A reconciling president for Iraq

IRAQ: Members of Parliament elected Barham Salih Iraq’s next president. Salih is a veteran of Baghdad politics, seen as a moderate and somewhat independent-minded Kurd with a conciliatory stance toward Shia and Sunni leaders, much needed following major rifts between Baghdad and the prosperous Kurdish semi-autonomous region.

In May 2002, I interviewed Salih in a darkened room surrounded by security in northern Iraq, just weeks after al-Qaeda-linked Islamic militants tried to assassinate him, killing five of his bodyguards. Salih championed rule of law government and envisioned “Turkey-style democracy” in Iraq but was realistic even then about U.S. aspirations in a Saddam Hussein–controlled country: “I have been around long enough to realize that the expectations game is a dangerous one. We are talking day-to-day survival in this part of the world.”

TURKEY: The lawyer for Andrew Brunson today will petition the Constitutional Court to release the American pastor from house arrest, pending his next trial date of Oct. 12.

INDONESIA: A volcano erupted in northern Sulawesi Wednesday morning as rescue efforts crawl forward after a 7.5 earthquake and tsunami struck the area last week, killing at least 1,400 people. The quake destroyed an airport runway and damaged bridges, isolating remote parts of the island without food, water, or medical aid. Drone footage provides a glimpse of the damage. Indonesians are praising one air traffic controller who died guiding a plane toward take off as the quake hit.

Travel to the Bali area is possible, but relief efforts continue in Lombok—900 miles from Sulawesi—following destructive quakes in July and August that killed 500 and left more than 400,000 displaced. According to Direct Relief, health officials say almost 60,000 pregnant women and 300,000 infants and toddlers are struggling for adequate shelter, food, water, and health services.

AFGHANISTAN: A suicide bomber attacked an election rally on Tuesday, killing at least 13. Officials anticipated the recent spike in violence ahead of the Oct. 20 parliamentary elections. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

CHINA: Officials gave more than 300 high school students in the largely Christian Zhejiang province a form to fill out indicating their religion. Teachers or class prefects demanded the students identifying as Christians redo the questionnaire to indicate they had no religion. According to one local source, “It seems this is part of the new push to identify Christians and give them pressure.”

SUDAN: Authorities cleared a shipment of Bibles believed to have been held up in customs at Port Sudan for six years.

To have Globe Trot delivered to your email inbox, email Mindy at mbelz@wng.org.