Center for Strategic Communication

Drone Strikes: ‘Least Horrible’ Choice In Pakistan, Yemen

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. / AOL Defense

WASHINGTON: In lawless, inaccessible regions of the world, drone strikes are America’s least-worst option for pursuing terrorists, a panel of experts agreed today — and many of the civilians whose deaths are blamed on US drones were actually killed by local factions on the ground or never existed at all.

Lack of Evidence may hinder Long-Term Drone Strategy

Eric Beidel / National Defense Magazine

Opinions and emotions abound when it comes to the United States’ use of armed drones, but what’s missing in the debate is evidence, experts said. Do drone strikes — such as those handled covertly by the CIA in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia — reduce the threat posed by terrorists?

Top U.S. general’s aircraft damaged by rockets in Afghanistan

Rob Taylor / Reuters

Insurgents fired two rockets at the main NATO airbase in Afghanistan, damaging an aircraft used by U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Martin Dempsey, a NATO spokesman said on Tuesday. The general was not on board at the time.

North Korea could have fuel for 48 nuclear weapons by 2015

Julian Ryall / The Telegraph  

North Korea will have been able to build as many as 48 nuclear weapons by 2015 unless the international community is able to make sanctions already imposed on the regime work.

SKorea-US war drills begin amid North’s protest

Associated Press

South Korea and the United States have begun annual military drills that North Korea calls a precursor to war.The U.S. says the two-week Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills started Monday with more than 80,000 troops from the U.S., South Korea and seven countries that fought with them in the 1950-53 Korean War.

India blames Pakistan for “cyber jihad” designed to spark ethnic strife

Dean Nelson / The Telegraph

A new “cyber-jihad” by Pakistani militant groups has been blamed for the exodus of thousands of people from India’s north-eastern minorities from its main southern cities last weekend after text messages warning them to flee went viral.

Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi dies of undisclosed illness

David Smith / The Guardian

Fears for stability after PM’s 21-year rule characterized by economic growth and human rights protests from international community

Yemen protests continue six months after Saleh’s fall

Sudarsan Raghavan / Guardian Weekly

It’s been six months since a populist revolt ended President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule. But in Change Square – the nexus of the uprising, where tens of thousands once gathered – the revolution continues, but in a different shape and form.

Mali announces national unity government 

Al Jazeera 

Dioncounda Traore, the interim president of Mali, announced a new cabinet of 31 ministers in a bid to restore stability to the nation, which has been coping with the effects of a coup that occurred earlier this year.

The Climate Post: Crop Damage Sparks Fuel versus Food Debate

Tim Profeta / Huffington Post

Dry conditions that continue to grip Midwestern states, damaging crops and threatening to push up food prices, stirred new debate this week after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released crop yield projections capturing the severity of the drought.

Amid U.S. Drought, World Grain Markets Closely Monitoring Corn, Soybean Crop Tour

Jim Wyckoff / Forbes

Much of the U.S. midsection is suffering from drought conditions that are the worst in decades. Serious damage has been inflicted upon the U.S. corn and soybean crops, producing record-high prices for corn and soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

Event Review – U.S. Drones Policy: Strategic Frameworks and Measuring Effects

Ashley Boyle

The American Security Project hosted a roundtable discussion about the strategic framework and effects of U.S. drones policy.  The discussion, moderated by ASP Fellow Joshua Foust, included three noted counterterrorism experts: Aaron Zelin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Will McCants of CNA and Johns Hopkins’ SAIS, and Christine Fair of Georgetown University.

What the United States Faces in Syria

Bryan Gold

Over the past month there has been a major change in the tempo and strategic environment of the Syrian Civil War. The acceleration of the conflict can be traced back to the bombing of a Syrian security forces meeting on July 17th that killed a number of Bashir al-Assad’s key security aids.

Drought, Corn Production and Biofuels: Where does the Renewable Fuel Standard Stand?

Catherine Foley

The extreme drought that has continued to ravage US corn and soybean crops this summer will cause a sharp drop in US feed grain supplies, which are projected to be 2.2 billion bushels lower in 2012/13, according to the latest forecasts from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

 

About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.

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