Tuesday's global agenda: Syria takes a turn for the worse

Your morning global affairs speed-read

U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus today to try to salvage a peace plan that's on life support following the massacre of 108 civilians in the central Syrian village of Houla [The New York Times].

The UN Security Council on Sunday unanimously condemned the massacre, one of the most lethal single incidents since the uprising began last March, and censured the Syrian government for using heavy artillery against civilians. The attack left 49 children and 34 women dead, by the U.N.'s count.

In the United States, President Obama's top military adviser warned over the weekend that the continued violence made foreign military intervention more likely. And Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stepped into the fray, slamming Obama's policy and calling for the United States to arm rebel forces.

Bad blood: President Obama personally signs off on about a third of all drone strikes in Pakistan, according to The New York Times. The report comes as The Washington Post says that Pakistan's spy chief has put off a visit to the United States in response to the harsh criticism that greeted a tribal court's sentencing of the doctor who helped the CIA track Osama bin Laden.

Turmoil in Egypt: Egyptian demonstrators incensed that Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister has advanced into the presidential runoff set his mail campaign on fire after officials confirmed the vote results. [al Jazeera]

Arms sales: The Obama administration plans to arm Italy's fleet of Reaper drone aircraft, a move that could open the door for sales of advanced drone technology to other allies. [The Wall Street Journal]

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