The United States is Losing the Race for Fusion Power
ASP’s Nick Cunningham and Theodore MacDonald / AOL Energy
America’s debate on energy policy is consumed by partisanship and short-term thinking. Whether the debate today focuses on tax credits for specific technologies or removing regulatory hurdles to allow for more energy production, policymakers are failing to plan for the long haul.
Ready (or Not?) for a Great Coming Shale Boom
Kate Galbraith / The New York Times
The Cline Shale, thousands of feet underground in a roughly 10-county swath, is just one of many little-tapped shale formations in Texas and across the nation
The Dark Side of Energy Independence
Benjamin Alter and Edward Fishman / The New York Times
While the latest energy revolution will be a boon to America’s economy, it will in no way allow the United States to turn its back on the rest of the world.
Russia raids group with ties to militant in video posted by Boston bombing suspect
Susan Candiotti and Ben Brumfield / CNN
Russian special forces killed two members of a jihadist group in an early morning raid this weekend in the semiautonomous republic of Dagestan, two Russian police sources told CNN on Monday.
Italy’s new government begins life in climate of crisis
James Mackenzie / Reuters
New Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta seeks the backing of parliament in a confidence vote on Monday, facing severe political and economic problems that will test the solidity of his broad coalition government in the months ahead.
Russia and Japan vow to solve islands dispute
Al Jazeera
Leaders Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe pledge to overcome “existing differences” on six decades dispute through talks.
North Korea holds back seven South Koreans at industrial zone
Kim Do-gyun and Lim Sang-gyu / Reuters
North Korea held back seven of 50 remaining South Koreans at the suspended jointly run factory zone north of the heavily armed border on Monday, citing last-minute checks on taxes and wages.
Syrian prime minister survives Damascus bombing, six die
Dominic Evans / Reuters
Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki survived a bomb attack on his convoy in Damascus on Monday, state media and activists said, as rebels struck in the heart of President Bashar al-Assad’s capital.
Hezbollah’s role in Syrian civil war drives sectarian tension in Lebanon
Abigail Hauslohner / The Washington Post
Lebanese groups on opposite ends of the nation’s polarized political spectrum are starting to play a more public role in the Syrian civil war, rendering Lebanon’s stated policy of neutrality toward the two-year conflict increasingly obsolete and threatening the tenuous stability of this Arab country.
Libya gunmen surround Tripoli foreign ministry
BBC
Men in pick-up trucks bristling with anti-aircraft guns have blocked off Libya’s foreign ministry, demanding a jobs ban on Gaddafi-era officials.
At Least 8 Killed in Taliban Attacks on Candidates in Pakistan
Declan Walsh / The New York Times
Taliban attacks on election candidates in northwestern Pakistan killed at least eight people and wounded dozens on Sunday, adding to a growing toll of militant violence before elections scheduled for May 11.
In changing region, U.S. committed to military ties with Gulf Arabs
William Maclean and David Alexander / Reuters
Washington is signaling its military commitment to its Gulf Arab allies at a time of unfamiliar strain in their decades old partnership.
Army says no to more tanks, but Congress insists
Richard Lardner / AP
Built to dominate the enemy in combat, the Army’s hulking Abrams tank is proving equally hard to beat in a budget battle. Lawmakers from both parties have devoted nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money over the past two years to build improved versions of the 70-ton Abrams. But senior Army officials have said repeatedly, “No thanks.”
What China and Russia Don’t Get About Soft Power
Joseph S. Nye, Jr. / Foreign Policy
Beijing and Moscow are trying their hands at attraction, and failing — miserably.
ASP Recently Published
International Progress on Fusion Energy – How American Leadership is Slipping
Theodore J. MacDonald
ASP’s fact sheet, “International Progress on Fusion Energy” outlines the steps other countries are taking in developing fusion energy. Meanwhile, the U.S. is considering budget cuts to its fusion program, which will cause irreparable harm to the development of fusion power.
Perspective: 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.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Matthew Wallin
Are we in danger of losing our soft power edge to Russia and China? At this point, the answer is no. Should we be frightened by their efforts to augment and enhance their soft power? The answer is also no.
Defense industry faces big tests with Washington and Wall Street
August Cole
The defense industrial base is an important element of America’s economic, and strategic, edge, whether through the contribution to the U.S. economy of billions of dollars in aerospace exports or the employment of some of the country’s most public-minded engineers and programmers.
Upcoming Events
U.S. National Security and the New Somalia: Reflections from the Former Prime Minister
Join us for a conversation with Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the former Premier of Somalia.
The last two years in Somalia has seen militant Islamists in retreat and a country rise from the ashes of chronic conflict and chaos. At the helm during this transformative period the former Prime Minister, argues that security and political progress in Somalia has boosted US national security interests.
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