Center for Strategic Communication

Rebel-on-Rebel Violence Seizes Syria

Nour Malas / The Wall Street Journal

 “Some FSA fighters now consider the extremists to be as big a threat to their survival as the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.  ‘It’s a three-front war,’ a U.S. official said…”

 

A Jewel at the Heart of Quantum Physics

Natalie Wolchover / Quanta Magazine

Physicists have discovered a new way to perform quantum calculations.  Aside from opening up new research it dramatically simplifies existing uses of quantum mechanics.

 

Colorado River Hydropower Faces a Dry Future

Katherine Tweed / IEEE Spectrum

 New turbines are supposed to help the Hoover Dam maintain power output even in drought conditions.  The most recent drought is so severe that it might not be enough.  Upstream from the Hoover Dam the Glen Canyon Dam is in an even more tenuous position, with power output 8% lower.

 

Ukraine Approves EU Deal Despite Russian Objections

BBC

 The Ukrainian government has approved a draft agreement with the EU, including a free trade pact.  The agreement happened over strenuous objections from Russia.

 

EU Police Officer Shot Dead in Northern Kosovo

Thomas Reuters / CBC

 “A European Union police officer in Kosovo was shot dead on Thursday in a northern, mainly Serbian region where tensions are rising over a fragile accord between the Balkan country and its former master Serbia.”

 

Hurricane Manuel Hits Mexico

The Associated Press / CBC

 “The same storm that devastated Acapulco and surrounding areas over the weekend regenerated into Hurricane Manuel and made landfall again on Thursday, this time farther north in the state of Sinaloa.”

 

 A Video Tour of Fukushima Daiichi

 

Eliza Strickland / IEEE Spectrum

“Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been back in the news in recent weeks, as radioactive water has leaked from tanks and contaminated groundwater has seeped through the soil toward the sea.  TEPCO, the utility that owns the place, has just released a video to explain the bad news…”

 

Rooftop Solar Faces Growing Opposition from Utilities

Bill Sweet / IEEE Spectrum

“Although solar energy is still a midget among U.S. energy sources, its rapid growth from a small base is beginning to make some of the big players nervous.”

 

Senator John McCain: Russians Deserve better than Putin

John McCain / Pravda

John McCain pens an opinion article explaining why opposition to the government of Russia is not anti-Russian and why the Russian people deserve a better leader the President Putin.

 

Angry Skies: Japanese Jets Scramble as Tensions with China Escalate

Hannah Beech / Time

Tensions between China and Japan over disputed islands have resulted in Japanese jets based in Naha being scrambled in record numbers.

 

How North Korea got itself Hooked on Meth

Max Fisher / The Washington Post

North Korea is experiencing a crystal meth ‘epidemic’ due to the difficulty in accessing medical care.

 

Climate Changes Spells Trouble for Anglers

Ben Jervey / National Geographic

Warmer water and drought caused lower stream flows are causing more frequent river closures and increasingly restricting the number of days available for anglers.  Warmer shorter winters are also keeping lakes from freezing to safe levels, effectively destroying the ice fishing season.

 

ASP Recent Publications

The Arctic: Five Critical Security Challenges

Andrew Holland, Nick Cunningham, and Xander Vagg

 ASP has just released a new publication on the future of the Arctic.  How the U.S is failing to meet the challenges it poses and why it isn’t too late for the U.S to change course.

 

Upcoming ASP Events

EVENT – Bangladesh at a Crossroads: A Political and Security Outlook

American Security Project

 ASP and Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies are hosting an event on the first of October to discuss the security issues of Bangladesh and the stability of the wider South Asian region.

 

ASP in the News

Lodge and Wallin in CNN: Is Iran Ready to Deal on Nukes?

“ASP’s Director for Nuclear Security Terri Lodge and Fellow Matthew Wallin penned a op-ed for CNN on the evolving diplomatic situation concerning Iran’s nuclear program.”

 

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