International News Coverage
Middle East, ISIS, Terrorism, and Counterterrorism
Egypt, Libya announce deeper security cooperation to ‘fight terrorism’
Maggie Fick | Reuters
Egypt will train Libyan forces to fight terrorism and help secure a shared border, the prime ministers of the two states announced in Cairo on Wednesday, stepping up efforts against Islamist insurgents in both countries.
Riots in Turkey kill 19 over failure to aid besieged Syrian Kurds
Daren Butler | Reuters
At least 19 people were reported killed in riots across Turkey, the deadliest street unrest in years, after the Kurdish minority rose up in fury at the government’s refusal to protect a besieged Syrian town from Islamic State.
Airstrikes push Islamic State jihadists back in Syrian town
Times of Israel
New US-led airstrikes near the Syrian border town of Kobani have helped Kurdish fighters push back the Islamic State group a day after it appeared on the verge of seizing the town, the fate of which has emerged as a key test of whether coalition air power can roll back the extremist group.
Science and Technology
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Improving Microscopes
Kenneth Chang | The New York Times
Three scientists, two American and one German, have received this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry for, in effect, circumventing a basic law of physics and enabling optical microscopes to peer at the tiniest structures within living cells.
Energy
Texas natural gas export project gets favorable environmental review
Timothy Cama | The Hill
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave a favorable environmental review Wednesday to a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Texas. FERC staff concluded that the project, developed by Cheniere Energy Inc., would result in some environmental impacts, mostly in the short term.
Kristen French | Al Jazeera
The Hawaii County Civil Defense warned of an “uncontrolled release of hydrogen sulfide” from the local geothermal plant. Residents were urged to stay indoors or, if they felt any discomfort, to evacuate. But tropical storm Iselle had just begun to pound the land with heavy rain and strong winds, downing trees and power lines and making evacuation difficult for any who tried.
Asia & Pacific
4 reasons Hong Kong’s protests failed (and 4 reasons they didn’t)
Ishaan Tharoor | The Washington Post
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrations have petered out. With the exception of a few protest encampments and blockaded streets, life has mostly returned to normal in this bustling Asian metropolis. It’s a far cry from the heady days last week when the world’s attention fixed on the hundreds of thousands joining in the occupation of the heart of the city center.
Ebola
Manny Fernandez | The New York Times
Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, the patient with the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States and the Liberian man at the center of a widening public health scare, died in isolation at a hospital here on Wednesday, hospital authorities said.
Travelers from West African countries will face stronger Ebola screening at U.S. airports
Mark Berman | The Washington Post
Enhanced screening measures aimed at finding travelers infected with Ebola are coming to five of the busiest international airports in the United States, according to federal authorities. Travelers originating in West African countries will be given questionnaires and have their temperatures taken at these U.S. airports, a federal official said Wednesday.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Event Recap: Renewable Transportation – Policy Options to Break the Oil Monopoly
Caroline Julia von Wurden
American Security Project hosted a panel of industry experts to speak about the current environment for renewable transportation and how their companies are leading innovation in developing different solutions to this serious problem.
Event Recap: Natural Gas/LNG – Using American Resources and Know-How to Build a World Market
Caroline Julia von Wurden
The emerging geopolitics of energy shows why it is important for the United States to take a leadership role in exporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Internationally high demand and our domestic resources have created an opportunity to build a global, market-based energy economy. This will be particularly important in preventing monopoly energy producers from using their control of gas markets to sway foreign policy.
Event Reap: Energy Technology of Tomorrow – and how can Government foster that innovation?
Caroline Julia von Wurden
On Tuesday panelists met to discuss the future of nuclear power and the political and technical hurdles. They agreed that nuclear power must be part of the solution to reduce carbon emissions.
Event Recap: Powering the Future – Prospects for Fusion Energy
Caroline Julia von Wurden
On Tuesday panelists convened to talk about the future of fusion energy. Talking points were that fusion can provide clean (emission free) energy and help create a new high-tech industry, and private companies are investing in novel fusion experiments.
General Allen: The anti-ISIS coalition is an “important moment”
Sophia Dahodwala
General John R. Allen USNC (Ret), who served as the top United States Commander in Afghanistan has been appointed as President Obama’s Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. General Allen will conduct several trips to the region in order to consolidate the coalition that is beginning to come together and to strengthen and clarify the lines of effort. In a recent interview with CNN’s Elise Labott, General Allen responded to a series of pressing questions regarding the US’s strategy to degrade, defeat, and destroy ISIS.
Maktoum’s Path to Lasting Peace
Sophia Dahodwala
The conversation surrounding ISIS needs to emphasize that a dynamic, long-term solution is needed to address Middle Eastern instability and insecurity. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum highlights three ingredients for lasting peace.
Upcoming Events
Security Jam: Brainstorming Global Security
October 14 @ 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM
To be held over 54 hours, from October 14-16, 2014, the Security Jam will be a catalyst for creative thinking by national, UN, NATO, and EU policymakers, experts, NGOs, industry representatives, soldiers, journalists, scholars and opinion-leaders.
INDIANAPOLIS EVENT – Climate Change: Risks for National Security
October 14 @ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Butler University
Join us for a discussion with senior flag officers as they discuss the steps the US military has taken and future implications for our national security.
INDIANAPOLIS EVENT – Climate Change: Risks for National Security
October 15 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Anderson University
Join us for a discussion with senior flag officers as they discuss the steps the US military has taken and future implications for our national security.
About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.
For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org. info@americansecurityproject.org
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