Inside the Obama administration’s debate over freeing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

Adam Goldman and Scott Wilson / Washington Post

Within months of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s capture in Afghanistan, the Obama administration began considering plans for a rescue.

 

U.S. vacates base in Central Asia as Russia’s clout rises

Olga Dzyubenko / Reuters

The United States on Tuesday handed back its only Central Asian airbase to the government of Russia’s close ally Kyrgyzstan, as President Barack Obama winds down U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Moscow makes a comeback in its old imperial backyard.

 

In Show of Support, Obama Meets With Ukraine Leader

Peter Baker / New York Times

President Obama met on Wednesday for the first time with the newly elected president of Ukraine and pledged American support for efforts to stabilize a country torn by corruption, economic turmoil and a violent pro-Russian insurgency broadly believed to be fomented by Moscow.

 

Kentucky Plan Emblematic of Move from Coal to Gas

Dylan Lovan / AP

In the shadow of Paradise Fossil Plant’s aging smokestacks, where white steam and carbon dioxide rise into the sky, outdated coal-fired generators are being replaced with one that runs on natural gas.

 

Energy independence, national security and another reason for sustainability

Amy Larkin / Guardian

Events such as the Ukraine crisis and the hostilities between China and Vietnam are driving home the old lesson that fossil fuels and peace don’t mix.

 

Wave of Minors on Their Own Rush to Cross Southwest Border

Frances Robles / New York Times

After a decade apart, 13-year-old Robin Tulio was finally heading to the border to be with his mother. Like so many others across Central America, Robin said his mother believed that the Obama administration had quietly changed its policy regarding unaccompanied minors.

 

Security tight as China represses Tiananmen anniversary

William Wan / Washington Post

It was a quiet day in Tiananmen Square. Even as tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong and global headlines marked the 25th anniversary of China’s brutal crackdown on student protesters, there was no trace of remembrance at the site of their killing.

 

NATO commander accuses Russia of destabilizing eastern Ukraine

Adrian Croft and David Brunnstrom / Reuters

NATO’s top military commander accused Russia on Wednesday of destabilizing eastern Ukraine through the use of Russian-backed forces and demanded that it stop interfering.

 

Rebels in Eastern Ukraine Capture Government Posts

Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times

Rebel fighters in Ukraine’s troubled east have scored a major victory, capturing a border guard command base here after besieging it for two days and then overwhelming a second base that housed Ukrainian internal security forces.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

Now Is Not the Time to Forget About Asia

Dan Day

Under mounting criticism that his foreign policy lacks coherence, direction, and strength, Barack Obama outlined his view regarding the role the U.S. ought to play in world affairs for the remainder of his presidency in a commencement speech to graduating cadets at West Point.

 

DOE Makes Plans for U.S. Fusion Energy

Kendall Strong

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, is processing the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act request from for strategic United States (U.S.) involvement in advancing fusion energy.

 

Upcoming Events

 

Al Qaeda 3.0: Three Responses to the Changing Nature of Al Qaeda

June 05 @ 8:30 – 9:30AM

Join us to hear from three key experts about the different responses to the threat of terrorism from Morocco, Egypt and Yemen – and what the implications will be for U.S. policy to the region and wider counterterrorism efforts.

 

Listening in Public Diplomacy: The 2014 ASDA’A Burson Marsteller Arab Youth Survey

June 10 @ 12:30 – 1:30PM

Join us at ASP on June 10, 2014 as Jay Leveton presents the findings of the 2014 ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey and what this means for the Middle East.

 

SAN ANTONIO EVENT – Climate Change: Risks for National Security

June 10 @ 7:00 – 9:00PM

Join us June 10, 2014 at 7:00pm for a discussion at the University Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, Texas. In 2014-2015, the American Security Project (ASP) is undertaking a grassroots effort to build a consensus among Americans around the country from left to right, and especially among the non-political, that climate change is not simply a low-priority ‘green’ issue: but instead it is a pressing national security threat.

 

 LAS VEGAS EVENT – Climate Change: Risks for National Security

June 11 @ 5:30 – 8:00PM

Join us June 11, 2014 at 5:30pm for a discussion at the Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas, Texas. In 2014-2015, the American Security Project (ASP) is undertaking a grassroots effort to build a consensus among Americans around the country from left to right, and especially among the non-political, that climate change is not simply a low-priority ‘green’ issue: but instead it is a pressing national security threat.

 

Lasting Impact: A Call to Business and Education

 June 12 @ 6:30 – 9:30PM

Join the HBS Club on June 12, 2014 at the Embassy of France as they discuss new research on improving the educational system of the United States.

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