CONFLICTOS QUE SON COSTUMBRE

Top of the Agenda: Iranian Students Storm British Embassy Hundreds of Iranian students raided the British embassy compound in Tehran on Tuesday in response to new UK economic sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear program. A day earlier, the Iranian government moved to expel the British ambassador. The embassy attack was thought to be sponsored by hardliner elements (WSJ) within the Iranian government. After six embassy staff members were temporarily held hostage, the British Foreign Office announced Wednesday that it had started evacuating diplomats (NYT) from Tehran. The international community widely condemned the incident. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked and outraged," while Russia--a close ally of Iran's--called the attack "unacceptable" (al-Jazeera). Analysis The storming of British Embassy by Iranian protesters complicates the search for a negotiated solution to the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program, and it appears to reflect infighting among Iranian factions, write Reuters' Adrian Croft and Mohammed Abbas. There was little dissembling the official nature of the demonstration that stormed the British embassy and residence in Tehran, argues this Guardian editorial. The embassy attack was no impromptu happening. Police stood by, and Iranian state television broadcast events live, says this Wall Street Journal editorial. Western media insisted the attackers were "students." To Iranians who know better, they were the basij militia, the regime's first line of defense. MIDDLE EAST Turkey Sanctions Syria Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey will suspend its financial dealings with Syria and freeze the assets of President Bashar al-Assad, saying the Syrian regime had reached "the end of the road" (al-Jazeera). PACIFIC RIM Clinton Arrives in Myanmar U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton landed in Myanmar for the first visit to the country by a U.S. secretary of State in over fifty years (WashPost). Clinton will meet with Myanmar's new civilian president, Thein Sein, as well as opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. SOUTH KOREA: Speaking at the Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Yonhap) in Busan, Clinton said developing countries should be cautious of donor countries solely interested in extracting resources rather than "building capacity." SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA U.S. to Vacate Air Base in Pakistan The United States will comply with Pakistani demands to vacate the country's Shamsi Air Base (Reuters)--used for launching U.S. drone strikes--days after a NATO attack killed twenty-four Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani confirmed that Pakistan will boycott next week's international conference on Afghanistan's security in Bonn, Germany, saying that Pakistan needed to work on its own security (Dawn). Pakistan's stability is of great consequence to regional and international security. Examine the roots of its challenges, what it means for the region and the world, and explore some plausible futures for the country in this CFR Crisis Guide. AFRICA Former Ivory Coast President at The Hague Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo arrived at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, where he is charged with crimes against humanity (NYT). Gbagbo is considered responsible for violence that led to over three thousand deaths after last year's presidential election. At this CFR event, Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone, and Alassane Ouattara, president of Ivory Coast, discuss the post-conflict growth of their respective countries and their involvement in the African Union. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Despite outbreaks of violence and a shortage of voting supplies, the African Union said this week's presidential and parliamentary elections were well managed (Mail&Guardian)and urged candidates to accept the preliminary results when they come in next week. AMERICAS S&P Downgrades Six U.S. Banks Using new rating methods (WSJ), credit agency Standard and Poor's downgraded the six largest U.S. financial institutions--JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley--as well as a number of European banks, including Barclays and HSBC. U.S.-based rating agencies--still reeling from a loss of credibility for being too lenient with risky financial institutions in the run-up to the global financial crisis--came under intense scrutiny following S&P's unprecedented downgrade of U.S. debt, explains this CFR Backgrounder. UNITED STATES: The parent company of American Airlines, AMR Corp., filed for bankruptcy (LAT) on Tuesday, even as the airline insisted it was "open for business." EUROPE Eurozone Moves to Expand Rescue Fund Eurozone finance ministers outlined new details for leveraging the temporary €440 billion European Financial Stability Facility (DeutscheWelle), and agreed to use the fund to offer financial protection to investors who buy new bonds from indebted eurozone states. On October 27, EU leaders agreed to significant moves to address the eurozone sovereign debt crisis that has roiled global markets, explains this CFR Analysis Brief. UNITED KINGDOM: Up to two million public-sector workers are striking (BBC) across the country to protest an overhaul of the pension system and further austerity measures, which has resulted in shuttered schools, hospitals, and courts.