The countries with the most internet freedom are…; Why the Trump administration shouldn't get its hopes up about Iran; And more...

View this email in your browser Insights, analysis and must reads from CNN's Fareed Zakaria and the Global Public Square team, compiled by Global Briefing editor Jason Miks.   November 1, 2018 Did Saudi Arabia Bring Its Worst Fear to Life? Top US officials this week called for a ceasefire in Yemen, where the civil war has claimed thousands of lives. How did we get here? Robert Worth suggests in The New York Times that Saudi Arabia should look in the mirror. The Houthi "movement was born, three decades ago, largely as a reaction to Riyadh's reckless promotion of its own intolerant strain of Salafi Islam in the Houthi heartland of northwestern Yemen. Since then, the Saudis—with the help of Yemen's former ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh—have done all they could to corrupt or compromise every political force strong enough to pose a threat," Worth writes. "The Houthis are a result…They have recruited child soldiers, used starvation as a weapon and have allowed no dissenting views to be aired in the media. They have little will or capacity to run a modern state, and at times have seemed unwilling or unable to negotiate for peace. But this, too, is partly a measure of Saudi Arabia's fatal arrogance toward its neighbor, a long-term policy of keeping Yemen weak and divided." "That policy may now be bringing the Saudis' worst fears to life. Houthi officials say they have studied the Viet Cong's tactics, and routinely refer to the war as the quagmire that will bring down the House of Saud." Another Unintended Consequence… The fallout from the killing of Jamal Khashoggi continues to manifest itself in some unexpected ways, writes Peter Bergen for CNN Opinion. That includes pushing the US toward a Saudi rival. "Belatedly, Trump realized that the blockade of Qatar made little sense from an American national security perspective and tried to put pressure on the Saudis to lift it, so far to no avail," Bergen writes. "Today, Qatar looks like a far more natural ally for the United States than the Saudis. Qatar has the second highest per capita income in the world and, by Gulf standards, it has a relaxed approach to social mores…And it continues to house the most important US military base in the Middle East." Pakistan's Big Breakthrough? Pakistan's Supreme Court this week "acquitted a Christian woman who has been on death row for almost eight years on blasphemy charges," CNN reports. It could be a major step toward a more tolerant and progressive country, writes Kunwar Khuldune Shahid for The Guardian.   "While Pakistan might be a long way from embracing free speech that encompasses critiques of Islam, the verdict in Bibi's favor has edged it closer to the removal of capital punishment in such cases. Incorporating reformist interpretations of Islam might make this possible," Shahid writes.   "A reformed blasphemy law would not only reduce the number of accusations—in turn reducing mob violence—it could pave the way for secular legislation. This would not only safeguard religious minorities, but also give Pakistan a much-needed national identity that isn't limited to Islam or anti-Indianism." Why the Trump Administration Shouldn't Get Its Hopes Up On Iran The additional US sanctions that will go into place against Iran on Sunday will undoubtedly give the Trump administration more leverage over Tehran, The Economist writes. The trouble is that it's not clear what it will be able to do with that leverage. "The rial has plummeted; inflation and unemployment are rising," The Economist says. "But exploiting this leverage will be difficult. Serious hardship has led to protests in Iran—and to misplaced hope in Washington that the end of the clerical regime must be nigh. In fact the opposition is leaderless and incoherent. Hardliners who opposed the nuclear deal all along, and warned that America could not be trusted, have been vindicated and are tightening their grip. Officials have blocked Telegram, a popular messaging app, and chased moderates abroad. The regime's protectors in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps control smuggling networks and own countless firms that might actually benefit from sanctions, which eliminate foreign competition."   Guess Who's Already Winning the US-China Trade War? The US-China trade war is already producing a winner, writes Bennett Murray for Foreign Policy. As tech companies try to avoid the uncertainty prompted by US tariffs on China, they are increasingly looking to Vietnam. "As the world's most populous country, China still has some advantages over Vietnam. China's workforce, while older than Vietnam's and not particularly better educated, still has more highly skilled workers thanks to sheer size. Manufacturing in the world's second-largest economy also has its perks, with firms able to access Chinese consumers without crossing borders," Murray writes. "But with China likely to remain a rival to the West for the foreseeable future, Vietnam's willingness to get along with power centers in North America and Europe provides a political advantage that's unlikely to vanish, and its growing strategic partnership with the Pentagon links the US bilateral economic relationship with defense. Already climbing the ladder of the global supply chain and willing to make reforms to accommodate free trade agreements, Vietnam has become not just a cheaper but also a friendlier alternative to China in the Trump era." The Countries with the Most Internet Freedom Are… Estonia and Iceland have the freest internet in the world, according to Freedom House's latest Freedom on the Net report [PDF]. But the report paints a bleak picture overall, noting that internet freedom around the world has declined for the eighth consecutive year.   "The unbridled collection of personal data has broken down traditional notions of privacy. And a cohort of countries is moving toward digital authoritarianism by embracing the Chinese model of extensive censorship and automated surveillance systems," Freedom House's Adrian Shahbaz writes.   Rounding out the five countries with the most internet freedom were Canada, Germany and Australia, with the United States coming in sixth. The country with the least freedom of the 65 surveyed was China, followed by Iran, Syria, Ethiopia and Cuba. Share Tweet Fwd unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences  Copyright © 2018 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company., All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to CNN newsletters. Our mailing address is: Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303 Add us to your address book What did you like about today's Global Briefing? What did we miss? Let us know what you think: GlobalBriefing@cnn.com Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters.​   Sign Up for Fareed's Global Briefing