VO LU M E : 1 ISSU E: 1 JUNE 2011

Strategic Agenda
June 1: A human rights activist says Syrian troops have bombed the southern town of Hirak killing at least eight people over the last two days, including an 11-year-old girl June 2: Syrian activists met in Turkey to try to form a unified front of opposition to the Assad regime. They have a ways to go. June 3: Ukraine has rejected EU demands on additional guarantees for transit of Russian gas through its territory, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Klyuyev said. June 4: British Apache attack helicopters have launched their first strikes on Muammar Gaddafi's troops in Libya, including near the key coastal oil city of Brega, Nato has confirmed. June 5: Israeli troops fire on proPalestinian protesters on Syria's border in the occupied Golan Heights, with Syrian TV saying 20 are killed. June 6: The International Atomic Energy Agency board meets amid pressure from some nations to rebuke Syria over alleged illicit nuclear activity. June 7: Croatia is now close to wrapping up its EU entry talks and is on course to become the 28th member state in 2013. June 8: Britain and France are stepping up pressure for a UN Security Council vote condemning the Syrian government's suppression of months of unrest. June 9: Iraq will ask the US to keep a troop presence in the country beyond an end-2011 deadline for their pullout, the likely next US defence chief Leon Panetta says. June 10: Mexican drug cartels are increasingly targeting US border guards and customs agents with bribes and sexual favours, a US security official says. June 11: At least 28 people die in fresh clashes between protesters and security forces in Syria, activists say, as refugees continue to flee into Turkey. June 12: Libyan rebels battle their way back into the key oil port of Zawiya, close to Tripoli, three months after government troops seized the city. June 13: Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan promises to build consensus after winning a third term in office with a reduced number of seats. June 14: Sudan's president and his southern counterpart reportedly agree to withdraw troops from the disputed town of Abyei, as aid workers say southerners are being targeted for ethnic cleansing. June 15: Standard & Poor's downgrades its outlook for China's property market from stable to negative due to tightening credit policy. June 16: Human rights groups urge the UK not to deport about 40 Tamils to Sri Lanka, warning that they face the risk of being tortured. June 17: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou replaces his finance minister in a bid to push through unpopular austerity measures demanded by the EU. June 18: German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls on private creditors to help alleviate Greece's debt crisis amid continued protests in Athens. June 19: Yemeni troops kill 12 suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants in the Islamist stronghold of Zinjibar, officials say, as anti-government protests continue. June 20: About 10,000 protesters rally in Casablanca against King Mohammed's proposed constitutional changes, which they say do not go far enough.

VO LU M E : 1 ISSU E: 1 JUNE 2011

Strategic Agenda
June 21: A Tunisian court sentences ousted President Ben Ali and his wife in absentia to 35 years in prison for embezzlement and misusing public funds. June 22: JP Morgan Chase agrees to pay $153.6m to settle charges that it misled the buyers of complex mortgage investments as the US housing market was collapsing in 2008. June 23: India and Pakistan are set to hold high-level talks on peace and security as part of an effort to repair relations after the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks. June 24: Chinese premier Wen Jiabao says that despite global issues, China can control inflation and sustain its robust growth June 25: At least five people are shot dead and dozens injured in clashes between police and anti-mining protesters in southern Peru. June 26: Israeli troops begin to dismantle part of the West Bank barrier near Bilin, for years a flashpoint for clashes with Palestinians. June 27: Greek PM George Papandreou tells MPs his severe austerity package, which is needed to secure new international loans, is the only way to get the country back on its feet. June 28: Opposition parties in Turkey boycott the swearing-in of the new parliament after nine MPs are barred from taking their seats. June 29: China and Germany sign trade deals worth $15bn as the leaders of the two countries meet in Berlin. June 30: A senior official of the African Union says France's decision to air-drop weapons to Libyan rebels is dangerous and puts the whole region at risk.

2011 STRATEGIC OUTLOOK