South Korea and the U.S. continue to anticipate a North Korean missile launch; President Obama’s budget will preserve EPA plans to tackle climate change. On our FlashPoint blogs, we address the National Ignition Facility’s current research on inertial fusion, as well as U.S. underfunding of R&D.
Immigration and the knowledge economy
Mark Zuckerberg / The Washington Post
One day I asked my students what they thought about going to college. One of my top aspiring entrepreneurs told me he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to go to college because he’s undocumented. His family is from Mexico, and they moved here when he was a baby. Many students in my community are in the same situation; they moved to the United States so early in their lives that they have no memories of living anywhere else. These students are smart and hardworking, and they should be part of our future.
What would 25-feet of sea-level rise look like IRL?
Robert T. Gonzalez / i09
People talk a lot these days about rising seas. They talk figures in feet and inches. They make maps, and forecast which stretches of America’s coastline will be inundated in 25, 50, or 100 years. But we’re visual creatures, and visual creatures want to know: what might this projected sea level rise actually look like?
China targets South Korea with Soft Power
Sunny Seong-hyon Lee / Asia Times
The pundits believe this is a honeymoon period for China and South Korea. Ironically, it is happening as Pyongyang has been ratcheting up its rhetoric and war posturing.
Tristan McConnell / Global Post
US and European governments worry that Al Qaeda groups in Africa might threaten their citizens and interests — at home and abroad — and while France was willing to briefly intervene in Mali, most are wary of entrenching their own troops in potential quagmires on the continent.
Israel may be operating in Syria
Noga Tarnopolsky
Israeli military personnel are operating in non-combat capacity in an area across Israel’s border with Syria, GlobalPost has learned.
Obama budget: EPA will still address climate change
The Daily Caller
President Barack Obama is looking to make good on his promise to tackle climate change during his second term, even including a promise of continued EPA action against climate change in his 2014 budget proposal.
Renewable power: Germany’s energy gamble
Quirin Schiermeier / Nature
In an industrial warehouse on the outskirts of Stuttgart, the sooty past is shaking hands with Germany’s green-energy future. In one corner sits a relic destined for a museum: a cast-iron engine as big as a bus, which was used until the early 1970s to compress coal gas for lighting, cooking and heating. Nearby, a gleaming network of stainless-steel tanks uses electricity to create methane out of water and carbon dioxide.
Massive energy cost hidden in wireless cloud boom
PhysOrg
For the first time, researchers have calculated the energy consumption of the multiple components needed to support cloud services accessed via wireless networks.
Seul on alert to Missile Test by North
Alastair Gale / The Wall Street Journal
South Korean and U.S. forces increased their alert levels as Seoul anticipated a North Korean test missile launch, the latest episode in a prolonged period of tension on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea ‘near dangerous line’, Hagel says
Matt Smith and Jethro Mullen
North Korea is “skating very close to a dangerous line” after weeks of saber-rattling, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned Wednesday as northeast Asia watched for an expected missile test.
ASP Recently Published
President’s Budget Makes Cuts on Fusion Energy
Nicholas Cunningham
The President released his budget for fiscal year 2014, which did reveal a good outcome for fusion energy
Perpsective – The Defense Industrial Base
August Cole
The defense industrial base is tied to American competitiveness in the 21st Century. For that reason, leaders in the private and public sector must take steps to thrive during a drawn out period of changing expectations while also remaining committed to keeping the country strong through innovation, long-term investment and disciplined management.
Read our latest collection of our writings in this edition of American Security Quarterly – with a special lead of American Competitiveness
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Look beyond winners and losers in the DoD budget
August Cole
Amid the intense focus on cutbacks and incremental boosts in spending, this is an opportune moment to step back and take a look at the country’s strengths and weakness from a broader point of view.
Inertial Fusion Research Continues
Nicholas Cunningham
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is currently conducting research into inertial fusion energy. Using 192 of the largest lasers in the world, the NIF is the leading global research facility on inertial fusion.
Justin Yarros
Yesterday, the Washington Post reported on the state of energy research and development (R&D) in the United States, coming on the heels of the nomination hearing for Secretary of Energy. Ernie Moniz stated that U.S. energy R&D is underfunded by a factor of three. The Wonk Blog’s Brad Plumer looks at that figure.
Event Recap: The UK in the EU and the future of Transatlantic Cooperation
Lívia Pontes Fialho
ASP welcomed member of the UK parliament Tobias Ellwood for a discussion on the UK in the EU and the Future of Transatlantic Cooperation earlier today. BGen. Stephen Cheney, ASP’s CEO, joined the panel along with its COO, Paul Hamill.
Gastrodiplomacy – “Reaching Hearts and Minds through Stomachs”
Matthew Wallin
Yesterday, I attended an event at American University discussing the merits of “gastrodiplomacy”—a term basically meaning the public diplomacy of food. The event was hosted by the School of International Service’s Public and Cultural Diplomacy Forum.
This Week in Public Diplomacy April 8
Lívia Pontes Fialho
A round-up of public diplomacy-related news.
Upcoming Events
The Future of U.S. nuclear deterrent: A Conversation with Amb. Linton Brooks
The future form of today’s U.S. deterrent could change. Many call for reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal while plans for the future triad are in flux. 2013 could be a critical year for many of these issues. Join us for a conversation with Linton Brooks, Ambassador and former Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The Geopolitical Implications of U.S. Natural Gas Exports
ASP’s recent report, “The Geopolitical Implications of U.S. Natural Gas Exports” by ASP Policy Analyst Nick Cunningham found that U.S. LNG exports can achieve geopolitical objectives by enhancing the energy security of America’s closest allies. Join us for a discussion with experts and representatives from close american allies on this topic.
