The Daily BriefPublished on EGF: 14.11.2017 Essential ReadingLatin America's Two Trade Blocs Get a Little Closer — Political change in Argentina, Brazil and the United States has opened the way for the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur to move past their rivalries. Bahrain: Pipeline Explosion Ignites Accusations Toward Iran — After an explosion at Bahrain's largest oil pipeline, accusations are flying over Iranian involvement. Asia-Pacific: The Trans-Pacific Partnership Weakly Rises From Near Death — Late last week, Canada publicly snubbed the deal, putting its future in question, but negotiators signed a framework agreement the very next day. EU: Member States Boost Defense Cooperation — In response to a changing security environment, most EU member states have signed off on a joint defense pact, which aims to pool their resources and coordinate military expenditures to address the urgent need for cooperation in Europe. Global PerspectivesContesting the Politics of Identity — Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin for Stratfor Partner Strategic Review says that national identity, as an achieved identity, is often more volatile than the ascribed identities of religion and ethnicity. As a result, maintaining it requires perpetual consensus and compromise among a country's various groups. The European Difference in Collegiate Athletics — Stratfor Contributor Thomas M. Hunt writes that, unlike in the United States, high-level academic sports programs and the big business they generate are simply not found in Europe. Stratfor GraphicForumsContribute to the conversation. Share your thoughts in our forum section to engage with our analysts, editors and fellow Stratfor Worldview subscribers. According to a Politico report published Nov. 12, investigators from several U.S. agencies believe that members of Cuban intelligence could have been behind the sonic attacks on U.S. and Canadian diplomatic personnel in Havana. But there is no incentive for leading Cuban politicians who backed the U.S. rapprochement, including Cuban President Raul Castro, to support such attacks. Thus it's possible that, if Cuban security forces really are behind the attacks, there is a political struggle waging within the Cuban government — which could eventually imperil U.S.-Cuban relations. News You May Have MissedFor even more news, visit Stratfor's Situation Reports page.
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