Attacker in Afghan Uniform Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers

Matthew Rosenberg-New York Times

An Afghan police officer shot and killed at least three American Special Forces soldiers on Friday after inviting them for a meal at a check post in southern Afghanistan, an Afghan official said, in what appeared to be premeditated killings of American soldiers by one of their Afghan allies.

Iran Nuclear Diplomacy: An Insider’s Take

Book Review –Asia Times

It is significant because the author is Hassan Rowhani, the country’s nuclear negotiator for 22 months during the presidency of Sayyid Mohammad Khatami (August 1997 – August 2005) – just one of the many positions he has held since the inception of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

U.S. still believes Iran not on verge of nuclear weapons

Reuters

The United States still believes that Iran is not on the verge of having a nuclear weapon and that Tehran has not made a decision to pursue one, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

North Korea could rival China on rare earths reserves-study

Stringer Shanghai-Reuters

North Korea is sitting on around 200 different minerals, including a large number of rare earth metals, hidden in its mountains. The prized resources are attracting companies from China and South Korea, despite the political tension.

Rebels Vow to regroup in Battle for Aleppo

Alex Villarreal-voice of America

Diplomats filing into the conference room at Afghanistan‘s finance ministry had expected a bland update on accountability targets from the finance minister.

SKorean leader visits islets also claimed by Japan

Sam Kim-BloombergBusinessweek

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit Friday to islets at the center of a long-running territorial dispute with Japan, ignoring warnings from Tokyo that it would worsen the neighbors’ already strained relations.

Afghan-Pakistan talks on Taliban release: Islamabad

AFP

Pakistan and Afghanistan are in talks on the release of a key member of the Taliban, whose 2010 arrest in Pakistan was blamed for sabotaging peace initiatives, a Pakistani foreign ministry official confirmed Friday.

ASP Report Published This Week:

FACT SHEET: North Korea’s Nuclear Program

FACT SHEET: Fact Sheet U.S.C. Title 10, Title 22, and Title 50

The New Public Diplomacy Imperative

A New Discourse: Climate Change in the Face of a Shifting U.S. Energy Portfolio  

On Our Flashpoint Blog

Competition Between Gas and Coal Changing Energy Landscape

Nicholas Cunningham

For decades, coal has been king: a low-cost approach of generating baseload electricity using a fuel source that is abundant across the United States. However, times are changing…and quickly.

U.S.C. Title 10, Chapter 20, and the Militarization of Humanitarian Aid

Ashley Boyle

Understanding Title 10 and the debate on the militarization of aid is fundamental to the US’ ability to develop an approach that blends the planning and logistics abilities of its Armed Forces with the skills and knowledge of aid workers.

Is Space-Based Solar Power realistic?

Nicholas Cunningha

A new article in Strategic Studies Quarterly makes the case for space-based solar power – energy that could be beamed to anywhere on Earth. But is it realistic?

Senator Lugar on Securing Syria’s Chemical Weapons

Mary Kaszynski

As events unfold, the U.S. and allies are eying Syria’s chemical and biological weapons stockpile with concern. Syria insists that the weapons are secure and that they “will never be used unless Syria is

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