South Korean firms. Iran restated its support for Syria's al Asad government The political situation in Libya remains unsettled. In Algeria, Al Qaida terrorists claimed responsibility for killing 16 officer candidates on Friday. |
| NightWatch 20110826 | Japanese Prime Minister Kan resigned. Ruling Democratic Party of Japan elections for a new prime minister are expected on 29 August. North Korean leader Kim Chong-il restated his terms for resuming nuclear talks during his stop over in China. Russia is ready to loan Venezuela $4 billion for military weapons and equipment to support the coming election campaign. |
| NightWatch 20110825 | After leaving Russia, North Korean leader Kim Chong-il headed for China before returning to Pyongyang. Pakistan denied that it expelled 200 US Embassy staff members. Yemeni President Saleh has renounced all prior agreements for his early departure from office. Egyptian activists are calling for a million man anti-Israel demonstration after Friday prayers. The Libyan rebel government announced it has set up operations in Tripoli, though some fighting continues. |
| NightWatch 20110824 | The Russian-North Korean summit in Ulan Ude produced a statement of interest in building a gas pipeline that would transit North Korea to South Korea and a statement of willingness to consider six party talks without conditions. Pakistani news services published unconfirmed reports that up to 250 members of the US Embassy staff are to be expelled in the next 40 days. Libyan businessmen have posted a million British pound bounty on Qadhafi, dead or alive. |
| NightWatch 20110823 | India continues the incremental, steady buildup of conventional military forces in eastern India opposite China. Government authorities in Sindh Province, Pakistan, announced a "surgical operation" against terrorists, but Army intervention appears mainly a question of when, rather than whether. Qadhafi admitted he made a tactical retreat from his stronghold in Tripoli. He has not indicated an intention to abdicate. |
| NightWatch 20110822 | North Korea finally has confiscated South Korean assets at the Mount Kumgang resort. Kim Chong-il is in Ulan Ude for a summit with Russian President Medvedev. An Iranian court sentenced two US backpackers to 8 years in jail for espionage. Another rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded harmlessly in Israel, indicating there is no ceasefire. In Libya, Qadhafi's son Saif proved he is not a captive but identified inadvertently sympathetic neighborhoods. |
| NightWatch 20110821 | The overthrow of the Qadhafi family rule in Libya appears to be in progress. North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is visiting Russia. The Pakistan Army chief announced the Army's readiness to restore peace in Karachi, if asked by the government. Syrian President Asad made his fourth public statement on the security situation and expressed confidence in his government's ability to control it. Security conditions between Israel and the Gaza Strip appear headed for deterioration. |
| NightWatch 20110819 | The US has decided to resume aid to North Korea under the guise of flood relief and POW/MIA research as inducements for the North to return to nuclear talks. Vietnam is cracking down on anti-China public protests lest they turn into Arab-style anti-government protests. A series of coordinated Arab attacks at Eilat that killed eight Israelis seems intended to refocus Arabs and Muslims on Israel as the enemy of Islam, rather than on fellow Arabs and Muslims. |
| NightWatch 20110817 | The official North Korean denunciation of allied exercise Ulji Freedom Guardian on 17 August focused on the role of a US special action unit to destroy North Korean nuclear weapons. Syrian President al-Asad told the UN Secretary General that all operations against protestors stopped on 17 August. The investigating magistrate for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon found sufficient evidence to try for murder four Hezbollah suspectd. In Gaza, Hamas security personnel have suppressed anti-Syrian demonstrations by Palestinian youths. Libyan rebel forces west of Tripoli are making more progress than those supported from Benghazi. |
| NightWatch 20110816 | North Korea denounced the start of Allied exercises in South Korea, as expected. On 18 August Turkey will decide its next steps in exerting pressure on Syria to halt its suppression operations. Rebel and pro-Qadhafi forces continue to fight for control of Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli. |
| NightWatch 20110815 | North Korea is sending propaganda signals that it is scaling back expectations for national achievement in 2012, the 100th anniversary of President Kim Il-song's birth. China's aircraft carrier returned to port after four days of sea trials. Pakistan denied that it gave Chinese agents access to a US helicopter that crashed during the bin Laden assassination. Turkey gave Syria a final warning to stop killing protestors. Egyptian Army anti-terrorist and anti-criminal operations in North Sinai are taking place with Israeli concurrence and support. Libyan rebel fighters claim to have captured the town of Zawiya, just 30 miles west of Tripoli. |
| NightWatch 20110812 | North Korea is considering holding a reunion of Korean-Americans with family members in North Korea. Afghan President Karazi's staff told the media that Karzai will not seek a third term as president. Yemen President Saleh objected to a US-backed plan for transferring his power to a successor without elections. |
| NightWatch 20110812 | South Korea said North Korea must suspend all nuclear activities as a prerequisite to six-party talks. China and Sri Lanka exchanged pledges of cooperation during President Rajapaksa;s visit to Beijing. A captured Libyan intelligence general said the fall of the Qadhafi government is not imminent. |
| NightWatch 20110810 | North Korean construction explosions off the southwest coast prompted South Korean naval counterfire. China's aircraft carrier began sea trials on 10 August. Yemeni President Saleh said he has agreed to consider the Arab states' initiative to resolve Yemen's political crisis. |
| NightWatch 20110809 | Vietnam protested Chinese scientific exploration in the South China Sea near Vietnamese-claimed islands. Naval ties between Vietnam and India are increasing and include Indian Naval access to Nha Trang port. India is expanding the size of the Eastern Naval Command and increasing its base facilities to counter the increased Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean. The Syrian Defense Minister replaced on 8 August was found dead on 9 August. The Turkish Foreign Minister's attempt to persuade Syrian President al-Asad to stop the violence failed. |
| NightWatch 20110808 | North Korea published an open letter calling for the cancellation of joint US-South Korean military exercises, set for next week. Chinese authorities in Xinjiang announced a harsh crackdown on Uighur "religious extremists." Yemeni President Saleh is out of the hospital, but will remain in Saudi Arabia. Turkish authorities issued seven more arrest warrants for senior army and naval officers for coup plotting in 2003. Syria announced it will hold free parliamentary elections by 2012. The leader of the Libyan rebel government dismissed his entire cabinet for incompetence in connection with the assassination of General Younis last month. |
| NightWatch 20110804 | Two Chinese naval ships arrived in North Korea in honor of the 50th anniversary of the treaty of friendship. An Iranian ambassador has predicted the imminent release of two Americans held in custody for two years for espionage. Turkey's government has replaced the heads of the armed forces without incident. Syrian President Asad decreed that multiple political parties may be formed to contest elections. |
| NightWatch 20110803 | South Korea has offered flood relief aid to North Korea. North Korea signed an agreement with a US company to manage tourism to the Mount Kumgang resort. Political violence in Karachi continues to worsen despite troop reinforcements. Taliban killed a fourth senior official. |
| NightWatch 20110802 | Japan's latest Defense White Paper states concern about Chinese naval activity in northeast Asia. The approval by an international authority of Chinese seabed mining rights in the Indian Ocean caught Indian officials by surprise. They consider it a diplomatic and intelligence failure. In Libya, the rebel authorities have captured and taken into custody the assassin of General Younis. |
| NightWatch 20110801 | North Korea has decided to dispose of South Korean property and interests at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. US and North Korean diplomats described last month's talks in New York as constructive and promised to continue the dialogue. China blamed violence in Kashgar over the weekend on terrorists trained in Pakistan. The Egyptian Army used tanks, troops and police to clear sit-in demonstrators from Tahrir Square in Cairo. |
| NightWatch 20110731 | For most Muslims Ramadan begins on 1 August. Talks about talks between the US and North Korea were positive. A senior Chinese strategist said China needs three aircraft carriers. The two US citizens in Iranian custody were tried on 31 July, and could be released this week, after two years in an Iranian prison without trial. |
| NightWatch 20110729 | Cambodia has withdrawn 2,500 troops from a disputed border region as a good will gesture to the new Thai government. Yemeni President Saleh continues to insist on elections as the mechanism for government change. The top four flag-rank officers in the Turkish armed forces resigned in protest of civilian meddling in military promotions and personnel policies. In Egypt, Islamists took over the Friday protests for the first time. Norway ends its support to the Libyan campaign on 30 July. Libyan rebel military leader General Younis was murdered by members of a vengeful fundamentalist Islamic rebel group, not by Qadhafi. |
| NightWatch 20110728 | US-North Korean delegates described favorably today's exploratory talks in New York. The Afghan Taliban assassination campaign targeted the governor of Oruzgan Province. The US accused Iran of cooperating with al Qaida and international terror. The leader of Libyan rebel military forces was assassinated on the 28th. A recent UN report suggests Eritrea has become a new base for international terrorism. |
| NightWatch 20110727 | Japan continues to insist on concrete action that shows that North Korea honors its promise to end its nuclear programs. The Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers met cordially. Taliban claimed responsibility for killing the Mayor of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. Tunisia extended the state of emergency indefinitely. |
| NightWatch 20110726 | North Korea has opened three channels for negotiations with the US and South Korea, but these are for extorting aid in return for talking. India's Minister of External Affairs will meet the new Pakistani Foreign Minister in New Delhi on 27 July. Egypt's modernists are attempting to create a new political party. Women's groups in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are demanding their rights. |
| NightWatch 20110725 | North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister is en route the US for talks about nuclear talks. Political violence continues in Karachi, Pakistan. The Syrian government has submitted a draft law to parliament that will permit the formation of political parties other than the Baath Party. |
| NightWatch 20110724 | North Korea apparently has agreed to talk about holding nuclear talks with South Korea, China, the US and Russia. the Syrian government postponed implementation of political reforms because it sensed no pressure to move fast. Ethiopian troops have arrived in Southern Sudan to serve as peace keepers. The official death toll from the bombing and mass killings in Norway is 93, according to police. |
| NightWatch 20110721 | The Thai Supreme Court has rejected a petition to nullify the 3 July elections. This week Pakistan's prime minister appointed the country's youngest and first female foreign minister. The new Egyptian caretaker cabinet was sworn into office on 21 July. Malawi's President has deployed the army to stop riots over fuel shortages, high prices and shortages of foreign exchange. |
| NightWatch 20110720 | North Korea's elite reportedly orders McDonald's hamburgers from China via Air Koryo, the national airline. The Afghan Taliban insisted that Taliban leader Mullah Omar is alive, contrary to internet reports. Rioters in Malawi seek to end corrupt government. |
| NightWatch 20110719 | South Korea is planning to enact a tax to finance unification with North Korea, which could cost $1 trillion or more. Israeli Navy commandos intercepted a single craft bound for Gaza to protest the Israeli blockade. The French government said that the Libyan oil port town of Brega is once again in rebel control. |
| NightWatch 20110718 | Pakistani Taliban released a video showing the execution of 16 tribal militiamen. In Afghanistan, Bamiyan is one of the first areas for whom the Afghan security forces now have responsibility. Russia continues to oppose recognition of the rebel government as legitimate. |
| NightWatch 20110717 | In Afghanistan, another top aide to President Karzai was killed in his home by a suicide bomber. The opposition in Yemen has fractured into two competing leadership groups. Syria experienced the largest anti-government demonstrations to date on Friday, but the opposition failed to form a united front. In Egypt, longtime Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass was removed in the weekend cabinet shuffle. |
| NightWatch 20110714 | North and South Korea remain unable to settle property rights at the Mount Kumgang resort. Indian authorities reported 21 killed and 141 injured in the multiple bombings in Mumbai on 13 July. Afghan President Karzai has appointed another brother to succeed his half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai who was assassinated on 12 July |
| NightWatch 20110714 | Chinese maritime security forces continue to settle disputes in the South China Sea by force. Anti-Thaksin forces have challenged the validity of the Thai general elections on 3 July. India's top opposition leader called for Pakistan's intelligence service to be designated a terrorist organization. In Iraq, a military formation loyal to al-Sadr claimed to have attacked US forces on multiple occasions. A credible poll of five Arab states indicates respect for the US is lower now than when the US invaded Iraq. |
| NightWatch 20110712 | South and North Korean delegates discussed disposition of assets at the Mount Kumgang resort on 13 July. Pakistan announced the withdrawal of security personnel from 1,100 check points along the Afghanistan border in retaliation for the suspension of $800 million in US military aid. French diplomats contend that Libyan leader Qadhafi is ready to leave. |
| NightWatch 20110711 | More than 80% of Japanese polled want the Kan government to resign by the end of 2011. Syrian protestors stormed the US and French Embassies, as part of the continuing fallout from the ambassadors' visit to Hama last week. |
| NightWatch 20110710 | In Karachi, Pakistani authorities called in 1,000 Frontier Corps paramilitary police to gain control of a violent political dispute. Syria began its national political dialogue, but some opposition leaders boycotted it. Syria reprimanded the US and French ambassadors for political meddling through their unapproved visit to Hama last week. Egyptian activists are staging another sit-in at Tahrir Square in Cairo to protest the lack of political reforms. The Republic of South Sudan became independent on 9 July. |
| NightWatch 20110707 | Senior US officials said that the government of Pakistan "sanctioned" the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad in May. Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan ended on 7 July. Yemeni President Saleh's taped address to the nation was defiant. Large demonstrations are expected in Syria and Egypt after prayers on 8 July. |
| NightWatch 20110706 | Some 600 raiders from Afghanistan attacked villages in Pakistan, increasing tension and embarrassing both countries. In Egypt political tension is high over the release of Mubarak-era officials and policemen -- riots occurred in Suez. The Muslim Brotherhood announced it will join anti-government demonstrations in Cairo after Friday prayers. |
| NightWatch 20110705 | Israeli military intelligence assesses that the Syrian government remains secure though Asad's position has been weakened. Egyptian activists protested the judicially ordered release of 10 policemen who had been accused of killing protestors during the uprising. |
| NightWatch 20110704 | Japanese explorers announced their discovery of a deposit of rare earth minerals in the Pacific Ocean seabed a thousand times larger than all known deposits. North Korea continues to threaten an attack against South Korea. Opposition leader Yingluck's Phuea Thai Party swept the elections on 3 July. She will be Thailand's first woman as prime minister. Venezuelan President Chavez returned to Caracas in time to celebrate the country's 200th anniversary. |
| NightWatch 20110630 | The North Korean Supreme Command issued a statement that it will retaliate using gun fire for South Korean defamatory propaganda. Pakistan ordered the US to leave an airbase that the US evacuated in April. Venezuelan President Chavez was filmed walking with Fidel Castro, to ally concerns about the gravity of Chavez' illness. |
| NightWatch 20110630 | North Korea continues negotiations with South Korean investors in the Mount Kumgang resort. General elections will be held in Thailand on 3 July. Two Lebanese Hezbollah men have been referred by the Special Tribunal to the Lebanese governent for arrest for the murder of prime minister Hariri in 2005. Demonstrations are likely. Venezuelan President Chavez confirmed he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. |
| NightWatch 20110628 | North Korea has closed universities for ten months to use the students to build a prosperous country in 2012. Noth Korea is again threatening war over defamatory billboard displays erected in South Korea along the Demilitarized Zone. In Afghanistan, a sensational attack on teh Inter-Continental Hotel appears timed to convey the perception that the Taliban are forcing the US to drawdown forces. Next week Saudi Arabia will begin to withdraw Peninsula Shield Forces from Bahrain. The Syrian national dialogue began on Sunday when the government permitted 300 activists to gather to discuss political reform. |
| NightWatch 20110627 | Afghanistan has protested the firing of more than 450 rockets from Pakistani territory against Jalalabad and other Afghan towns. The Syrian government will begin its dialogue with the opposition on 10 July. Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is in China to discuss bilateral cooperation. |
| NightWatch 20110626 | Chinese and Vietnamese diplomats again agreed to settle peacefully disputes in the South China Sea. Pakistan and Iran have agreed to increase cooperation in multiple areas, including defense. Israel has ordered its forces to block another Gaza-bound flotilla. Mauritanian soldiers have destroyed an al-Qaida base in western Mali. |
| NightWatch 20110623 | South Korean President Lee said that China has assured his government that it will not side with North Korea in the event the North initiates another provocation. India and Pakistan have opened new talks about regional security issues. A US drone attack in Somalia indicates the war on terror has been extended to al Shabaab leaders who are now targets. Several recent developments indicate the Qadhafi regime is falling back on Tripoli. |
| NightWatch 20110622 | China urged the US to bow out of disputes in the South China Sea. The Philippines suggested the Mutual Defense Treaty binds the US to defend the Philippine island claims. Security incident reports from Afghanistan indicate May was the worst month since Operation Enduring Freedom began. Yemen's President Saleh underwent another surgical operation. Venezuelan President Chavez is recovering from surgery in Cuba. |
| NightWatch 20110621 | Under enormous US pressure, South Korea is softening its conditions for nuclear talks with North Korea. A Chinese minister said North Korean succession is stable. Syria announced another general amnesty. A senior Hamas official said a Palestinian state would be established without recognizing Israel. |
| NightWatch 20110620 | Tension is rising again between North and South Korea over a South Korean human rights bill concerning conditions in North Korea. Singapore wants China to clarify its claims and policy on freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Syrian President Bashar al-Asad delivered his third public address on the unrest on the 20th. He conceded nothing. Former Tunisian President Ben Ali, in exile in Saudi Arabia, has been convicted of embezzlement. |
| NightWatch 20110616 | In China, three episodes of violent protests against abuse by local officials have occurred this month. US relations with Pakistan are at a new low after Pakistan started arresting CIA informants who provided information leading to the killing of bin Laden. Kazakhstan's parliament voted to kill a bill authorizing Kazakh troops to deploy to Afghanistan to support NATO forces. Cell-phone activism has arrived finally in Kuwait, but the Emir has warned the activists against breaking the law. In Iraq, al Maliki's party announced its opposition to any extension of US troops. Three thousand Egyptian police protested the government's failure to keep its promises of better conditions of service. |
| NightWatch 20110616 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20110616 | In eastern China more demonstrations against local corruption took place. Ayman Zawahiri, bin Laden's longtime deputy, is the new leader of al Qaida. |
| NightWatch 20110614 | The US announced this week that it intercepted a suspected North Korean arms cargo ship bound for Burma on 26 May and caused it to return to North Korea. Fatah and Hamas have worked out an agreement on the leadership of a Palestinian unity government, in preparation for a unilateral declaration of statehood. |
| NightWatch 20110613 | South Korean Defense Minister Kim advised a parliamentary committee that the North Koreans are continuing to improve their nuclear weapons, by miniaturizing them. Vietnam conducted day-long naval gunfire drills in the South China Sea in defiance of Chinese sea claims. Yemeni news reported that President Saleh will make an address to the nation this week. The BBC reported Syria has launched a scorched-earth campaign in northwestern Syria where 120 military personnel were killed last week. Lebanon has a new cabinet, ending a five-month political deadlock. It is strongly pro-Syria. |
| NightWatch 20110609 | Chinese and North Korean officials broke ground for the joint economic zone in the Yalu River estuary. The Chinese dispute with Vietnam over sovereignty of the Spratly Islands escalated when Vietnamese ships drove Chinese fishing boats away from Vanguard Bank where a Vietnamese contract ship is searching for oil. In many Arab states, protest demonstrations are predicted after prayers on the 10th. |
| NightWatch 20110608 | A Chinese general repeated stale news that China would soon launch a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier. The ship is launched; it will soon begin sea trials. Saudi Arabia donated 3 million barrels of crude to Yemen as a contribution to stability. Libyan forces resumed their stalled attack to recapture Misrata from the rebels. |
| NightWatch 20110607 | In North Korea the Korean Workers' Party convened the first known meeting of the Politburo in 18 years, indicating the long term rehabilitation of the Party has ended. Yemeni President Saleh is in much more serious condition than previously acknowledged, resulting from last Friday's attack on the presidential palace. The photo of the senior al Qaida leader reportedly killed this week in Pakistan in a drone attack is false. US officials doubt al Kashmiri is dead. |
| NightWatch 20110606 | North Korea's legislature approved a plan to develop two islands in the Yalu River estuary with Chinese assistance. The Chinese have not commented on the plan. Tension is rising in the South China Sea among China, Vietnam and the Philippines over Chinese aggressive actions to assert its ownership claim to the entire sea. President Saleh intends to return to Yemen in the next few days. Syrian forces lost 120 personnel to "armed gangs" in northwestern Syria. The government has vowed to retaliate. The political party sponsored by the Muslim Brotherhood received recognition by Egypt's election authorities. |
| NightWatch 20110605 | North Korea and South Korea once again are exchanging threats of retaliation for real or perceived provocations. Since mid-May the level of Taliban attacks in Afghanistan has declined, coincident with rumors about Mullah Omar's health. Yemen President Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia for treatment for injuries suffered in an opposition attack on Friday. Saudi Arabia has mediated a ceasefire in Sanaa that appears to be holding. |
| NightWatch 20110602 | Japanese Prime Minister Kan announced he will resign after some recovery occurs from the earthquake and tsunami. North Korea finally published a bland editorial about Kim's visit to China in late May. A major fight for control of Sanaa and the survival of the regime appears to be developing in Yemen. Sunday is Naksa Day, which commemorates the dispersion of the Palestinians after the Israeli victory in 1967. Large demonstrations are planned in southern Lebanon along the Israeli border. |
| NightWatch 20110601 | North Korea sent signals that Kim's China trip did not go well and that the North is not prepared to engage South Korea on any issue at this time. Bahrain's opposition responded to the end of martial law with demonstrations and clashes with police. Syria's government released 500 prisoners under the general amnesty and has taken steps to implement its promise of a national dialogue. |
| NightWatch 20110531 | One of the finest journalists on Pakistan and Afghanistan was found murdered near Gujarat, Pakistan. Bahrain's monarchy is offering reform talks to the opposition for the second time. Fighting continues in Yemen. Syrian President Asad has granted a general amnesty to activists and will establish a committee for national dialogue this week. North and South Sudan have agreed to create a demilitarized zone along their border that will be jointly patrolled. |
| NightWatch 20110530 | North Korea's top policy commission announced it will never negotiate with the hard line Lee government in South Korea. NATO forces snatched five anti-Afghan government leaders from inside Pakistan. Yemeni President Saleh's hold on government was weakened by the defection of a brigade of the Republican Guard over the weekend. Libyan leader Qadhafi's government continues to unravel, but Qadhafi shows no signs he is prepared to depart. |
| NightWatch 20110526 | North Korean leader Kim Chong-il completed his week long visit to China on 26 May. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a fourth bombing to avenge bin Laden's death. Demonstrations after Friday prayers are expected in Yemen, Syria and Egypt. Another Libyan ambassador and staff have defected to the opposition administration. A Chinese economics analyst reported Chinese contractors sustained large losses owing to the Libyan civil war. |
| NightWatch 20110525 | Pakistan plans to relocate its naval aircraft to a more secure facility near Karachi. The US has agreed to withdraw military personnel from Pakistan at the request of the Islamabad government. Yemen closed its international airport because of continuing clashes. Egypt announced it will open permanently the Rafah crossing from Egypt to the Gaza Strip. |
| NightWatch 20110524 | North Korean leader Kim Chong-il arrived in Beijing where he is to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao. Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff told a TV interviewer that the Navy plans to relocate most assets from Karachi to a new base already under construction, presumably Gwadar in western Pakistan. Clashes continue in Sanaa, Yemen. Sudan's President Bashir said the oil-rich Abyei region belongs to the Khartoum government and ordered troops to respond to provocations by south Sudan troops. |
| NightWatch 20110523 | Chinese authorities have confirmed that Kim Chong-il is in China. Reports that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead have been denied by Taliban spokesmen. |
| NightWatch 20110522 | North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is reported to be traveling by train to Shanghai. Pakistani Taliban have staged a successful attack at the Pakistan naval air station in Karachi to avenge bin Laden's death. Yemen's President Saleh formally has refused to sign the resignation agreement. Southern Sudan has denounced as an act of war the seizure of Abyei by Khartoum's forces. |
| NightWatch 20110520 | South Korean news outlets reported that North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is making his third visit to China this year on 20 May. A US delegation is set to arrive in North Korea on 24 May. The Pakistani Taliban attacked a US diplomatic motorcade in Peshawar to avenge bin Laden's death. Yemen's President Saleh is reneging for a third time on his resignation and has called for early presidential elections. Syrian security forces killed 32 protestors on 20 May to control anti-government demonstrations after Friday prayers. Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Niger have agreed to establish an 85,000-man joint force to establish security against terrorists in the Sahara-Sahel desert zone. |
| NightWatch 20110519 | Chinese officials said an attack on Pakistan is an attack on China, according to Pakistani news services. Pakistani investigators have determined that two recent attacks against a Saudi diplomat and the Karachi consulate were retaliatory for Saudi Arabia's refusal to accept bin Laden's widows and children. Palestinian reactions to the US President's peace proposal have ranged from negative to lukewarm. Libyan leader Qadhafi's wife and daughter have sought refuge in Poland, the Polish government said. |
| NightWatch 20110518 | North Korean media announced that Kim Chong-il had a meeting with the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service. A Pakistani news service reported that China has promised to supply 50 modern fighter aircraft to Pakistan on an emergency basis. Kazakhstan has decided to send a military contingent to Afghanistan to support NATO forces. Yemen's President Saleh reneged a second time on signing a resignation and settlement agreement with the opposition. The Egyptian military council expects the Muslim Brotherhood's political party will win a majority in parliamentary elections. |
| NightWatch 20110517 | A US envoy is to visit North Korea to assess food shortages. South Korea would like US soldiers to be stationed on offshore islands as a deterrent to North Korea. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani called China Pakistan's best friend, a day after meetings with US Senator Kerry. The German newspaper Die Welt reported that Iran is building ballistic missile bases in Venezuela. The new interim leader of al Qaida is an Egyptian, Abu Saif. |
| NightWatch 20110516 | In Syria, protests have continued but with less effect. The regime shows no signs of sharing power with the opposition protestors. The Secretary General of the Arab League is campaigning for president in Egypt on a policy platform that distances Egypt from the US and Israel. |
| NightWatch 20110515 | A new UN report has found that North Korea and Iran have collaborated in the development nuclear weapons and missile delivery system technologies. Pakistani politicians this weekend blamed the US for the "ruin" of the Pakistan Army and country. |
| NightWatch 20110511 | North Korea and South Korea are still talking past each other about conditions for a summit. Taliban 's eulogy for bin Laden gave him no credit for the current fight in Afghanistan. The Syrian crackdown on dissent has moved beyond suppression into communal punishment. Libyan TV broadcast footage showing that Qadhafi is still alive. |
| NightWatch 20110510 | China and North Korea announced ground breaking for a joint economic enterprise on an island in the Yalu River will take place on 28 May. Afghan Taliban staged the second large scale attack of the spring offensive; this time against Afghan forces in Nurestan Province. An advisor to Syrian President Asad said the government has broken the opposition movement. Libyan rebels in Misratah appear to be making limited gains in coordination with NATO ships and combat aircraft. |
| NightWatch 20110509 | US-Pakistani relations remain strained over the bin Laden raid. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani gave the National Assembly a defiant but poorly supported defense of his administration. In Afghanistan, NATO claims to have killed or captured the perpetrators of the attacks over the weekend in Kandahar. The Yemen government and the Syrian government continue to pursue hard line suppression of dissent. Their persistence shows signs of working. |
| NightWatch 20110505 | The first visit abroad by Burma's new military chief will be to China. Pakistani authorities have issued a virtual ultimatum to the US to never attack Pakistan again, as at Abbottabad. Residents of Daraa deny Syrian government claims that troops have been withdrawn. Demonstrations calling for the government to resign have resumed in Tunisia. |
| NightWatch 20110504 | South Korea and China will finalize an agreement to establish a military hotline when South Korean Minister Kim Kwan Jin visits at the end of May. The Thai-Cambodian ceasefire along the border held for one day on 3 May, for the first time. The Syrian crackdown continues. The number of Syrian protestors detained could total 8,000. Moroccan and French security authorities are blaming al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) for the Marrakech bombing last month. |
| NightWatch 20110503 | North Korean media have not reported the death of bin Laden. The Indian government wants the US to minimize Pakistani involvement in Afghanistan and to not withdraw US soldiers prematurely. The US capture of computer hard drives and storage devices will force al Qaida to put all plans known to bin Laden on hold. The Taliban deny that bin Laden is dead. In Egypt, 13 Palestinian factions signed the unity pact. A car bomb detonated near rebel headquarters in Benghazi, Libya, indicating pro-Qadhafi activists remain dangerous in the rebel zone. |
| NightWatch 20110502 | US special forces killed Usama Bin Laden in a mansion compound in Abottabad, Pakistan and took custody of his body to prove it. Riots are expected in Pakistan. The Taliban announced their spring offensive in Afghanistan, starting 1 May. Yemen's President Saleh reneged on signing the agreement to form a national unity government. Qadhafi's youngest son and three grandchildren were killed in a NATO attack over the weekend. The Moroccan bombing in Marakech was a remotely detonated device, not a suicide attack. |
| NightWatch 20110502 | Defectors report that North Korea is confiscating cell phones to prevent cell activists from causing unrest, as in Arab countries. Pakistani authorities arrested six children and two wives of Usama bin Laden in a follow-up operation on 2 May. The Syrian crackdown continued; protests against President Saleh continued in Yemen and Qadhafi's forces continued to shell Misrata port and Zentan in western Libya. |
| NightWatch 20110429 | China's population is 1.37 billion, almost evenly divided between urban and rural. In Pakistan ,a third Pakistan Navy bus was destroyed by a bomb attack on 28 April. Syrian tanks and troops attacked more towns as part of the nation-wide crackdown on opposition. Egypt's Foreign Minister said the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip will be opened in the next ten days. Libyan forces captured the Wazin border crossing to Tunisia, but the rebels claim they recaptured it. |
| NightWatch 20110429 | Cambodian and Thai tactical commanders at the border have agreed to stop shooting at each other. In Syria anti-government demonstrations occurred in Damascus and seven other towns. Security forces killed at least 62 demonstrators. Tunisian soldiers captured pro-Qadhafi Libyans who attempted to operate from Tunisian territory against rebel fighters in western Libya. |
| NightWatch 20110428 | North Korean officials assured former President Carter and his delegation that North Korean wants to improve relations with the US. An Afghan air corps pilot murdered eight US military personnel and a US contractor in Kabul. Turkey has ordered preparations along the border for an influx of Syrian refugees escaping internal instability. The crackdown on dissent in Syria continues. Fatah and Hamas signed a preliminary reconciliation agreement in a meeting in Cairo mediated by Egypt. Libyan rebel forces apparently still control Zentan, which is west of Tripoli. |
| NightWatch 20110426 | South Korean and Chinese officials were upbeat on 26 April about prospects for denuclearization talks with North Korea. Thai and Cambodian forces exchanged fire for a fifth day on the 26th, but both are interested in a ceasefire. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for destroying two Pakistan Navy buses in Karachi. Yemen's President Saleh will sign an agreement to transfer power to a national unity government on 27 April, but the youth faction in the opposition intend a large protest demonstration. Syria's crackdown in Daraa now appears to be part of a nationwide use of the Army to suppress dissent. In Libya, Pro-Qadhafi forces tried to seize the port of Misrata, but were stopped by NATO air attacks. |
| NightWatch 20110425 | Cambodia and Thai forces exchanged fire at a disputed border area for the fourth day. In Afghanistan, Taliban claimed responsibility for the worst prison break in memory from Kandahar prison. Yemeni President Saleh and the opposition to be nearing an agreement for an early transfer of power to a national unity government. The Syrian Army attacked the town of Daraa in southwestern Syria in a powerful application of force to suppress anti-government opposition. |
| NightWatch 20110424 | North Korea restated its threat to fire on South Korean launch sites for propaganda balloons. The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of temples located in the border area flared in three days of border fighting. Pakistanis continue to protest US drone attacks. Reports of Yemeni President Saleh's resignation are premature. He has not signed an agreement. Two Syrian politicians resigned in protest of security force killings of protestors over the weekend. Pro-Qadhafi forces have withdrawn from Misrata but continue to shell it. |
| NightWatch 20110421 | The US announced it will supply 85 small remotely piloted aircraft to Pakistan, apparently to help with the fight against terrorists. Syrian President Asad signed the decree lifting the emergency law, as expected. In western Libya, rebel fighters seized at least two border crossing posts from pro-Qadhafi Libyan soldiers who fled to Tunisia. French press reported about a hundred Touareg fighters who went to Libya to fight as mercenaries for Qadhafi returned to Mali. |
| NightWatch 20110420 | Iran and Egypt plan to exchange ambassadors within the next six months. The US has confirmed that the Afghan Taliban will set up an office in Ankara, Turkey. Thousands of Syrians defied authorities in Homs to call for the downfall of the regime. |
| NightWatch 20110419 | A Chinese spokesman expressed China's judgment that tension has eased in Korea and the time is propitious to resume Six-Party Talks. The US judges North Korea must make amends for last year's attacks on South Korean forces in the Yellow Sea. The Yemen opposition coalition rejected a government initiative for transferring power. Syria lifted the 50-year old emergency law, but security forces fired live rounds at protestors in Homs. Libyan rebels in Misrata called for Western ground forces to protect them. |
| NightWatch 20110418 | Anti-government suicide bombers penetrated the most secure portions of the Afghan Ministry of Defense to kill a Vice Minister of Defense and 12 others. This is the most serious attack in Kabul since the ouster of the Taliban government. A senior Iranian official threatened Saudi Arabia today. Bahraini officials said Arab troops will remain in Bahrain until the Iranian threat ends. Syrian security forces fired on protestors in the city of Homs after three senior officers and three civilian family members were killed in an opposition ambush on 17 April. |
| NightWatch 20110417 | Anti-government protests continued in Syria and Yemen. Pro-Qadhafi forces sustained military pressure against Misrata and Ajdabiyah. |
| NightWatch 20110415 | China informed the North Korean leadership that visits by the heir-apparent must be by air because railroad security is too expensive. An anti-government Islamist group has used a suicide bombing to injure 25 Indonesia police while they were praying in a mosque. This is the first bombing of its kind in Indonesia. Egyptian authorities announced that the Mubaraks will be detained in prison for their 15 days of detention. |
| NightWatch 20110414 | South and North Korean scientists have had two productive meetings about the threat of a volcanic eruption from Mount Paektu in North Korea. Libyan forces appear to be making slow progress against rebels in Misrata. |
| NightWatch 20110413 | North Korea acknowledged that it has indicted a US citizen in its custody for crimes against the state. Pakistani relations with the US are strained because of US drone attacks inside Pakistan. Egyptian authorities ordered Mubarak and his two sons detained for questioning for 15 days. France announced it will soon draw down about half of its forces in the Ivory Coast. |
| NightWatch 20110412 | The US State Department announced that North Korea has a US citizen in detention, but the person's identity and the reason for detention have not been released. The Libyan rebel government has asked for military and technical equipment from those countries that recognize it. The rebels also have called for a national day of "intifadah" on 15 April. |
| NightWatch 20110412 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20110407 | North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly approved the appointment of a new head of defense industrial production and a new top police officer, an Army general. Saudi Arabia and the other Arab monarchies are trying to arrange an exit strategy for Yemen's elected President. In Libya, Ajdabiya is again under threat by Qadhafi's forces. It is the last major town on the road to Benghazi, the rebel base. |
| NightWatch 20110406 | South Korea has proposed a second round of talks about volcanic activities in North Korea for 12 April. The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that al Qaida has set up training facilities and operational bases in Afghanistan in remote regions Coalition leaders considered of no strategic value. Pro-Qadhafi forces forced rebels to halt oil production at two oil fields in the desert south of Benghazi. |
| NightWatch 20110405 | Israel's Minister of Public Security warned of the threat of a major military operation in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for recent Palestinian rocket fire. The Libyan rebels, who formerly rejected outside help, now are criticizing NATO for not doing more. The civil war in the Ivory Coast has ended with a victory by UN and Ouattara forces. Gbagbo is trying to bluff his way into a comfortable exit. |
| NightWatch 20110404 | A high level North Korean military delegation visited Cambodia in late March, apparently to discuss arms sales. Egypt's foreign minister announced that Egypt is ready to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran, after a 30 year break. The Libyan government apparently is searching for a solution, according to the Greek foreign minister. Fighting continues in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but the end of the Gbabgo faction appears near. |
| NightWatch 20110401 | Afghans protesting a Quran burning in Florida killed 20 UN workers in northern Afghanistan in the worst attack on the UN mission since the fall of the Taliban. Syrian security used live ammunition to try to disperse large anti-government demonstrations in multiple towns, killing at least ten protestors. Large protests occurred in Yemen and Egypt. In Libya, Qadhafi rejected a UN-mediated offer of a ceasefire. Fighting was inconclusive. In the Ivory Coast, gangs have begun looting Abidjan, the largest and richest city in the country. |
| NightWatch 20110331 | North Korea expressed regret for the loss of life in the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan. Syrian opposition leaders have called for a Friday of Martyrs, in honor of the 61 people killed by security forces. In Libya, bad flying weather was responsible for the success of Qadhafi forces in the past four days. Defections from the Libyan regime have included two former foreign ministers and four other officials. In Cote d'Ivoire, President Ouattara's northern forces entered Abidjan and appear to have routed Gbagbo and his cronies, ending the latest phase of the civil war. |
| NightWatch 20110330 | South Korean forces held artillery exercises on two islands in the Yellow Sea. North Korea has not yet reacted. Iran welcomed stronger relations with Egypt. Pakistan offered Bahrain contingents of retired Pakistani soldiers, but Bahrain declined for now. Yemen President Saleh floated yet another proposal for staying in office while transferring power to an interim government. Syrian President Bashar al Asad blamed unrest on a vast foreign conspiracy. Libya's Foreign Minister arrived in London, supposedly after resigning. Libyan rebel forces suffered defeat for a second day. The Cote d'Ivoire civil war came closer to conclusion when rebel forces captured the capital city, Yamassoukro, on 30 March. |
| NightWatch 20110329 | South and North Korean volcano experts met in South Korea to discuss activity at Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula. India and Pakistan agreed to establish a hotline between their Home Affairs Ministries to share information on militant threats. Syrian President Bashar al Asad is scheduled to announce some political reforms in a national address on 30 March. Egypt announced a new phase of foreign relations that will include ties with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. The Libyan opposition in Benghazi published an eight-point "Vision of a Democratic Libya," that could guide the first genuine Arab democratic revolution this year. |
| NightWatch 20110328 | The Philippines announced it is upgrading its military capability to defend its islands near the Spratly Island group. Yemen's President Saleh has replaced army commanders who defected to the opposition and will not transfer power except after elections. The Libyan military situation is unchanged, but Turkey is asserting a leadership role in arranging humanitarian aid to the opposition and offering to mediate. Qatar recognized the opposition government. |
| NightWatch 20110327 | South Korea repatriated to the North 27 fishermen who drifted into South Korean waters last month. Four who asked to stay in the South were not repatriated. Yemen's President has retracted his offer to resign early. Libyan forces have withdrawn from five towns under Coalition air pressure, leaving them open to rebels. Rebel fighters have won no recent battles. |
| NightWatch 20110325 | US and North Korean diplomats are in Berlin for a closed-door forum. Political reform demonstrations occurred in seven Arab states, not including the fighting in Libya. In Yemen the President said he is willing to relinquish power to "safe hands." The most violent demonstrations occurred in Syria, where almost two dozen people were shot by security forces. Israeli officials are hinting that a significant military operation in Gaza is in preparation. |
| NightWatch 20110324 | No substantial change has been reported in the threat situations NightWatch is following in the Far East, Yemen, Syria, Israel and Libya. |
| NightWatch 20110323 | In Bahrain, an anti-monarchy movement is calling for demonstrations in the next two days. The United Kingdom is withdrawing part of its embassy staff from Yemen because of the unrest. Syrian security forces killed 15 anti-regime protestors in Dar'a town in southwest Syria. The Qadhafi forces in Libya continue to fight in Misrata and Zintan and Qadhai's hold on Tripoli looks solid. The opposition based in Benghazi has begun to organize as a government. |
| NightWatch 20110322 | North and South Korea have agreed to discuss joint research into volcanic eruptions in the North. A senior Saudi prince proposed formation of an Arab Army to defend "Arabism," plus Saudi acquisition of nuclear weapons to enable the Kingdom to confront Iranian nuclear weapons. Yemen's President Saleh announced he is willing to step down by the end of 2011. In Libya, Qadhafi forces intensified attacks against civilians and opposition fighters in Misrata and Zintan, proving once again that air forces cannot hold ground. |
| NightWatch 20110321 | The Saleh government in Yemen is on the verge of overthrow because significant portions of the bureaucracy, Army and tribes have sided with the anti-government protestors after Friday's crackdown. Libyan forces have withdrawn from positions near Benghazi because of Coalition air attacks. Qadhafi remains defiant, but the Coalition continues to gain new members. |
| NightWatch 20110320 | North Korea threatened retaliation against the US and South Korea for "grave provocations," which proved to be primarily partying near the Demilitarized Zone. In Bahrain, the direct threat to the monarchy has eased but protests and strikes persist. The government of Yemen's President Saleh looks precarious because protests have continued in defiance of a state of emergency. Egyptian voters appear to have approved amendments to the constitution that Army backed scholars proposed. A no-fly zone is in effect in Libya, following coalition attacks that destroyed the Libyan air defense system. |
| NightWatch 20110318 | South Korea rejected the latest North Korean offer of talks because the North has not taken action that demonstrates a commitment to disarmament. Bahraini King Hamad toured the financial district of Manama as a victory celebration. Only minor disturbances were reported today, outside Manama. Pursuant to the UN Security Council resolution, France announced it is ready to execute a no-fly zone over Libya within hours. |
| NightWatch 20110318 | North Korea's parliament will meet in its usual spring session on 7 April. Bahrain security forces destroyed the Pearl Square monument, but protests occurred outside central Manama. Protests occurred in Saudi Arabia and Syria. Yemen imposed a state of emergency, after 46 people were killed in clashes. Libya announced a ceasefire after the passage of the UN Resolution authorizing a no fly zone and protection of civilians, but Libyan ground forces continued attacking rebel positions. A new coalition of at least nine states, including Qatar, has committed to enforcing the UN Resolution against Libya. Participating aircraft are expected to begin attacking Libyan air and ground forces this weekend. |
| NightWatch 20110316 | South Korea's Unification Ministry has concluded that North Korea is more stable than it previously assessed, despite widespread food shortages. Limited violent disorders occurred in Lahore after the release of a US citizen accused of murdering two Pakistanis. Bahraini security forces executed a violent sweep against protestors in which six people died and hundreds were wounded. Small demonstrations occurred in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria and Algeria. In Libya, Qadhafi's forces made limited progress but were attacked by pro-rebel combat aircraft. The Qadhafi government has issued an ultimatum to the residents of Benghazi and promised that fighting will end in 48 hours. |
| NightWatch 20110315 | North Korea has dropped its insistence that all fishermen who drifted into South Korean waters must be repatriated. Four will remain in South Korea as they requested. Bharain declared a state of emergency for the next three months to restore law and order. More Peninsula Shield Forces arrived in Manama on 15 March. The only political entities to denounce the deployment of the Shield Force are associated with Iran. Libyan forces continued their advance towards Benghazi which they are likely to capture this week. |
| NightWatch 20110314 | In Bahrain, the Peninsula Shield Force of the Gulf Cooperation Council deployed to prop up King Hamad al Khalifa. In Libya, Qadhafi's forces continued their counter attack. The Benghazi Council opposition leaders asked for outside arms aid. In Niger, an oppostion candidate is favored to win the 12 March runoff election. |
| NightWatch 20110313 | Youth protests in Arab countries are running out of energy. Yemeni security forces killed at least 12 protestors over the weekend. In Libya, forces loyal to Qadhafi are making steady progress towards Benghazi which they should reach by the end of this week. |
| NightWatch 20110310 | A senior Chinese official affirmed there will be no pluralistic democracy with separation of powers or a bicameral legislature in the communist state. Many Middle Eastern governments are expecting large protest demonstrations after prayers on 11 March. Saudi police fired on Shiite demonstrators in Qatif, Eastern Province, whose population is mostly Shiite. Egypt's new prime minister has warned that recent protests are signs of counter-reviolution. In Libya, Qadhafi's son Saif al-Islam announced that the rebels now face a full-scale assault to crush the uprising. |
| NightWatch 20110309 | The Egyptian Army clear Tahrir Square today to stop anti-government protestors and counter-protestors from throwing rocks at each other. Libyan leader Qadhafi has put out a money reward for the capture of rebel leaders. Qadhafi has asked for Egyptian military aid but the rebels are receiving financial and other aid from Qatar. Morocco's King Mohammed VI ordered sweeping changes that would convert the Kingdom into a western-style constitutional monarchy. |
| NightWatch 20110308 | North Korea pleaded for rice in contacts with South Korea today. South Korea demanded the North apologize first. Anti-government protests reached Kahrtoum, Sudan, for the first time. In Libya, pro-Qadhafi forces counter-attacked strongly in Zawiyah and towns east of Tripoli. They appear to have recaptured Zawiyah. |
| NightWatch 20110307 | North Korea and South Korea have a new dispute over releasing four North Korean fishermen who have asked to remain in South Korea. Japan protested to China about a Chinese oceanic administration helicopter that came within 230 feet of a Japanese destroyer while filming it. Libyan rebels rejected a reported resignation offer from Qadhafi on 7 March. France and the UK are promoting a UNSC resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya, to support the rebels. |
| NightWatch 20110306 | Officially-supported Chinese media ridiculed the Arab uprisings as "self-delusional ruckus." Anti-government demonstrations occurred in Bahrain, Oman, Yemen and Egypt. Saudi Arabia and Algeria banned protests. In Libya there has been no significant change desite a weekend of lethal but inconsequential fighting by both sides, except for the dead. |
| NightWatch 20110304 | Aggressive and intrusive Chinese behavior in disputed regions has been reported by South Korean, the Philippines and Vietnam. Anti-government protests occurred in Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Libya. Qadhafi forces suppressed a protest in Tripoli and counterattacked against several rebel positions. Rebels are running out of supplies. The UK has promised to send military advisors to support the rebels. |
| NightWatch 20110303 | Chinese patrol ships are asserting Chinese claims to sovereignty in the South China Sea to include islets occupied by the Philippines. A Pakistani trial court is proceeding with the criminal trial of a US contract employee for the CIA whom the US claims has diplomatic immunity. Protests continued in Bahrain and Yemen. Friday after prayers is expected to be another protest event in many Arab countires. Egypt's new prime minister is a man the protestors support. Libyan jets again bombed a town under rebel control, to no effect. The security situation is unchanged. |
| NightWatch 20110302 | Pakistani Islamic terrorists assassinated the only Christian member of the cabinent because he opposed the anti-blasphemy laws. The royal family of Bahrain is drumming up support among the Gulf states. A counter-offensive by pro-Qadhafi militias in Libya failed to recover lost ground. |
| NightWatch 20110301 | Public statements by the US, South Korea and North Korea indicate talks will resume soon, though a date has not been proposed. Oman's Sultan Qaboos consulted Iran's President Ahmadi-Nejad about security matters. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia denied eyewitness reports that Saudi tanks are in Bahrain. Yemeni President Saleh has suspended an overture for a national unity government with the opposition.Libyan rebels lack the military strength to capture Tripoli from Qadhafi and his loyalists. That creates a condition for secession or civil war. China's despatch of four long range air force transports to evacuate the last Chinese workers in Libya is a strategic first. China has nearly completed the evacuation of 30,000 Chinese nationals. |
| NightWatch 20110228 | Cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan has called Pakistani youth to engage in anti-government protests if the US agent is released from custody or if prices rise. Iran's strict measures to prevent street protests indicate the leaders remained worred about political activism by the youth. Protests in Oman continued for a third day. The government in Bahrain remains unable to find the solution to the youth protest movement. Anti-government protests in Kuwait are set for 8 March. Egypt will hold a referendum on amending the constitution on 19 March. The fight for Free Libya continues, but neither side gained ground on 28 February. |
| NightWatch 20110227 | North Korea again has threatened to attack South Korean sites that launch propaganda balloons against the North. Anti-government protests occurred in Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. Qadhafi's cohorts now only hold portions of Tripoli. |
| NightWatch 20110225 | The IAEA claims Iran plans to begin operating a second uranium enrichment plant later this year. After morning prayers on 25 February, news outlets reported anti-government demonstrations took place in Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Libya and Egypt. In Libya the Qadhafis only control parts of Tripoli, but remain defiant. |
| NightWatch 20110224 | A South Korean news service has reported that last week several small protests occurred in North Korea over food and heating fuel shortages. Protests continued in Bahrain and Yemen but both governments are maneuvering to avoid provoking the protestors. Protestors in Libya took control of two key towns west of Tripoli, effectively isolating the capital by land. Erratic behavior by the Qadhafis, family departures and military defections indicate the regime will not last much longer. |
| NightWatch 20110223 | A press source reported that 30,000 Chinese require evacuation from Libya. A US diplomat has opened a dialogue with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Protests decreased in Bahrain on 23 February. The Saudi government has boosted funds for housing, social security, education and job creation, apparently to head off protests. Protests occurred in Cairo on 22 February, despite an Army ban. In Libya, pro-government forces are attempting to consolidate control of Tripoli, using brutal tactics and deadly force. |
| NightWatch 20110222 | The Gilani government in Pakistan remains shakey because of pressure from the opposition. The King of Bahrain has released political prisoners in a concession to the protestors and has flown to Saudi Arabia to consult with King Abdallah. Libyan leader Qadhafi remains defiant. The likelihood of more bloodshed is high. Algeria lifted the 19-year old state of emergency in a concession to protestors. |
| NightWatch 20110220 | A Pakistani court ruled that the US embassy worker in custody shall remain there for three more weeks to allow the government to formulate a case. Egypt agreed to allow to Iranian naval ships to transit the Suez Canal bound for Syria. On the 18th Libya began to crackdown on protestors in Benghazi. |
| NightWatch 20110217 | Imagery indicates North Korea's new missile test launch facility on the west coast is complete. China said it will block publication of a UN Report that accuses North Korea of violating sanctions on its nuclear prorgam by building several undisclosed sites. Bahrain police backed by the Army rousted demonstrators from Pearl Square in Manama. Four were killed. In Egypt more workers strikes took place; 18 February is the Day of Victory celebration. A Libyan crackdown tht killed two demonstrators seems to have broken the opposition movement. |
| NightWatch 20110216 | Chinese and Korean news services repored Kim Chong-il had a wonderful birthday. Threats from the Pakistani Taliban complicate resolution of the case of the US diplomat in custody in Lahore for murder. Some Egyptian protestors are having second thoughts about working with a martial law administration. Riots or demonstrations occurred in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya, but as yet had no significant effect on the leaders. |
| NightWatch 20110215 | North Korean celebrations of Kim Chong-il's birthday were dampened by the absnce of birthday gifts to every household because of the food shortage. Anti-government demonstrations were held in Iran, Bahrain and Yemen. None had much effect. The military government in Egypt has given a committee of jurists ten days in which to formulate constitutional amendments that will safeguard democracy. Tunisian authorities extended the state of emergency law. |
| NightWatch 20110215 | North Korea has renewed an earlier request for dialogue with South Korean lawmakers. China's Minister for Public Security is the first official to comment favorably on North Korea's plan for leadership succession to Kim Jong-eun. Egypt's military leadership has implemented martial law as part of the transition period to democracy. Libyan leader Qadhafi announced he will lead protests against his government. |
| NightWatch 20110211 | Japan restated its claims to the Kuril Islands, in response to Russian announcements. President Mubarak's refusal to resign on 10 February increases the likelihood of violent confrontations during the Day of Confrontation protests on 11 February. For a second day, Egyptian workers protested against Mubarak. Algeria will deploy 25,000 police to prepare for an opposition demonstration on 12 February. |
| NightWatch 20110209 | The North Korean delegation abruptly walked out of the second day of military talks at Panmunjom. The US declined a North Korean request for the US to resume food aid. Russia plans to strengthen defensive capabilities on Kuril Islands claimed by Japan. For the first time Egyptian workers began to protest for improved working conditions. Violent clashes are expected during Friday's Day of Confrontation protests in Cairo. The Egyptian Vice President said the Muslim Brotherhood should engage in talks because it is political force with a social agenda. Libyan leader Qadhafi warned journalists against contributing to the Libyan Day of Rage on 17 February. |
| NightWatch 20110208 | North Korean and South Korean military officials met for the first time in nearly a year to discuss whether they have anything to discuss. Lebanese Hezbollah came out strongly in support of the Egyptian protestors for being anti-American. The first session of the new Egyptian cabinet addressed economic problems. The interim Tunisian President has been granted authority to rule by decree until elections are held. The Tunisian Army is recalling reservists to active duty to cope with rising violence. |
| NightWatch 20110208 | North-South military talks continued for a second day in a "good" atmosphere. China and Iran have agreed to a $13 billion contract to link the countries by rail. Lebanese prime minister-elect Mikati soon will complete formation of a cabinet without members from the "pro-West camp." In Egypt, anti-government protests occurred in Alexandria and Cairo, but the security situation is less tense. |
| NightWatch 20110206 | Iran began legal proceedings against the American tourists it has in custody. Egypt's Vice President began talks with opposition delegates. |
| NightWatch 20110204 | Thai soldiers exchanged fire with Cambodians near the Preah Vihear temple in northwestern Cambodia.This is the first clash in a year. In Egypt the turnout for anti-government protests was far short of expectations. al Jazeera's English language service consistently exaggerated the size of demonstrations. |
| NightWatch 20110203 | For the second time, North Korea has asked for parliamentary talks with South Korea. Kim Chong-il celebrated the lunar new year of the Rabbit. In Yemen, large anti-government demonstrations were held and everyone went home. Egyptian President Mubarak will not step down and seems to sense no pressure to do so. Large demonstrations are planned for Cairo on4 February, but the anti-government movement is fizzling out elsewhere. Algeria's President Bouteflika has promised to lift the 19 year state of emergency soon. |
| NightWatch 20110202 | Yemeni President Saleh said he will not run for office in 2013, nor will his son. In Egypt violent demonstrations by pro-Mubarak supporters indicate the crisis continues. The Tunisian interim regime is attempting a nation-wide cleaning of pro-Ben Ali governors and police chiefs. |
| NightWatch 20110201 | South and North Korean officials have compromised, agreeing to hold preparatory military talks on 8 February. Syrian opposition leaders are calling for a large anti-government demonstration on 5 February under the guise of supporting the Egyptians. Mubarak announced he will not run for another term as President, which was well known in advance. He made no substantive concessions to the protestors. |
| NightWatch 20110131 | South and North Korea continue to wrangle over the date of the new session of working-level military talks, which is good news. The UN claims to have information about more clandestine nuclear facilities in North Korea. The Mubarak government in Egypt is stalling for time. The Army announced it will not use force against protestors who plan a million person demonstration in Cairo on 1 February. |
| NightWatch 20110130 | In Egypt, President Mubarak named a Vice President and an new government, setting conditions for a transition to a new leadership. Egyptian police and security forces are preparing for a crackdown that clears streets as of 31 January. Ripple effects from the Egyptian uprising include increased Chinese controls of internal social media. In Sudan, preliminary results from the southern Sudan referendum indicate overwhelming support for secession. A Tunisian Islamist leader in exile for 20 years returned to Tunis this weekend. |
| NightWatch 20110127 - Special Report | NightWatch Special Report: November 2010 in Afghanistan - Now Available |
| NightWatch 20110128 | Anti-government protests occurred in Tunisia, Jordan and Yemen, as well as Egypt. In Egypt, widespread protests prompted President Mubarak to dismiss the government. More protests are expected on the 29th. The interim Prime Minister of Tunisia appointed new cabinet ministers for national defense, interior and foreign affairs but did not step down. |
| NightWatch 20110127 | Japan's Coast Guard is monitoring the activities of a Chinese patrol ship near the Senkaku Islands. North Korea proposed talks between legislators from the North and South. This was the fourth talks proposal this year. In Egypt, opposition groups plan large protest demonstrations after Friday prayers. Government leaders in Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are trying to prove they are open to reform. |
| NightWatch 20110126 | South Korea proposed 11 February as the date for resuming working-level military talks with North Korea. The North has not responded. In Lebanon, supporters of former Prime Minister Hariri refuse to accept a pro-Hezbollah prime minister and government. Egyptian authorities have arrested up to 900 anti-government demonstrators. The Cairo government denied that Gamal Mubarak, the son of the President, and his family fled Egypt. In Tunisia, the interim government plans a cabinet shakeup and issued a warrant for the arrest of former President Ben Ali. |
| NightWatch 20110125 | Najib Mikati, a very wealthy businessman, is the new prime minister of Lebanon. He is pro-Syria and supported by Hezbollah; opposition to his election has erupted in political violence. In Egypt thousands of people in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities called for President Mubarak to step down. The Russian bombing showed that airports contain many areas where people congregate outside secure zones. |
| NightWatch 20110124 | In Iraq, two bombings in Karbala in a week attest to efforts to incite sectarian warfare again. Russia authorities suspect a Chechen terrorist was responsible for the suicide bombing at Domodedovo airport in Moscow. Hezbollah-backed politican Najib Mikati is likely to be the next prime minister of Lebanon. Tunisian police and anti-government protestors clashed in Tunis on 24 January. |
| NightWatch 20110123 | South Korea proposed mid-February for working-level military talks with North Korea. Yemeni students in Sana'a called for President Saleh's resignation. Saleh raised the pay of the security forces. Hezbollah is likely to lead the next government in Lebanon, portending increased tension with Israel. Preliminary results from the southern Sudan referendum are overwhelmingly in favor of secession. In Tunis, police, national guards and sanitation workers staged a protest, while Islamists announced they were considering forming a political party to contest presidential elections. Algerian police clashed with protestors in Algiers. |
| NightWatch 20110120 | India arrested three suspected Chinese "spies" and warned that six more might be at large. An Iran has called for the expulsion of 3 million Afghans who have jobs in Iran. In Lebanon, Hezbollah members practiced measures to immobilize Beirut. Tunisia released all political prisoners, but the government remains fragile. |
| NightWatch 20110120 | China and Japan reached agreement on crisis management measures for handling maritime incidents. South Korea has accepted a North Korean proposal for high-level military talks in the first ten days of February. The Chinese aircraft carrier Shi Lang, formerly the Soviet ship Varyag, is nearing completion and will commence sea trials this year. The Tunisian interim cabinet met for the first time and declared general amnesty and lifted the ban on political parties. |
| NightWatch 20110118 | North Korea and China are planning to establish a special economic zone on an island in the Yalu River. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has promised to act moderately until it learns the details of the indictments by the Special Tribunal. Tunisia experienced new protests and calls for the new government to step down. Anti-government protests are increasing in Yemen. West African states are deliberating military action to break the political stalemate in the Ivory Coast. |
| NightWatch 20110117 | Taiwan will hold a fire power demonstration and military exercise evidently timed to the Chinese President's visit to the US. In Lebanon draft indictments have been delivered under tight security to the investigating magistrate of the Special Tribunal for a ten week review process. Tunisia announced the formation of a unity government composed mostly of hold-overs from the Ben Ali regime, but security conditions have improved. Other Middle Eastern states continue to announce new programs to help their poor. |
| NightWatch 20110114 | India announced its intention to cut by one-fourth security forces in Jammu and Kashmir State. The indictments from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are expected within days. The President of Tunisia has been ousted in a palace coup, backed by the Army. Demonstrations and looting continue despite imposition of a state of emergency. |
| NightWatch 20110113 | North Korea will hold its first Amateur Open Golf tournament in Pyongyang in late April to earn Euros and showcase its new policy of conciliation. Lebanese political leaders will meet on the 17th to discuss government formation. Tunisian President Ben Ali promised political reform, lowered food prices, directed no use of live ammunition by the police and returned the Army to barracks in Tunis. General strikes are still planned. With President Chavez' approval, Venezuela's national asssembly scrapped a controversial plan to make state universities conform to Chavez' socialist vision. |
| NightWatch 20110113 | South Korean news services have reported purges and public executions of people opposed to the transitional leadership in North Korea. Hezbollah withdrew from the Lebanese government, creating a temporary political crisis. Tunisian President Ben Ali dismissed his Minister of Interior over police use of excessive force against demonstrators. More demonstration are likely. |
| NightWatch 20110111 | Leaked imagery showed the Chinese prototype stealth fighter making its first flight. Indian External Affairs Minister Krishna made a strong statement of support for Afghanistan after a two-day visit. Disorders and clashes took place in a suburb of Tunis on 11 January. General strikes have been called for later in the week. |
| NightWatch 20110110 | South Korea has rejected unconditional talks because it wants the North to abandon its provocations and nuclear weapons programs. The North has countered with still more offers of talks. Tunisia has closed schools because of civil disorders and promised more jobs. |
| NightWatch 20110109 | South Korean and Japanese Defense Ministers will meet on 10 January to discuss closer military ties. South Korea is considering North Korea's 8 January offer of talks. In Karachi, tens of thousands of Pakistanis rallied in support of blasphemy laws. Minor tribal clashes preceded southern Sudan's referendum on independence; voting will continue for a week. Riots in Algeria prompted the government to reduce commodity prices. Riots in Tunisia over the weekend resulted in at least 14 deaths. France declared all countries in Sahelian Africa unsafe after two French nationals were executed by al-Aqaida associated terrorists. |
| NightWatch 20110107 | North Korea has restated its offer of unconditional talks, proposing they be held in late January or early February. In Pakistan, Prime Minister Gilani has restored his government's majority in the National Assembly, easing the political crisis. The Sudanese referendum on independence for southern Sudan is on track for 9 January. This week rioting and protests have occurred in Tunisian cities over high unemployment and high prices, but the government is not in danger at this time. |
| NightWatch 20110106 | South Korea and the US rejected North Korea's offer of talks. China has added two more law enforcement ships to the North Sea Fleet to protect Chinese maritime interests. The Pakistani political crisis deepened when the government rescinded fuel price increases to avoid a vote of no-confidence by the parliamentary opposition. The new Venezuelan parliament convened with a larger number of opposition, anti-Chavez members than at any time in the past five years. |
| NightWatch 20110105 | North Korea published a "joint statement" by all government organizations that calls for talks and reconciliation with South Korea. The Pakistani police commando who assassinated the Governor he was protecting received praise from Islamist religious scholars. Open source reporting supports a press statement by the German commander of the northern region that Pashtun fighters are war weary and have begun to surrender. |
| NightWatch 20110104 | Japan announced its willingness to engage in bilateral talks with North Korea. South Korea clarified that no military alliance with Japan is being considered. The assassination of the governor of Pakistan's Punjab Province by his elite police commando bodyguard is a sign of the pervasive influence of Islamist attitudes. Taliban denied the existence of a ceasefire of any kind in Sangin District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Sudan's president al Bashir is in Juba, southern Sudan to consult prior to the 9 January referendum on southern Sudan's independence. |
| NightWatch 20110103 | Japan's Foreign Minister Maehara wants to expand cooperation with South Korea into a new security alliance, according to the press. South Korean President Lee is pursuing a carrot and stick policy in dealing with North Korea. Chinese firms want to invest in and develop Indonesian mineral resources in New Guinea. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani has begun talks with the second largest opposition party to restore his government's majority in parliament. |
| NightWatch 20110102 | North Korea's New Year's political editorial carried a conciliatory message for South Korea for a second year, but again without specifics. South Korea replied that military adventurism must stop before talks can resume. In Pakistan the MQM joined the opposition on 2 January, creating a political crisis and forcing the government to rule as a minority government. Thus far, Iran has implemented deep cuts to the national subsidy program without generating civil disorders and protests. |
| NightWatch 20101229 | North Korea has restated its refusal to recognize the Northern Limit Line and warned of more clashes. The heir apparent in North Korea can no longer be called the "young general." He must be called the "honorable" or "brilliant comrade general." India has increased continuous anti-piracy patrols in the central Arabian Sea to counter the eastward drift of Somali pirate predations. |
| NightWatch 20101229 | South Korea announced a new strategy for dealing with North Korea that is aimed a eventual reunification. Japanese media repored North Korea is discussing a possible sale of long range Taepo-Dong-2 ballistic missiles to Iran. Pakistani President Zardari is trying to heal political divisions in the government coalition. Israel now says Iran is three years away from building a nuclear weapon because of technical difficulties -- a possible reference to the effects of the Stuxnet worm which reportedly has infected the Iranian nuclear program's computers. |
| NightWatch 20101227 | South Korea has begun another round of naval exercises, which North Korea has denounced. Kim Chong-il's activities, as reported, continue to indicate no expectation of a crisis. A key member of Pakistan's government coalition has withdrawn from the cabinet over government corruption and ineptitude. It is considering whether to join the opposition, in which event the Gilani government would lose its majority and could fall. |
| NightWatch 20101223 | South Korea has reduced the alert condition for parts of its military forces. North Korea has threatened a "sacred war" if it is attacked. Indian authorities have alerted the citizens of Mumbai to be on guard for a terrorist attack by four terrorists who entered Mumbai from Pakistan. |
| NightWatch 20101223 | North Korea has not yet reacted to South Korea's fire-pwer demonstration near the Demilitarized Zone. North Korea has resumed broadcasting public appearancs by leader Kim Chong-il, after a one-day gap on 20 December. That is the date of the South Korean island artillery drills. Cross-Strait relations between China and Taiwan continue to improve. The Venezuelan opposition has described as a "coup d'etat" the action by the lame duck legislature in voting rule by decree authority to the president plus restrictions on free speech. |
| NightWatch 20101221 | South Korea has lit a 100-foot Christmas tree tower south of the Demilitarized Zone for the first time in seven years, in an act of defiance against North Korea. As yet the North has not responded, but the South has vowed military retaliation if the North attacks the tower. |
| NightWatch 20101220 | North Korea declined to retaliate for South Korean island-based artillery exercises, as being not worth the effort. China intends to maintain continuous patrols permanantly by large fisheries patrol ships in the waters near the Senkaku Islands. The two most important Somali militant groups announced a military and political merger, which probably portends another offensive to defeat the transitional government and the African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu. |
| NightWatch 20101219 | South Korean artillery exercises from Yeonpyeong Island are taking place as of 0230 EDT.North Korea has not reacted as yet. China and Russia blocked UN efforts to control the confrontation. The political crisis in the Ivory Coast has led to a deteriorating security situation. The US has encouraged its citizens to leave. |
| NightWatch 20101217 | South Korea announced it will proceed with plans for artillery training from Yeonpyeong Island, despite North Korea's threat and warning of retaliation. If the South shoots as announced, the North will fire back. China announced two more major economic projects with North Korea. China also announced in public its plan to have an operational nuclear powered aircraft carrier by 2020. Fighting data from November in Afghanistan indicates it was the most violent month in the history of the insurgency. Venezuelan President Chavez was voted the authority to rule by decree for 18 months by the outgoing lame duck parliament. |
| NightWatch 20101216 | South Korea announced it will hold artillery training this weekend on Yeonpyeong Island, increasing the danger of an escalating crisis with the North. A moderate-toned North Korean Foreign Ministry statement and the arrival in Pyongyang of New Mexico Governor Richardson with a CNN crew for a five day visit offer guarded optimism that a crisis may be avoided. Iran has accused Pakistan of complicity in the 15 December suicide bombings at a mosque in Chabahar that killed 41 and injured more than 50. India has placed all its diplomatic facilities in Afghanistan against an imminent terrorist attack. The Estonian security police have accused the mayor of Tallinn of acting as an agent of influence for Russia. |
| NightWatch 20101215 | The US, South Korea and Japan presented North Korea five conditons for resuming six-party nuclear talks. North Korea will reject the offer. Asian media outlets quote South Korean intelligence sources that North Korea is preparing a site for another nuclear test, probably by spring 2011. Germany announced it will end conscription next year and significantly cut back the size of its standing military forces. |
| NightWatch 20101214 | Russian authorities announced that forces in the Far East have been placed on increased alert over the Korean situation. Chinese diplomats assert that North Korea is ready for six party talks without conditions. The Venezuelan parliament has granted President Chavez the authority to legistlate by decree, for the fourth time. |
| NightWatch 20101213 | North Korea responded to the South Korean artillery training with a threat of nuclear war on the peninsula. This is a bluff. Desite ominous warnings from various US commentators, the likelihood of general war remains low, but the likelihood of further shooting incidents remains high. South Korean media quoted an unidentified official source who claimed that North Korea has multiple uranium enrichment facilities. China blames the US "return to Asia" policy for the recent increase in tension in northeast Asia. |
| NightWatch 20101212 | South Korea began coastal artillery training on 13 Decmeber at 27 locations, which exclude the offshore islands near North Korea. Kim Chong-il, his sister and brother-in-law inspected light consumer goods factories and a new department store, reinforcing the message that the North does not seek a general war. A two-state solution to the Palestinian problem risks enabling Hamas to govern all Palestinian territories. |
| NightWatch 20101209 | North Korea declared any shelling by South Korean forces from YeonPyeong Island into adjacent waters will violate North Korean sovereignty because the island is located in North Korean waters. On 9 December Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo held "candid and in-depth talks" with Kim Chong Il in Pyongyang. An article publised on 25 NOvember by the German daily Die Welt claims that Venezuela and Iran have agreed to build a jointly operated medium range ballistic missile base in Venezuela that will be manned by Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Venezuelan and Iranian missile officers. This report has not been confirmed by other sources at this time. |
| NightWatch 20101208 | Japan's deputy Defense Minister called for strenghtening the southwest coast because China's military has increased regional instability. Loitering by two Russian anti-submarine warfare and ocean surveillance aircraft caused the US and Japan to interrupt joint exercises for several hours. The provincial council of Iraq's Babil Province has ordered US soldiers to vacate a base in Hillah as agreed or face concrete barricades to deny access to it. |
| NightWatch 20101207 | South Korea dropped anti-regime leaflets into North Korea from balloons and is considering restarting anti-regime propaganda broadcasts along the Demilitarized Zone. Last summer North Korea promised a "physical response" to both. A senior Chinese official posted an essay on the Foreign Ministry website that appears to be an effort to lower international expectations of China in international relations. India and Pakistan both suffered sensational, but unrelated bombing incidents for which Islamic extremist groups claimed responsibility. |
| NightWatch 20101206 | South Korea has begun its second of five days of coastal artillery exercises, but postponed drills on the Yellow Sea islands. The International Criminal Court is investigating whether North Korea committed war crimes in sinking the South Korean corvette last March. A Pakistani court has issued warrants for seven police officials in connection with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007. |
| NightWatch 20101205 | Tension remains high in Korea resulting from North Korean denunciations of US, South Korean and Japanese military cooperation. South Korea's new Minister of National Defense has promised strong retaliation stikes in the event of another North Korean attack on South Korea. |
| NightWatch 20101202 | The Director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service admitted that the agency failed to analyze indicators of a North Korean artillery attack on the offshore islands as early as August. On 1 and 2 December North Korean media have reported public appearances by Kim Chong-il, strong indicators that the North does not seek an escalation of the offshore islands confrontation. The Ivory Coast is under a complete national lock down through Sunday in preparation for runoff presidential elections. Analysis of fighting in the districts of Afghanistan indicates 2010 is the first year in which the Taliban and other anti-government forces generally contracted their areas of operations. |
| NightWatch 20101201 | US and South Korean naval exercises terminated with no futher provocations. South Korean intelligence issued a warning to expect more provocations because of internal instability in North Korea. South Korea has deployed surface-to-air missiles to Yeonpyeong Island. Japan and the US will begin ten days of exercises on 1 December. Participants will include the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington, 400 aircraft and 60 ships. |
| NightWatch 20101130 | North Korea has made no provocations during the US-South Korean naval exercises in the Yellow Sea. South Korea plans to expand the military rules of engagement for responding to future North Korean provocations. Egypt's ruling party swept parliamentary elections. Mainstream media treatment of key Wikileaks reports is superficial and lacks context. |
| NightWatch 20101129 | Japan refused the Chinese offer of talks and prefers to consult with its Allies first. South Korea continues to talk strong, but doubts about combat readiness persist. Iran has minimized leaked US assessments that Arab states and the Israelis agree that Iran is the greatest threat to peace in the Mid East. |
| NightWatch 20101129 - Special Report | NightWatch has written a series of Special Reports on Afghanistan since 2006. These are monthly reviews of open source reports on combat that are intended to provide hard data on combat so that readers can understand the trends in security conditions. This report is the latest in the series. |
| NightWatch 20101128 | Tension is high on the Korean Peninsula. The second day of Allied exercises began on 29 November without incident. Japan continues its close watch and hardline approach to North Korea. China is trying to arrange emergency talks but South Korea has rejected them for now and North Korea has made no comment. |
| NightWatch 20101126 | The new South Korean Minister of National Defense is a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Kim Kwan Jin. A South Korean news outlet published images indicating South Korean intelligence had warning of the shelling attack but did nothing about it. Diplomacy has begun, but the US-South Korean exercises on Sunday are the next flash point. |
| NightWatch 20101125 | The final casualty toll from the North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong Island on the 23rd is four dead and 18 wounded. South Korea has replaced the National Defense Minister because of the attack. US-South Korean military exercises are to begin this weekend. North Korea warned against the US-ROK drills on 26 November, but continues to project images of normality. It has terminated its participation in Red Cross talks. |
| NightWatch 20101123 | A review of diplomacy, international activities and leadership activities indicates North Korea is making no preparations for war and expects the artillery incident will not escalate. South Korea has increased security, canceled Red Cross talks set for the 25th and suspended food relief shipments to the North. North Korean media blame South Korea for provoking the shelling and have put out three different explanations. Chinese media have praised North Korea's "toughness." |
| NightWatch 20101122 | Australia will not increase its troops in Afghanistan, but will provide training teams on request. On 23 November North Korean coastal artillery shelled a South Korean offshore island, off the west coast, injuring four soldiers and setting houses afire. South Korean guns returned fire and the armed forces are at highest peacetime alert. China is using economic aid and infrastructure projects to build its sphere of influence in Southeast and South Asia. Construction of a high speed railroad from Kunming, China, to Rangoon, Burma will being soon. The coup attempt in Madagascar has been settled and the new constitution was approved in a national referendum. |
| NightWatch 20101119 | North and South Korea will hold Red Cross talks in South Korea for the first time in a year. Recnet talks have been held only in the North. Commercial imagery confirms new construction at the Yongbyon nuclear site, presumably for an experimental light water reactor. A news report states that Iran may soon release the two American backpackers still in custody. |
| NightWatch 20101118 | North Korea wants to resume tourism talks on 25 November, but South Korea refuses to talk until the North returns resort property to the South Korean owners. South Korea declared a failure the so-called Sunshine Policy of enegagement with the North, in effect since 2000. The Lithuanian port of Klaipeda will be a logistics hub for supplying forces in Afghanistan by rail from the north. In the Cold War it was the location of a large and important Soviet naval base. |
| NightWatch 20101117 | In North Korea, a new purge of "corrupt" officials and military officers appears intended to remove opposition to the young heir-apparent, Kim Jung-un. Japan's first overseas military base under construction in Djibouti. Army mutineers failed to overthrow the Madagascar government or stop the referendum on a new constitution. In Guinea, protestors rioted after opposition leader Alpha Conde was declared winner of the presidential runoff election in 7 November. |
| NightWatch 20101116 | South Korea has increased vigilance because of reports that North Korea is preparing a third nuclear test at the test site at Punggye-ri and has begun constructing a light water nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. Pakistan's former President Musharraf has published an essay blaming the US and India for the rise of Islamic militancy in Pakistan. In Afghanistan, once again Germany is declaring victory over the Taliban in Konduz Province of northern Afghanistan and promises more vigorous offensive operations. |
| NightWatch 20101115 | A newly released UN report found that North Korea is using a variety of deceptive tactics to sell missile and nuclear technology to Iran, Syria and Burma. Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest. She says she is ready to hold talks with the junta-backed government. Afghan President Karzai's call for a reduced US military footprint indicates US tactics are not congruent with US hearts and minds strategy. In Algeria, a recent terrorist attack against a foreign construction company could signal a change in tactics. |
| NightWatch 20101111 | Pakistan and China have expressed reservations about the US support for Indian permanent membership in the UN Security Council. Pakistani President Zardari begins a three day official visit to China on 11 November in part to encourage Chinese opposition to the proposal. India has refused to cooperate with the US on Iran and Burma. Iraq is close to forming a new government after eight months of deadlock. Nuri al Maliki will serve as prime minister. The US has concluded that the contrail seen off Los Angeles this week was from an aircraft. |
| NightWatch 20101108 | In North Korea the deputy to Kim Chong-il has died at 82. Vice Marshal Cho Myong-nok was a former classmate of Kim Chong-il after the Korean War and a pilot and former air force commander. In the first Burmese general elections in 20 years, candidates backed by the military junta won sweeping victories in clearly rigged elections. Somali pirates attacked a European Union warship using a captured merchant ship for the first time. |
| NightWatch 20101105 | An authoritative Afghan Taliban leader told Pakistani television interviewer that the Taliban will negotiate after the US departs. At the UN Russia blamed ineffective tactics for the surge of Taliban activity in northern Afghanistan, which had been quiet before the surge. Al Qaida in Yemen claimed responsibility for the parcel bombs found in the UK and in Dubai and for a third on a UPS aircraft that was destroyed on 3 September in Dubai. |
| NightWatch 20101104 | A North Korean media report on the activities of leader Kim Chong-il for the first time listed his son, Kim Jong-un, as second in precedence, after his father. Indian authorities announced a major program to upgrade, enlarge and improve Air Force bases and facilities opposite China, in eastern India. In Afghanistan, a purported Taliban offer of seven terms for talks with the US is making news headlines, but does not appear to be authentic. Somalia's al Shabaab tribal and Islamic militants are threatening attacks in Uganda and Burundi to counter African Union operations in Mogadishu. |
| NightWatch 20101103 | North Korea's premier is visiting joint manufacturing facilities located in northeastern China. This is the third recent high level visit to these factories. India has decided to build three new major naval bases along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, to improve sea control and the ability to monitor and counter Chinese activities in Burma, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In Juarez, Mexico, opposite El Paso, Texas, four American visitors were killed in drug cartel gunfights over the weekend, raising to 20 the number killed in October. |
| NightWatch 20101102 | A South Korean navy ship fired warning shots at a North Korean fishing boat off the west coast on 3 November. China rejected a US offer to host trilateral talks with Japan to settle the Senkakus dispute. Russia increased pressure on Japan over the Kurils by announcing more Presidential visits. Greece experienced a string of parcel bomb explosions and threats, attributed to Greek anarchists. |
| NightWatch 20101101 | Russian President Medvedev's visit to the Kuril Islans on 1 NOvember is the first by a Russian President. Japan claims four of the 56 islands and announced it will formally protest Medvedev's visit. China has presented India a five point plan to improve relations and handle disputes, but the plan contains no measures for avoiding confrontations. Afghan President Karzai criticized a US-Russian counter-narcotics operation in eastern AFghanistan. The 28 October raid is the first Russian operation in Afghanistan in more than 20 years. Saudi intelligence reported that 26 packages were used in the latest air carrier parcel bomb plot. Only two have been located. |
| NightWatch 20101028 | In advance of the US President's visit to India on 5 November, Taiwan has postponed a purchase of US weapons that might have provoked China during the visit to India. North Korea's Chief of the General Staff is leading a delegation to Cuba. A Chinese intelligence general is visiting Pakistan to discuss issues of mutual interest, which usually means taking Pakistan to task for training Uighur Islamist militants at Pakistani intelligence-run terrorist camps in Pakistani Kashmir. |
| NightWatch 20101027 | In talks about family reunions North Korea tried to extort 500,000 tons of rice and 300,000 tons of fertilizer from South Korea. Indian authorities are concerned that Kashmiri militants will stage attacks during the US President's visit in early November. That is their custom. The Royal Danish Navy sank a Somali pirate mothership. |
| NightWatch 20101026 | North Korea and the US will hold colonel-level talks at Panmunjom on 27 October. Anti-Japanese protests continued in Chongqing, China. A Chinese nuclear-powered attack submarine has been reported at the new naval base on Hainan Island. Iran confirmed that it provides financial aid to Afghanistan. Venezuela expropriated two US-owned factories, as part of the ongoing nationalization program. |
| NightWatch 20101025 | Japan detected and protested the presence of Chinese patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands. Anti-Japanese protests occurred in at least three Chinese cities over the weekend. Afghanistan's President Karzai confirmed that he receives bags of money from Iran as well as the United States, as official aid. In Mexico the Sinaloa drug cartel has warned it will kill one person for every ton of marijuana plus one seized by Mexican authorities in Tijuana last week. The cartel used a police radio to communicate the threat. |
| NightWatch 20101024 | South Korea and the US cancelled naval exercises in the Yellow Sea to provide a non-provocative security background to next month's Group of 20 summit in Seoul. The Indian Army forces in Kashmir foiled an infiltration attempt by a militant group from Pakistan over the weekend. Taliban terrorists detonated themselves outside the UN compound in Herat in western Afghanistan. Nevertheless, Herat remains one of the safest cities in Afghanistan. |
| NightWatch 20101022 | A UN report forecast a looming food crisis in North Korea because of a bad harvest. South Korea announced it will not resume large scale food aid to the North until the political atmosphere improves. India's Army chief accused Pakistan of continuing to support anti-Indian terrorism. He said up to 600 Kashmiri militants were at 42 camps in Pakistan, preparing to infiltrate into Indian Kashmir before winter. Chinese strategic analysts have criticized the US President's trip to India in early November as part of an American plan to encircle China. |
| NightWatch 20101021 | North Korea has renewed a proposal for non-governmental talks with South Korea, at the same time US and South Korean sources report new activity at the North's nuclear site in the far northeast. China continues to pressure Japan over ownership of the Senkaku Islands. |
| NightWatch 20101020 | Chinese media reported a fisheries enforcement ship deployed near the Senkaku Islands, but Japanese authorities said the ship's presence in Japanese claimed waters was unconfirmed. Iran announced it will put two US backpackers on trial on 6 November. Movement in the court system could be a step towards release. |
| NightWatch 20101019 | Renewed tension between Japan and China has led to a war of words by senior diplomats. North Korean authorities arrested three youths who smuggled explosives from China and intended to blow up a bridge. NATO aircraft again violated Pakistani airspace near the border crossing point at Torkham, apparently to check on supply convoys. Venezuelan President Chavez used his visit to Iran to denounce the US. |
| NightWatch 20101018 | South and North Korea restored their commercial aviation hotline on 18 October. It is the first of three crisis management lines to be restored since the sinking of the South Korea patrol ship in March. Anti-Japanese demonstrations and vandalism in at least five Chinese cities have increased tension with Japan again. Iraqi Prime Minister al Maliki visited Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad. |
| NightWatch 20101017 | The Japanese government next year will consider legislation that would empower the Maritime Self-Defense Forces to participate in maritime law enforcement actions. North Korea issues its usual hollow threats of war over South Korea's participation in an anti-proliferation naval exercise. Iranian nuclear talks with Western countries are set for 15 to 18 November. Saudi Arabia warned France about a theat of attach by al Qaida operatives from Yemen. |
| NightWatch 20101015 | North Korea again threatened to shell South Korean loudspeaker sites in the event anti-North Korean broadcasts resume. With Chinese assistance it has raised new conditions for resuming nuclear talks. Russia has agreed to build a nuclear power plant in Venezuela and announced news arms sales. |
| NightWatch 20101014 | China and North Korea have agreed on another joint venture in Tumen, China, that will bind North Korea's economy more closely to that of China. In a recent commentary, a Chinese military expert has characterized China as the equal of the United States in international politics, security, economics, science and technology. Thai authorities arrested 15 Pakistanis whom the Thai suspect of planning terrorist attacks in southern Thailand. Pakistani authorities state they have arrested seven Islamists who were plotting to assassinate the Prime Minister. The Sadrist movement in Iraq is demanding significant control of the cabinet from Prime Minister al Maliki as the price for its support in a new government. |
| NightWatch 20101013 | No significant threat information has been received during this Watch. |
| NightWatch 20101012 | China announced plans to build 30 new law enforcement ships to "safeguard marine rights." That is in contrast to more conciliatory diplomatic language at a meeting in Vietnam. Official revelations made to a US journalist endanger the fragile stability of the Pakistani eleced government. The severed head of a Mexican investigator into the Falcon Lake alleged murder was delivered to a Mexican Army base. |
| NightWatch 20101011 | During the first meeting between senior officals in a year, China invited the US Defense Secretary to visit China in 2011. After several recent combat deaths, the Italian Defense Ministry plans to request parliament to approve the use of bombs by Italian aircraft providing tactical air support to Italian troops in combat in Afghanistan. |
| NightWatch 20101010 | Kim Chong-il and his son Kim Chong-un presided at the large military parade in honor of the 65th anniversary of the Workers' Party. China released the fourth Japanese national contract worker after he finally "repented." |
| NightWatch 20101007 | After the Senkakus confrontation with China, Japan is seeking alternate suppliers and supply routes that bypass China. India and Russia have agreed on a long term arrangement for supplying and producing fifth generation fighters and transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Pakistan's suspension of NATO supply convoys for Afghanistan continued into its eighth day. Russia announced cancellation of its contract with Iran for the S-300 air defense system and promised to return the downpayment. The French Constitutional Council found the law prohibiting women from wearing Islamic face veils in public in France to be constitutional. |
| NightWatch 20101006 | China has begun to withdraw fisheries patrol boats from the disputed Senkaku Islands, in the latest sign of easing tension. Russian initiatives with Vietnam, India and Algeria attest to a new program to rebuild or expand Soviet-era arms markets. The US apologized to Pakistan for the 30 September helicopter shooting incident so as to encourage Pakistan to re-open border crossing points for NATO supply convoys to Afghanistan. President Calderon intends to create a unified command for the 2,200 Mexican local police departments. |
| NightWatch 20101005 | Japan declared an end to the confrontation with China over the Senkaku Islands, as most exchanges returned to normal. The border crossing site at Torkham, Pakistan, remains closed. Ecuador's President Correa extended the state of emergency until 8 October. |
| NightWatch 20101004 | North Korea plans to hold a joint forces miltiary exercise at Wonsan on 10 October to honor the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers' Party. NATO and Pakistani authorities are discussing reopening the Torkham border crossing site, closed after a drone attack killed Pakistani paramilitary soldiers. Iraq's Shiite political parties appear to be uniting behind Prime Minister al Maliki to head the next government. Mali and France are holding talks about military action to rescue hostages held by al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. |
| NightWatch 20101001 | Japan and China are groping diplomatically to move beyond the Senkakus dispute, with limited success. South and North Korea have reached agreeement on resuming family reunions, starting 30 October. Pakistan suspended US convoys to Afghanistan for a second day because of NATO/US air strikes on a Pakistani border outpost. Ecuador's President Correa remains in office owing to military intervention. Ecuador remains under a state of emergency. |
| NightWatch 20100930 | China released three repentant Japanese workers, but kept a fourth in custody, in a move that is likely to prolong rather than defuse the maritime dispute. The departure of a high level North Korean party official for China indicates the leadership event has ended. North Korea released pictures that included Kim Chong-un, the heir apparent. An indecisive Indian court decision about the shrine at Ayodhya wll incite Hindu-Muslim violence. Cuts in pay and benefits for Ecuador's police forces provoked violence in major cities, a nationwide police strike and nearly a government overthrow. Ecuador is in a state of emergency under military control. |
| NightWatch 20100929 | Japan is considering a plan to station troops on islands that it claims. China has resumed rare earth shipments to Japan, an apparent gesture to defuse tension. North and South Korean officers held working level meetings in Panmunjom for the first time in two years. The Pakistan Army dismissed as unfounded media reports that a surge in US drone attacks neutralized a terrorist plot to attack European cities. |
| NightWatch 20100928 | Japanese authorities clarified that Japan has not surrendered any sovereign claims to China by releasing the fishing boat captain and expects no easing of tension with China soon. More promotions and appointments in North Korea indicate Kim Chong-un is the designated heir with little to no authority and is guided by his Aunt, Uncle and the military proteges of his ailing father, Kim Chong-il. France and the Sahelian African countries have established a new intelligence fusion center in Algiers to fight al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The forces of order appear to be winning. |
| NightWatch 20100927 | Kim Chong-il's older sister and his youngest son were promoted to the military rank of four-star general today, on the eve of the Workers' Party Conference on leadership. China continues to retaliate against Japan over the fishing boat incident by increasing the time and cost of customs procedures. Japan refuses to apologize and demands the Chinese pay for damage to Japanese patrol ships. France is positioning special forces for a rescue operation to recover five nationals held by al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. Pro-Chavez politicians won the Venezuelan parliamentary elections on the 26th. |
| NightWatch 20100924 | Japanese prosecutors suspended their investigation of the Chinese fishing boat captain, who was released and is now in China. China has demanded an apology from Japan. North and South Korea failed to reach agreement on resuming reunion meetings, but talks continue. In Lebanon, a prominent Maronite Christian politician warned about a Sunni-Shiite "war" if Hezbollah members are indicted for a 2005 political assassination, as seems likely. |
| NightWatch 20100923 | North Korea has promoted two English-speaking foreign policy veterans to positions of higher authority -- a good sign for future talks. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states agreed to help Kyrgyzstan stabilize conditions in the restive south by providing intelligence support. The Prime Minister of Bahrain told a gathering of regional leaders that Iran's security is Bahrain's security and that Iran's positions on global issues created a feeling of Muslim pride. |
| NightWatch 20100922 | Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao joined the public exchanges about the fishing boat confrontation by calling for the release of the captain who is in custody in Japan. A statement by the head of government represents a signficant and potentially dangerous escalation of the confrontation. |
| NightWatch 20100921 | Chinese press reported the air force conducted its first simulated exercise to use combat aircraft in cross-border attacks against terrorist targets in Kazakhstan. China also announced it will send four helicopters to Pakistan for flood relief. Iran's Supreme Leader used a religious directive, issued by an intermediary, to order Muqtada al Sadr to support al Maliki as prime minister of Iraq. Algerian forces will work with France to find and rescue the hostages kidnapped by al Qaida from a uranium mine in Niger. |
| NightWatch 20100920 | South Korea sent a food convoy to North for flood victims. North Korea announced 28 September as the date for the postponed Party Conference. The actual voter turnout for the Afghan election was so low as to invalide the election, nearly. Coaltion forces, even during a surge, lack the capability to protect a centerpiece of their political strategy. |
| NightWatch 20100917 | China is resorting to harassment tactics against Japanese diplomatic facilities, in the escalating fishing boat confrontation. |
| NightWatch 20100916 | North Korea has made a tactical policy shift in favor of talks with South Korea and the US. It is not clear how substantive or durable the new engagement policy is. China has strengthened military cooperation ties with Sri Lanka, which will increase Indian suspicions of Chinese intentions in the Indian Ocean region. Leading Pakistani politicians dismissed rumors of a military takeover of government. |
| NightWatch 20100915 | North Korea now blames recent flooding for he failure to convene a party conference. Early October is the next time for the conference. In Pakistan, al Qaida has urged Pakistanis to revolt because of the poor government response to the floods. |
| NightWatch 20100914 | China escalated the confrontation with Japan over a seized Chinese fishing boat by postponing a high level visit. Pakistan's Defence Minister admitted that Chinese troops are in northern Pakistan. In Afghanistan, anti-government insurgents have vowed to disrupt legislative elections on 18 September. |
| NightWatch 20100913 | A Chinese naval task group is in New Zealand for only the fourth time in 38 years. North Korea apparently has delayed the Party Conference because Kim is ill after his China trip. India is seeking to build a nuclear warfare quartet, using nuclear-armed attack fighters for some missions. The constitutional referendum in Turkey on 12 September resulted in another setback for secular government. |
| NightWatch 20100910 | Tension continues to increase between China and Japan over the fishing boat incident. China appears determined to make Burma an economic gateway for channeling resources to China without using the Malacca and Singapore Straits. Iran has postponed the release of an American captive. The US has backed Iranian denials about a second secret Iranian nuclear facility. |
| NightWatch 20100909 | Tension between China and Japan has increased after a Chinese fishing trawler rammed Japanese Coast Guard ships. India announced it will lift special security measures in six districts of Kashmir because of reduced violence. Iran announced it will release one of three US citizens charged with espionage, most likely as an act of moral superiority at the end of Ramadan. |
| NightWatch 20100908 | North Korea's Premier is the latest official to articulate a new set of national priorities in which food production is first, ahead of military production. Pakistan's ambassador to the US stated that the demands of flood relief are more urgent than military operations against extremists. The murders of three Mexican mayors in the past month suggest a campaign to intimidate or eliminate elected officials. |
| NightWatch 20100907 | The Australian Labor Party has enough support to form a minority government, which will be led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. China has welcomed the head of the Burmese military junta, General Than Shwe, on a four-day state visit and warned outsiders to not meddle in Burma's national elections later this year. India again has accused China of having ambitions to enlarge its foothold in South Asia, a charge China denies. |
| NightWatch 20100906 | A typhoon prompted the US and South Korea to postpone anti-submarine warfare exercises in the Yellow Sea. North Korean media reported delegates for the 3rd Party Conference are arriving in Pyongyang. This announcement means the Conference will start soon, if it has not already begun. The Indo-Russian jointly developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missile successfully completed a "user's trial" on 5 September, involving a steep dive at nearly three times the speed of sound while carrying a conventional warhead. |
| NightWatch 20100903 | US and South Korean authorities confirmed the start of anti-submarine warfare exercises in the Yellow Sea this weekend. India and South Korea signed two major agreements on cooperation between military forces and in defense industrial production. India has protested the presence of large numbers of Chinese military forces in Pakistani Kashmir. Food riots over the prices of bread and utilities ended in Maputo, Mozambique, but the problems persist. |
| NightWatch 20100902 | Preparations for North Korea's 3rd Party Conference are well advanced, but the dates of the Conference have not been released. Flood relief and recovery pose the most significant threat yet to the elected government in Pakistan. |
| NightWatch 20100901 | Japan rejected as premature North Korean reported willingness to resume nuclear talks soon. Just days after Kim Chong-il returned from China, the commander of the Chinese military region adjacent to North Korea arrived in Pyongyang to "further develop" military cooperation. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in eastern Pakistan that killed 33 and injured more than 150 during a Shiite religious observance. The Netherlands released two Yemenis, who arrived on a flight from the US, for lack of evidence to hold them. |
| NightWatch 20100831 | South Korea's Red Cross has offered assistance to North Korean flood victims, but the North has not responded. China is reported to have rendezvoused two satellites in space. The US is the only other country to have achieved this capability which is essential to offensive space warfare. Taiwan intends to deploy hundreds of surface-to-surface cruises missiles this year as a counter to Chinese ballistic missile aimed at Taiwan. Hamas claimed responsibility for killing four Israelis to try to disrupt talks in Washington on 2 September between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. |
| NightWatch 20100830 | North Korean leader Kim has returned to Pyongyang. His visit appears to have been primarily a pilogrimage to his late father. In Indian Kashmir, the police shooting of another youth portends more violent demonstrations. Russian Prime Minister Putin continues his campaign of criticizing NATO and the US over ballistic missile defense installations in Eastern Europe. |
| NightWatch 20100829 | North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is reported to have left China and returned to North Korea, presumably after introducing his son and successor to Chinese officials. Two Chinese warships are making a first port call to Burma/Myanmar. Afghanistan President Karzai's Chief of Staff has exposed what appears to be a serious disagreement with NATO about strategy, asserting that US-style counterinsurgency undermines Afghan sovereignty. |
| NightWatch 20100826 | Former US President Carter extended his visit to North Korea to obtain the release of an American citizen in captivity. Kim Chong-il is in China. China denied a visa to a prominent Indian Army General over his role in suppressing unrest in Kashmir. Denmark declined to provide F-16 combat aircraft to NATO forces in Afghanistan because the Danes have done enough and strongly desire "to scale down engagement." |
| NightWatch 20100825 | North Korea has assembled military units and other assets for a large-scale parade, probably to celebrate the Workers' Party anniversary on 10 October. Former US President Carter arrived today in Pyongyang on a humanitarian mission. In Iraq, insurgents executed 34 attacks in 16 cities today, the largest demonstration of their capabilities to date. President Sarkozy renewed France's commitment to win the fight against terrorists in northwestern Africa. Mauritanian soldiers on guard duty thwarted a suicide bombing at a military barracks. |
| NightWatch 20100824 | South Korea has authorized its forces to return fire against North Korean artillery batteries firing off the west coast. Former US President Carter is on a humanitarian mission to return a US citizen in custody in North Korea. Al Jazirah told the Muslim world today that the Taliban are winning in Afghanistan. Hezbollah's leader said today Lebanon should build a nuclear power plant,just like Iran's Bushehr plant. |
| NightWatch 20100823 | The Australian elections on Saturday produced no winner with a majority, prompting negotiations for forming a coalition government for the first time in 70 years. The news report that a captured US soldier has converted to Islam and is helping the Taliban does not look credible. The first of several thousand troop reinforcements from African Union states arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia last Friday. |
| NightWatch 20100820 | Australia's general elections are too close to call, between the incumbent Labor government and the Liberal National Party challenger. The issues are bland and local. South Korea said it will not return to Six Party nuclear talks until after North Korea apologizes for sinking the Cheonan. India has taken possession of a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine under a ten year lease. Six city police officers, who killed the mayor of Santiago, Mexico, for cracking down on corruption, are in custody. |
| NightWatch 20100819 | A senor Chinese diplomat seems to have succeeded in persuading North Korea to rejoin six-party nuclear talks, though the conditions and timing are unstated. Iraq's Foreign Minister accused the US President of abandoning Iraq. Mexican security forces have found the body of the mayor of Santiago, near Monterrey, Mexico. He was kidnapped on Sunday by 15 armed men. |
| NightWatch 20100818 | North and South Korean media are discussing prospects for a summit meeting. A North Korean figher died while crash landing a MiG-21 fighter in China, apparently in a bid to escape North Korea. Russia is making diplomatic preparations to assume a greater leadership role in Afghanistan. The Colombian agreement granting US access to Colombian military bases was found unconstitutional today on procedural grouns. |
| NightWatch 20100817 | North Korea flew a remotely piloted vehicle on 9 August near the area of coastal artillery firing exercises into the Yellow Sea. This appears to be a first sighting of the aicraft which is not identified. An Iranian military official on 17 Augsut specified three scenarios for Iranian retaliation for a US "act of aggression." |
| NightWatch 20100816 | South Korean President Lee has proposed a plan to reunite North and South Korea in a "peace community." Next week South Korea plans to release the report on the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Data released today show China's economy now is the world's second largest, surpassing Japan. France has raised its terrorism alert in reaction to threats from al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. |
| NightWatch 20100812 | China is using security liaison visits and token security aid to reinforce its increasing subversion of North Korea. A Chinese general came close to calling the US an enemy because of US plans for a US aircraft carrier to engage in exercises with South Korean naval forces in the Yellow Sea. Iraq said statements by General Zebari about needing US forces until 2020 were "misinterpreted." The King has directed the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia to restrict the issuance of religious sanctions. |
| NightWatch 20100811 | Fiji's leader has determined that China is Fiji's new alliance partner. China continues its 25-year long project to build an aircraft carrier force. Ramadan begins on 12 August in Pakistan. The International Maritime Bureau reported a 34% drop in worldwide piracy. |
| NightWatch 20100810 | Working-level talks between North Korean and UN Command military officers made no progress on 10 August and ended without setting a date for another round. Israel has announced sterner rules of engagement for handling encounters with Lebanese armed forces along the northern border. |
| NightWatch 20100809 | UN Command and North Korean colonels are scheduled to hold a working-level meeting on 10 August. Mexican police officers in Ciudad Juarez detained their commander for corruption, blackmail and links to drug cartels. He has been suspended, pending investigation.. |
| NightWatch 20100805 | South Korean forces are engaged in anti-submarine exercises that are likely to evoke a North Korean response. In Kyrgyzstan, anti-government protests on 5 August show the government is not yet stabilized. The number of terrorist-style bombings is increasing in Mexico. |
| NightWatch 20100804 | In eastern India, Maoists defeated yet another large Indian police force element. Iran claims to have four advanced S-300 air defense missiles, but Russia and Belarus deny making any sales. Israel has promised to retaliate on three fronts for recent attacks. |
| NightWatch 20100803 | North Korea has restated its readiness for Six Party talks. India has reinforced paramilitary police in Kashmir after a month of building civil disorders. A Lebanese Army element clashed with an Israeli patrol in southern Lebanon, increasing regional tension. |
| NightWatch 20100802 | North Korea threatened a "physical response" if South Korea holds anti-submarine warfare exercises this week in the Yellow Sea off western North Korea. In Afghanistan, the Netherlands contingent announced the termination of its four-year mission and the start of its withdrawal, as ordered by the new Dutch government. The US reopened its consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, after a car bomb threat did not take place. |
| NightWatch 20100730 | North Korean and UN Command officers agreed to meet on 9 August, continuing preparations for flag-level meetings. A new Pew Center poll found that 68 percent of Pakistanis have a negative view of the United States and most see India as a greater threat than the Pakistani Taliban or al Qaida. Israeli aircraft retaliated asymmetrically for Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip. The US closed its consulate in Ciudad Juarez because of the security situation. |
| NightWatch 20100729 | North Korean and UN Command colonels met at Panmunjom on 30 July, the day after major Allied exercises ended. The leaked documents on Afghanistan have increased tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Saudi King Abdullah is on the final leg of a diplomatic mission to strengthen Arab unity against Iran. |
| NightWatch 20100728 | North Korea and the UN Command have postponed their third meeting to discuss the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Venezuela has denied yesterday's report about reinforcing the Colombian border. |
| NightWatch 20100727 | China is upset by the US asserting its interests in longstanding disputes about islands and seabed resources in the South China Sea. The rules of engagement for African Union soldiers in Somalia have been relaxed to include pre-emptive military attacks against al Shabaab Islamist fighters. France declared war against al-Qaida in north Africa after it executed a French captive. |
| NightWatch 20100726 | North Korean threats against the US and South Korea today were less explicit than in the past two days. India is expanding and upgrading its paramilitary forces opposite China along with its Army units. Tension between Russia and Iran has increased over anti-Russian statements by Iran's President. Intial European reactions to the Wikileaks documents on Afghanistan are concerned about the safety of national troop contingent. |
| NightWatch 20100725 | North Korea has threatened nuclear retaliation for Allied naval exercises, which are now in their second day on 26 July. In Afghanistan, the fate of two missing US Naval personnel is unknown, but the Taliban claim to have killed one and kidnapped the other. The New York Times' disclosures on Afghanistan as yet contain little not already in the public information domain. |
| NightWatch 20100723 | North Korea has threatened a "physical response" to US and ROK exercises next week. Delegations who met at Panmunjom today agreed to meet next week. Russia restated its commitment to support Afghanistan by providing logistics assistance across Russia and through Central Asia. Guinea promised to send immediately a battalion to reinforce the African Union peacekeepers who are helping keep the Mogadishu government in power. |
| NightWatch 20100721 | The US announced new economic sanctions against North Korea as part of its pressure campaign. India and China have increased their engagement with Vietnam. Pakistan and NATO have agreed to improve border control cooperation. Mexico has begun an operation in Ciudad Juarez to prevent further use of car bombs by drug cartels. |
| NightWatch 20100720 | The US and the Republic of Korea will stage show of force exercises against North Korea. North Korean Foreign Minister Pak will attend the ministerial meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Friday. The US Secretary of State insists with good reason that people in the government of Pakistan know where bin Laden and Mullah Omar are. |
| NightWatch 20100719 | The second round of preparatory talks between North Korea and the UN Command at Panmunjom have been delayed until after the visit to Seoul by the US Defense Secretary. NATO claims to have intercepted a directive from Taliban leader Omar to target government workers, including women. Syria has banned women from wearing full face veils as contrary to the secular and academic values of Syrian universities. |
| NightWatch 20100716 | South Korea is continuing its plan to resume anti-North Korean broadcasts into North Korea, which are sure to increase tension. Indian-Pakistani ministerial talks ended in deadlock and public recriminations, but both sides agreed to meet again. Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Kayani has been extended on active duty for two to three years. For the first time, a Mexican cartel used a car bomb in an attack, in Ciudad Juarez. Aside from the sensationalism, the destruction was not significant. |
| NightWatch 20100715 | North Korean and American colonels met at Panmunjom to make technical arrangements for a flag-rank officers' meeting next week to discuss the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Today, Russia demanded Iran explain the military components of its nuclear program. Colombian intelligence has produced a report that indicates Venezuela is a state sponsor of terrorism against Colombia. |
| NightWatch 20100714 | The US again delayed planned show-of-force exercises against North Korea. During this Watch, South Korean news services confirmed North Korean participation at a meeting with the UN Command at Panmunjom. India claims it has new evidence that Pakistani intelligence planned and managed the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008. The Libyan cargo ship with relief aid for the Gaza Strip entered the Egyptian port of El Arish, avoiding a clash at sea with the Israeli navy. |
| NightWatch 20100713 | Fiji has expelled Australia's acting ambassador for political meddling. North Korea will meet the UN Command at Panmunjom on 15 July for working level discussions about the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers also will hold talks on15 July, the first since 2008. |
| NightWatch 20100712 | North Korea apparently has agreed to discuss the sinking of the South Korean patrol ship Cheonan at Panmunjom, but has delayed a meeting set for 13 July. The Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the Uganda suicide-murder massacre. It has warned Burundi to expect the same. |
| NightWatch 20100709 | Today's UN Security Council statement on the sinking of the South Korean ship Cheonan did not assign blame and avoided provoking North Korea. North Korea has asked for direct talks with the US over the sinking. A Libyan foundation is sponsoring a relief ship that wil try to break the Israeli naval blocade of the Gaza Strip this weekend. |
| NightWatch 20100708 | Pakistani intelligence leaders continue to blame the US and western states for terrorism in Pakistan. A European Union Court has barred the UK from extraditing terrorists to the US because US criminal penalties are too harsh for Muslim murderers?! With Western aid, Kenya, the Seycehlles and Tanzania have created courts for prosecuting Somali pirates as criminals. |
| NightWatch 20100706 | Japan and India agreed to extend their cooperation in the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Trade figures indicate North Korea is becoming increasingly dependent on China. Pakistan and the Taliban deny a report that Taliban leader Mullah Omar was arrested today. For now, Israel continues some military training for the Turkish armed forces. |
| NightWatch 20100705 | North Korean media continue to refer to an unspecified "new developed method" as a reinforcement of its nuclear deterrent. The references began after their May report of a successful nuclear fusion experiment. Pakistan's government announced it will convene a national conference for dealing with terrorism. Turkey has threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Israel and close its aispace to Israeli civil and military aircraft. |
| NightWatch 20100702 | The US-South Korean agreement to delay the transfer of wartime operational control of Allied forces to South Korea means the North Korean sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan backfired against the North. It is the latest in a long line of strategic blunders during Kim Chong-il's reign. |
| NightWatch 20100701 | South Korea rejected the North's demand for bilateral military talks about the sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan. Suicide bombers attacked a Sufi mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, killing 41 and wounding 175, a day after warnings. The UN began delivering aid to the Gaza Strip from stores aboard the ships Israel seized last month. Al Qaida terrorists killed 11 Algerian paramilitary policemen on the Mali border; Algeria and Mali are cooperating in the hot pursuit. |
| NightWatch 20100630 | South Korea's defense ministry wants a large budget increase in the aftermath of the sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan. North Korea plans to restore the primacy of the Workers' Party after more than a decade of neglect. Pakistani security issued a warning that terrorists are planning attacks in Lahore. A Taliban suicide attack at Jalalabad airport is a waste of Taliban assets. |
| NightWatch 20100629 | North Korea has begun an offensive propaganda campaign to spotlight real or perceived provocations by the Allies. Kyrgyzstan's constitutional referendum on Sunday was peaceful, but Russia doubts its value. Russian President Medvedev expressed alarm over the new US CIA assessment that Iran has fissile material for up to two nuclear weapons. He wants confirmation. |
| NightWatch 20100625 | South Korea assesses that North Korean sailing restrictions off the west coast are part of regular artillery training. India and Pakistan and Pakistan and Afghanistan held security talks. Iran's Red Crescent Society will not send an aid ship to the Gaza Strip to test the blockade. |
| NightWatch 20100625 | North Korean media announced elections to the Politburo will be held in September. |
| NightWatch 20100623 | The Australian Labor Party elected Julia Gillard to replace Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. North Korea announced it will perform its own investigation of the sinking of the Cheonan. A HAMAS leader advocated rocket firings into Israel from the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. |
| NightWatch 20100622 | Japan is considering adding naval refueling services to its growing anti-piracy initiatives. Ships from Iran and Lebanon aim to test Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Drug cartels have stationed armed reconnaissance personnel in southern Arizona, according to Fox News. |
| NightWatch 20100620 | A UN report suggested security conditions in Afghanistan have not improved. NightWatch monitoring shows increased violence, but no geographic spread in the insurgency. Israel has relaxed its restrictions on goods that may be sent to the Gaza Strip. |
| NightWatch 20100617 | China rejected North Korean requests for modern aircraft and massive economic aid during Kim Chong-il's trip in May. Reports of severe food shortages and starvation in North Korea are increasing. Israel announced it will ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip, but Iranian entities still threaten to test the naval blockade. |
| NightWatch 20100616 | Russian experts will need a few more weeks before they reach their own conclusions about the sinking of the Cheonan. Israel warned that additional attempts to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip will be treated as hostile acts. Russia said it will deliver the S-300 advanced air defense system to Venezuela. |
| NightWatch 20100615 | North Korea said it will take military action if the UN Security Council attempts to punish North Korea for sinking a South Korean naval ship. The Pakistani Taliban are back in Bajaur Agency in the northwest. The Kyrgyzstan uprising continues but this Russian leadership has declined to become engaged in a counterinsurgency in central Asia. |
| NightWatch 20100614 | The UN began consideration of the case of the sinking of the South Korean patrol ship Cheonan. Security conditions in southern Kyrgyzstan continued to deteriorate, prompting the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to consider assistance options. |
| NightWatch 20100613 | North Korea renewed its warning that it will destroy South Korean loudspeakers if anti-North Korea broadcasts resume. South Korea's Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, has offered his resignation because he was drunk the night the Cheonan was sunk. Turkey's Prime Minister told Iran's President that the US President admitted to him that the UN sanctions would have no effect on Iran. |
| NightWatch 20100610 | China demanded North Korea punish the border guards who killed three Chinese yesterday. Russian sources made contradictory comments about whether the new UN resolution permits Russia to complete the sale of the S-300 air defense system to Iran. A pro-Iranian Shiite political bloc will form the majority in Iraq's parliament. |
| NightWatch 20100609 | North Korea informed the UN Security Council that it rejected claims that it sank a South Korean patrol ship. South Korea demanded the North apologize for the sinking. The UN Security Council passed another resolution imposing sanctions on Iran. Israel agreed to allow junk food snacks and beverages into the Gaza Strip. |
| NightWatch 20100608 | Russian experts are expected to reject as insufficient South Korean evidence that a North Korean torpedo sank the patrol ship Cheonan. The shooting of several Chinese by a North Korean border guard has raised tension with China. International media report that the UN Security Council will approve more sanctions against Iran, possibly on 9 June. HAMAS will not admit to the Gaza Strip any aid from the maritime aid convoy that is delivered by Israel. |
| NightWatch 20100607 | At the 7 June session of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Chong-il appeared and proposed several leadership changes which indicate leadership succession is in progress. HAMAS "rejected" Iran's offer of armed escorts for aid ships. |
| NightWatch 20100606 | Iran has offered to provide armed escorts to future initiatives to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Iraqi government is trying to disarm the Sunni militiamen, the Sons of Iraq, whose work made stability possible. |
| NightWatch 20100604 | Japan's new Prime Minister is Naoto Kan. South Korea sent a letter to the UN Security Council requesting a rebuke of North Korea. The crew of the Irish ship Rachel Corrie vows to run the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza this weekend. |
| NightWatch 20100603 | Japan's new prime minister will be elected on 4 June. North Korea engaged in saber-rattling at the UN and a Foreign Ministry official indicated that ballistic missile and nuclear tests are potential response options for UNSC consideration of the Cheonan sinking. In Israel, a deal is in the works that involves easing the naval blockade in exchange for support for sanctions against Iran. |
| NightWatch 20100602 | Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan is the leading candidate for prime minister. US and South Korean forces will engage in exercises in the Yellow Sea next week; China has rejected a proposed visit by the US Secretary of Defense. Israel's relations with Turkey are strained over the intercept of the ships bound for Gaza. |
| NightWatch 20100601 | Japan's Prime Minister Hatoyama announced his resignation, mainly because of his capitulation to the US over the Okinawa base dispute. Iraq's Supreme Court ratified the 7 March election results which showed al Iraqiya List as the winner. Anti-Israel demonstrations continued in many Muslim states. However, in cooperation with Israel, Egypt opened border crossing points to allow aid to the Gaza Strip. |
| NightWatch 20100531 | A team of Russian naval experts has arrived in Seoul to examine the wreckage of the patrol ship Cheonan and the findings of the investigation. Chinese Premier Wen declined to take a stand on the sinking at the weekend summit in South Korea. Israel's action to prevent an aid flotilla from reaching Gaza has evoked strong criticism, but has derailed the US initiative to find a Middle East peace plan. |
| NightWatch 20100528 | For the first time, North Korean defense officials in several separate media outlets publicly and in great detail refuted evidence of the North's involvement in sinking the Cheonan and again demanded a North Korean team inspect the evidence. China said it will not "protect" whoever sank the South Korean ship. Ukraine announced it will not join the Russian lead Collective Security Treaty Organization, but will develop bilaeral ties with Russia. |
| NightWatch 20100527 | North Korea is sending confusing and contradictory behavioral signals, suggesting policy disputes and leadership disarray. A British survey of Kashmiri attitudes indicates unemployment is a more serious concern than resolution of the status of Kashmir. |
| NightWatch 20100526 | A South Korean destroyer turned back a North Korean cargo ship in the first sea incident of the ongoing crisis. Russia and Iran are in a public dispute over Russian support of new UN sanctions against Iran |
| NightWatch 20100525 | North Korea severed all communications and contacts with South Korea. One source reported North Korean forces have been placed on increased alert, but the report is not confirmed. A Thai court approved a warrant for the arrest former Prime Minister Thaksin on charges of terrorism in connection with the Bangkok protests. |
| NightWatch 20100524 | North Korea warned that it will fire across the Demilitarized Zone unless South Korea stops recent psychological warfare operations. This is a warning item. |
| NightWatch 20100523 | South Korea suspended trade with North Korea. In Thailand the curfew remains in effect. |
| NightWatch 20100520 | North Korea wants to send its own team to investigate South Korean charges and has threatened all out war in the event of retaliation for the sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan. Musharraf confirmed his intentions to return to politics and run for high office in Pakistan. |
| NightWatch 20100519 | South Korea has accused North Korea of sinking the patrol ship Cheonan. The Thai army forcefully ended the Red Shirt demonstration in Bangkok, but clashes continue in Bangkok and in parts of north and northeastern Thailand. In France, the government approved the draft law banning face-covering garments. It now goes to parliament. |
| NightWatch 20100518 | South Korea plans to announce on 20 May that the international investigation indicates a North Korean torpedo sank the patrol ship Cheonan on 26 March. Thai troops broke through the opposition barricades in central Bangkok and began to regain control of sections of the city center. During his state visit, Russian President Medvedev invited Ukraine to join the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. |
| NightWatch 20100517 | North Korea announced an unusual June session of the Supreme Peoples Assembly. The political and security crisis in Bangkok continued without resolution. Pakistan announced Chief of Army Staff General Kayani will not be extended on active duty this summer, as previously indicated. |
| NightWatch 20100516 | A South Korean news outlet reported China refused to provide extraordinary aid, prompting Kim Chong-il to cut short his trip on 6 May. The Thai crackdown has produced more than 260 killed and injured. The crackdown continues. |
| NightWatch 20100514 | The Thai crackdown on the Red Shirts continued. Pakistani official sources indicate the population of overseas Pakistanis exceed 5.5 million around the word. |
| NightWatch 20100513 | The Thai government began its crackdown to disperse the Red Shirt protestors in Bangkok. In Afghanistan the UN says a fungus will reduce poppy production. Pakistan has arrested an accomplice to the Times Square bombing. |
| NightWatch 20100512 | The Thai government has issued an ultimatum for the Red Shirts to dispurse after they rejected the government's reconciliation offer. In Iraq, a new Sunni-Shiite political bloc has reached a preliminary cooperation agreement that could help avert sectarian violence. |
| NightWatch 20100511 | North Korea claimed on 12 May that it achieved nuclear fusion for the first time. There is no independent corroboration. Iraqi intelligence blamed "Arab states" for supporting bombing attacks in Basra, for the first time. A Sunni vs Shiite civil war moved a step closer. |
| NightWatch 20100510 | US Secretary of State renewed her charge the some Pakistani officials know more about bin Laden and al Qaida than they admit. Iraqi authorities blamed al Qaida for the dozens of attacks that killed at least 85 and injured more than 300 people. |
| NightWatch 20100509 | In Thailand, limited, violent attacks disrupted the peaceful interlude from reconciliation talks. In Pakistan, a man arrested in Karachi with electrical circuitry in his shoes probably was testing the sensitivity of the detection systems in an attack dry run. An attack is still in preparation, but the target is not year clear. |
| NightWatch 20100506 | The Thai government announced that parliament will be dissolved by late September in response to Red Shirt demands for a firm date. Russian naval infantry rescued a Russian tanker seized by Somali pirates, all of whom were captured. |
| NightWatch 20100505 | The Pakistani government is considering an extension of active duty for Chief of Army Staff General Kayani so as to help maintain the stability of the civilian government. The President of Mexico announced increased consular services for "our fellow citizens" in Arizona. |
| NightWatch 20100504 | Japan and China continue to exchange protests over maritime behavior. Japan's Prime Minister has conceded that the US Marine Corps air base on Okinawa cannot now be relocated. The Thai government and the Red Shirts reached agreement on national reconciliation, but interpretations differ. |
| NightWatch 20100503 | North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is expected in Beijing after visting the port city of Dalian. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit has offered a compromise plan to settle the political stalemate in Bangkok. Somali Islamists have confirmed their seizure of a key pirate base and their determination to end piracy. |
| NightWatch 20100502 | North Korean leader Kim Chong-il reportedly arrived in China on 2 May. In Iraq, major Shiite political blocs have merged so as to form a government, with Iranian help. In Somalia, Islamic fundamentalists, who oppose piracy, claim to control Haradhere, a center of piracy. |
| NightWatch 20100429 | In Thailand, the political stalement continued. The Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers held "positive" talks in Bhutan. |
| NightWatch 20100428 | South Korea plans to inform China and Russia of the results of its investigation into the sinking of its patrol ship last month, which apparently blame North Korea. A violent clash in Bangkok today moves the political stalemate closer to martial law. In Pakistan, Musharraf is planning a political comeback. |
| NightWatch 20100427 | China complained to Japan about recent naval activity. Kyrgyzstan charged ex-president Bakiyev with crimes so as to justify his extradition from Belarus. |
| NightWatch 20100426 | The political standoff in Thailand continues, but the King urged the government to do its duty. In Somalia, al Shabaab fundamentalists have move to suppress piracy in one coastal stronghold. |
| NightWatch 20100425 | The first Chinese tourist train to North Korea began on 24 April. The Thai government rejected the Red Shirts' terms for a settlement and warned of its intention to end the protests. |
| NightWatch 20100423 | North Korea confiscated five South Korean properties at the Mount Kumgang resort in the North. Bangkok was quiet, but Iraq experienced the bloodiest day of the year. |
| NightWatch 20100422 | South Korean intelligence agrees with North Korean miitary officers that North Korea sank the South Korean ship. A violent attack in Bangkok that killed 3 and injured 70 increased the likelihood of martial law. |
| NightWatch 20100421 | Chinese naval forces are becoming more assertive towards Japanese naval ships near Okinawa. A growing body of evidence indicates North Korean commandos sank the South Korean patrol ship Cheonan. Somali pirates attacked yet another French naval ship and got captured, |
| NightWatch 20100420 | The US and South Korea denied a press claim that North Korea is preparing a third nuclear test. In Thailand, the Army show of force persuaded the Red Shirts to cancel their march on 20 April. Israel has begun implementing its order to expel Palestinians from the West Bank who lack proper approval. |
| NightWatch 20100419 | North Korea seems to be preparing to freeze South Korean assets at the Kaesong joint industrial zone. Confrontation in Bangkok did not occur but a major rally is scheduled for 20 April. Al Jazeera reported that the Korangel Valley has been occupied by the Taliban, less than a week after the departure of US forces. |
| NightWatch 20100418 | In Thailand a showdown is brewing between the Army and the Red Shirts on 19 April for control of the center of Bangkok. A Taliban spokesman denied a British report that the Taliban were prepared to negotiate with the Coalition. |
| NightWatch 20100416 | The government of Thailand has appointed the Army Commander-in-Chief as the person in charge of controlling the emergency, escalating the confrontation with the opposition. Sudan has begun counting ballots cast in the first elections in 24 years. Results are expected next week. |
| NightWatch 20100415 | South Korea raised the stern portion of its sunken patrol ship. For a second day no clashes were reported in Thailand. Kyrgyzstan's ousted President Bakiyev was given safe conduct and flew to Kazakhstan. |
| NightWatch 20100414 | Thailand was quiet on the first day celebrating the Lunar New Year. Drug-related deaths during the past three years in Mexico are much higher than previously reported. |
| NightWatch 20100413 | North Korea today froze selected South Korean assets at the Mount Kumgang resort. Thailand had a day without violence. The interim Kyrgyz government promised a one year extension to the US lease for access to Manas International airport. |
| NightWatch 20100412 | The political crisis in Thailand deepened with the Army and the National Election Commission withdrawing their support for the government. On 13 April, Israeli security forces are scheduled to begin executing a controversial expulsion order for all persons lacking a permit to be in the West Bank. |
| NightWatch 20100411 | In Thailand, clashes with security forces resulted in at least 20 persons killed and 800 injured. Hungarian voters elected a strongly rightist government in Sunday's elections. A bomb was thrown into the compound of the US Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, but produced no injuries |
| NightWatch 20100409 | Kim Chong-il did not appear at the session of the Supreme People's Assembly, as is customary. The Kyrgyz regime is becoming increasingly open about its pro-Russian orientation. US authorities judge the Sinaloa cartel has won control of drug routes through Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. |
| NightWatch 20100408 | North Korea has frozen South Korean assets and expelled workers from a resort area. Pakistan has passed reform package that restores parliamentary government. Russia has backed the new regime in Kyrgyzstan. |
| NightWatch 20100407 - Special Report | In Kyrgyzstan, demonstrators protesting high prices claim to be in control of the government, following two days of increasingly violent street encounters. President Bakiyev has fled Bishkek, the capital. |
| NightWatch 20100407 | Thailand imposed a state of emergency and is cracking down on protestors. The new Kyrgyz government is trying to consolidate its control in Bishkek. |
| NightWatch 20100406 | North Korea has sentenced US citizen Gomes to eight years of hard labor for illegal entry. India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police suffered one of the most serious losses in its history in multiple ambushes by the Naxalite rebels. |
| NightWatch 20100405 | Tonight’s highlights include a South Korean report hinting that the frigate Choenan might have been sunk by friendly fire and a warning to expect violence because the Thai police in Bangkok are preparing to confront the Red Shirt opposition. |
| NightWatch 20100404 | Tonight's highlights are confirmation that Kim Chong-il remains in North Korea and an update on Afghanistan. |
| NightWatch 20100402 | Tonight's highlights are political updates on Pakistan and Iraq. |
| NightWatch 20100401 | Tonight's highlights are the Indian national census; updates on Pakistani and Iraqi political developments; Kenya's announcement that it refuses to take any more pirates for trial; and an update on violence along the US-Mexican border. |
| NightWatch 20100331 | Tonight's highlights include an assessent of reports that Kim Chong-il will visit Beijing in the coming week and an analysis of the impact on the fighting in Afghanistan of the Pakistani crackdown on Afghan Taliban leaders operating in Pakistan. |
| NightWatch 20100330 | Tonight's highlights include another update on Pakistani Supreme Court political developments, comments on Iran's nuclear program and a new US diplomatic offensive, plus a status report on al-Maliki's tactics to negate the Iraqi election results. |
| NightWatch 20100329 | Tonight's highlights are an update on the status of the South Korean naval recovery operations and a review of Pakistani internal political developments. |
| NightWatch 20100328 | Tonight's highlights include an update on the South Korean naval search and rescue operation and political updates for Pakistan and Iraq. |
| NightWatch 20100326 | Tonight's highlights include analysis of North Korea's latest threats and a summary of the National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010 |
| NightWatch 20100325 | Tonight's highlights are a dicussion of constitutional reform in Pakistan and the results of Feedback on isolating a country from the internet. |
| NightWatch 20100324 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100323 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100322 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100321 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100318 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100317 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100316 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100315 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100311 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100310 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100309 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100308 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100307 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100304 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100303 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100302 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100301 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100228 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100226 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100225 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100224 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100223 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100222 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100221 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100218 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100217 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100216 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100214 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100212 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100211 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100210 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100209 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100208 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100205 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100204 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100203 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100202 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100201 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100131 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100128 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100127 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100126 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100125 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100124 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100122 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100121 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100120 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100119 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100118 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100115 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100114 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100113 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100112 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100111 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100108 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100107 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100106 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100105 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100104 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20100103 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091231 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091230 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091229 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091228 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091224 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091223 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091222 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091221 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091218 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091217 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091216 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091215 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091214 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091213 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091211 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091210 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091209 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091208 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091207 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091203 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091202 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091201 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091130 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091129 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091127 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091125 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091124 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091123 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091122 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091120 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091119 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091118 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091117 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091116 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091113 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091112 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091111 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091110 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091109 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091108 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091106 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091105 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091104 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091103 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091102 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
| NightWatch 20091101 | This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service. |
Nightwatch is brought to you by Kforce Government Solutions, Inc. (KGS), a leader in government problem-solving, data confidence and intelligence. Views and opinions expressed in NightWatch are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of KGS, its management, or affiliates.
