Presidents are breaking the U.S. Foreign Service
Susan R. Johnson, Ronald E. Neumann and Thomas R. Pickering / the Washington Post
American diplomacy is facing a crisis. The Foreign Service is being relegated to a secondary status: staff support to political elites who set and manage police. Long-held concepts about the disciplined, competitive, promotion-based personnel system are being called into question.
Laser Fusion Facility Faces Dimmer Spending
David Malakoff / Science
The cuts to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California appear to be a direct consequence of the project’s failure to create burning fusion plasma by its 2012 goal.
Social Media in Public Diplomacy: Twitter and DC Embassies Part 2
Jeannette Gaida / Take Five
Airmen and Soldiers give lessons in conversational English to Afghan students at thet Korean Vocational Training Center here, as part of the effort to create a better future for coalition partners.
Deployed Airmen bridge cultures with words
Staff Sgt. David Dobrydney / U.S. Air Force
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.
Where did global warming go? The deep ocean, experts say
John Roach / NBC News
The deep oceans have recently been soaking up much of the excess heat trapped under the ever-thickening blanket of greenhouse gases that humans pump into the atmosphere, according to a recent study.
Obama’s Race to the Top: Model for Fostering Energy Innovation?
Clifton Yin / the Energy Collective
President Obama’s proposal for a Race to the Top for energy innovation, a relatively modest $200 million program, would be the first one of its kind for energy and could be an interesting pilot project for using similar policy models to bridge the gap between energy research and the market.
Obama nominates Matthew C. Armstrong to serve on Broadcasting Board of Governors
BBG Watcher / USG Broadcasts
President Obama announced his intent to nominate Matthew C. Armstrong to serve as a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the bipartisan federal board in charge of U.S. international broadcasting.
ASP Recently Published
Perspective – The Defense Industrial Base
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
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.
Look beyond winners and losers in the DoD budget
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 investments and disciplined management.
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.
