Tuesday's global agenda: CIA draws down in Iraq

Your morning global affairs speed-read

The CIA is cutting its presence in Iraq to 40 percent of wartime levels and will shift assets to emerging terrorism hotspots, The Wall Street Journal reports. The move comes as Iraq suffered its deadliest single attack in months when a bomb ripped apart the headquarters of a Shiite religious endowment, raising concerns of sectarian strife. [The Wall Street Journal]

With friends like these: After snubbing last month's G-8 summit at Camp David, Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in China for the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which excludes the United States. Further driving home the organization's role as an alternative to the Western-dominated G-8, Putin will meet with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been invited as an observer. [The New York Times]

Speaking of Iran, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who served as the country's nuclear spokesman and a member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team from 2003 to 2005, will analyze the West’s current options for dealing with Iran as well as outline what a nuclear agreement needs to include for it to be acceptable to both the West and Tehran in an appearance this morning at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mousavian will also be touting his new book providing an insider account of Tehran’s nuclear policy and negotiations with the international community. 

Court date: Two Americans and a German have opted to show up for their court date in Egypt's criminal case against U.S.-funded pro-democracy workers, which resumes today. The Cairo court hearing is expected to coincide with the Egyptian parliament’s first broad review of a draft law that would maintain stringent restrictions on nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign money. [The Washington Post].

Reagan's legacy: The National Endowment for Democracy honors former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Madeleine Albright with a conference today on "Democracy in the World after Thirty Years” at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to commemorate Reagan's 1982 Westminster Address. The two also received the Democracy Service Medal on Monday.

G-20 preview: The Center for Strategic and International Studies this morning previews the June 18-19 G-20 summit in Mexico. Speakers include Mexican ambassador Arturo Sarukhan and Mark Sobel, Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department.

Climate impact: The Inter-American Development Bank hosts a discussion this afternoon on “The Climate and Development Challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean.” 

Elmo caught red-handed: USAID is suspending funding for Pakistan's version of "Sesame Street" because of misappropriations of millions of dollars, Pakistan Today reports.

What you might have missed on Global Affairs: 

President Castro’s daughter wants Obama to win reelection

House takes lead on Russian human-rights bill

China slams US over Tiananmen anniversary statement

---