Monday's global agenda: Romney on the offensive

By Julian Pecquet - 10/08/12 07:45 AM ET

Your morning global affairs speed-read

Mitt Romney is going on the offensive today with a foreign policy speech — his sixth, by some estimates — that again aims to paint the president as feckless and naive in his dealing with the Middle East. The speech isn't without risks, however, as even conservatives warn that the Republican candidate needs to spell out specifics instead of just slamming President Obama.

Already, Democrats have launched a counter-attack in the form of a new campaign ad that accuses Romney of recklessness in his dealings with the world. And they're pushing back hard against Republican attacks on the lack of protection at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans died, saying the budget put forth by Romney's running mate Paul Ryan could have slashed funding for embassy security.

Foes you can count on: Hugo Chávez won a third term as president of Venezuela and is sure to cause new headaches for U.S. lawmakers and administration officials who hoped he was as good as gone. [The New York Times]

In other news:

Iran is ratcheting up pressure on the U.N. agency responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear program, The Washington Post reports, accusing its inspectors of engaging in spying and sabotage and threatening to restrict U.N. access to Iranian nuclear facilities.

One consequence of the currency crisis plaguing Iran: Members of the elite Quds force is pulling out of Syria, a possible sign of waning confidence in President Bashar Assad's ability to survive. [The Sunday Times]

America's Arab allies are limiting the arms they provide to Syrian rebels because of U.S. concerns, The New York Times reports.

What you might have missed on Global Affairs:

Rice pushes back against GOP attacks on her Benghazi account

State Department's advocate for international religious freedom becomes campaign issue

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