Center for Strategic Communication

NYC and DC Face Power Outages, Water Shortages in Soaring Heat

Jillian MacMath / Accuweather

“Energy usage could approach all-time records,” New York’s largest energy provider Con Edison warned on their website this week, urging customers to make conservation efforts as intense heat continues through Saturday.

The Case for Mediated Public Diplomacy

Guy J. Golan / Diplomatic Courier

For more than a decade, American public diplomacy has centered around Joseph Nye’s soft power approach…While soft power programs sound good on paper, there is not much evidence that they provide a consequential return on investment.

They Hate Us, They Really Hate US

Marc Lynch / Foreign Policy

Kurdish fighters have seized control of a Syrian town on the border with Turkey and are battling Islamist rebel groups linked to al Qaeda for control of oilfields in the northeast of the country.

Egypt’s Tourist Industry Badly Hit By Political Unrest

BBC

One of the biggest casualties of the political turmoil in Egypt has been the tourism industry.  It forms a large part of the country’s economy, but over the last couple of years it has been hit hard.

Ethiopian Migrants Tell of Torture and Rape in Yemen

Yalda Hakim / BBC

The Ethiopian teenager survived a treacherous boat journey being smuggled across the Red Sea. But on reaching Yemen, she was kidnapped and driven at gunpoint to a mud brick house.

Competition Among Islamists

The Economist

In Syria, Al-Qaeda-affiliate Jabhat Al-Nusra has gotten all the press, but Salafists represent more fighters, and an interesting balance between religious extremism and pragmatic war-fighting.

Chevron in Argentina: Buyer Beware

Energy Policy Information Center

Big energy news this week: Just over a year since the Argentine government appropriated Repsol’s 51 percent stake in its national oil company, YPF, Chevron is doubling down on Argentina’s famed Vaca Muerta (dead cow) shale formation, agreeing to fund most of a $1.5 billion joint venture with the NOC.

On Our Flashpoint Blog

Nuclear Power and the Holy Grail
William Joyce

uclear power is a major source of global energy production. Although nuclear energy currently accounts for 19% of energy production in the United States, this figure will decline as older reactors are retired. In order for nuclear energy to produce a greater portion of global electricity, future reactors must become more cost efficient.

Economic Competitiveness and Educating the Next Generation
Ben Secrist

Poverty and poor education in America’s cities will reverberate on a global scale as it impacts the country’s economic competitiveness.

This Week in Public Diplomacy, July 15, 2013
Christian Mull

A summary of the week’s events in the world of public diplomacy.

BGen Steve Cheney Participates in Launch of Climate Week NYC
BGen Stephen A. Cheney USMC (Ret.)

On July 16, I took part in the kickoff of Climate Week NYC, an event to publicize a series of major events on climate change set to take place in New York from September 23-30. Now in its fifth year, the launch event hosted by The Climate Group was a great success.

Challenges to U.S. Public Diplomacy in North Korea
Christian Mull

As the traditional avenues of diplomatic relations remain closed, the U.S. has been forced to focus its efforts more towards influencing public opinion within North Korea itself, hoping to garner more change in the long term. But this is no easy task.

ASP in the News

ASP’s Andrew Holland Quoted in Law360

ASP’s Andrew Holland offered his take on the recent selection of Adm. McGinn to lead the Navy’s energy efficiency efforts.

ASP Board Member Norman Augustine and American Competitiveness Principles Quoted by National Defense Magazine

The National Defense Magazine recently published an article reviewing ASP’s American Competitiveness Day Panel Discussion. The article quotes Dr. Michael Porter and Dr. Jan Rivkin of the Harvard Business School as well as ASP Board Member Mr. Norman R. Augustine.

Upcoming Events

Yemen’s Political Transition and National Dialogue: Progress and Challenges

Yemen is currently in a historic period of political transition following the 2011 revolution and the end of former President Saleh’s regime. At the mid-point of its National Dialogue process, Yemen faces many challenges. Please join us on Tuesday, July 30th from 12:00 until 1:00pm at 1100 New York Ave, 7th Floor West Tower. Lunch refreshments will be served between 11:30am and 12:00pm. If you wish to attend, please RSVP by July 28th to: events@americansecurityproject.org.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Implications for Global Security & Western-Chinese Relations.

How will a free trade zone with unified standards that comprises nearly half of the world’s GDP affect China? Is this the beginning of an economic cold war between East and West? Or is it an opportunity for establishing standards that will become globally recognized? Join us for a panel discussion on the implications of the TTIP on Wednesday, July 31st from 8:30 until 9:30 am. Location: 1100 New York Avenue, NW 7th Floor West. Breakfast refreshments will be served from 8:00 until 8:30 am. If you wish to attend, please RSVP by July 29th to: events@americansecurityproject.org