Here is your R&D for August 31st:
Australia PM Rejects Fresh Election Call from the Wall Street Journal
Despite Australia’s crazy election result, Prime Minister Julia Gillard refuses to call for a new election. The alternative, a gridlocked parliament, could leave major national policy issues from taxes to a national Internet overhaul in limbo.
Obama speech on Iraq has risks from the Washington Post
Tonight, President Obama will address the nation about the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq. However, the security situation there might make this speech a political liability in the coming months.
Review Finds Flaws in U.N. Climate Panel Structure from the New York Times
Critics of climate change have used problems with the UN’s climate panel as evidence for their argument that the impacts of climate change are overstated. An independent review has recommended that the UN change the way it handles its climate change assessments.
UN says Lebanon caused deadly border clash from Reuters
The UN has weighed in on a deadly border clash between Israeli and Lebanese troops on August 3rd. The UN has concluded that Lebanon’s army caused the clash, which violates the terms of the peace agreement that ended the 2006 war between both nations.
The Folly of Holding Afghan Elections from the Council on Foreign Relations
Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for next month, but will they be legitimate and should they be held in the first place? These are the questions that South Asia Senior Analyst Candace Rondeaux answers in this interview.