Energy and Climate Change
U.S. Senate heads for vote on Keystone XL pipeline
Timothy Gardner | Reuters
Backers of the Keystone XL oil pipeline hope a vote in the U.S. Senate late on Tuesday will send a bill to the desk of President Barack Obama.
Coal Rush in India Could Tip Balance on Climate Change
Gardiner Harris | New York Times
Decades of strip mining have left this town in the heart of India’s coal fields a fiery moonscape, with mountains of black slag, sulfurous air and sickened residents.
Middle East & North Africa
Palestinian attackers storm Jerusalem synagogue, killing 3 Americans, 1 Briton
Brian Murphy | Washington Post
Two Palestinian attackers armed with knives, axes and a gun stormed a synagogue in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood on Tuesday, killing three Americans — including a prominent rabbi — and a British worshiper in one of the deadliest attacks in years in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem on edge as Israel vows ‘harsh response’ to synagogue attack
Al Jazeera
An attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem in which four worshippers were killed by Palestinian attackers — later shot dead by police — has ramped up tensions in the region, with Israel vowing a “harsh” response to the latest act of violence.
Officials: French national believed to appear in ISIL beheading video
Al Jazeera
France said Monday that a French national is believed to have appeared in a video of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) fighters beheading Syrian soldiers and displaying the severed head of U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig. Separately, a British man denied earlier reports that his son, a medical student, was also in the video.
Science & Technology
A mysterious Russian space object could be the return of the ‘satellite killer’
Terrence McCoy | Washington Post
During the Cold War in the 1960s, they eyed outer space as a potential theater of conflict, where human-piloted space vessels would engage in gravity-free dogfights and fire missiles. The ambitions were unrealistic. But they did nonetheless give birth to a Soviet anti-satellite weaponry program simply called “Istrebitel Sputnikov” — the “satellite killer.”
Russia and Ukraine
Thousands of Hungarians protest to demand prime minister’s resignation
Terrence McCoy | Al Jazeera
More than 10,000 Hungarians rallied in Budapest on Monday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, accusing him of employing corrupt public servants and cosying up to the Kremlin.
NATO leader sees ‘serious military buildup’ in Ukraine
Reuters
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg denounced on Tuesday what he called a serious Russian military buildup both inside Ukraine and on the Russian side of the border and urged Moscow to pull back its troops.
Putin’s Loss of German Trust Seals the West’s Isolation of Russia
Simon Shuster | Time
After a night spent debating the Ukraine crisis with the Russian President, German Chancellor Angela Merkel came out more determined than ever to push the Kremlin out of Eastern Europe
Employment Opportunities
Internships Available
ASP is looking for current or recently graduated students interested in hands-on public policy experience for full- and part-time internships. Interns will support ASP researchers and staff in multiple areas including communications, development, programming and research.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Partnering for Prosperity: The State of U.S.-EU Relations
Sophia Dahodwala
In the wake of ISIL, climate change, Ebola, trade negotiation, elections in the European Union and United States, and new leadership in the European Commission, U.S.-EU cooperation comes at a time when partnership is more important than ever.
Challenges in Nuclear Verification: The IAEA’s Role on the Iranian Nuclear Issue
Marylin Carino
Yukiya Amano, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, spoke at the Brookings Institutions to discuss the challenges in verifying Iran’s nuclear program.
Getting the old band back together? A possible partnership between ISIS and al-Qaeda
Matt Suber
In 2013, the jihadist group ISI (Islamic State in Iraq) began tactical operations in Syria, taking advantage of the country’s civil war. Fighting in both Iraq and Syria, ISI became ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).
Reflections from a Veteran
Jon Breed
Veterans are unique members of American society. I believe this, not because veterans receive specialized combat training or make extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of this country. I believe this because, while serving in the military, volunteers from small country towns and big urban cities acquire new experiences and perspectives that most American’s go a lifetime without.
U.S. Military Medicine Drives Innovation and Affects Civilian and Ebola Patients
Jay Lopez
This is a Guest Post from Jay Lopez, President and CEO of Estill Medical Technologies. In this post, the topics of medical innovations on the battlefield, affects on civilian life, and the medical needs for Ebola patients are covered.
Optimism or Reality: US – China Cooperation on Shale Gas
Frauke Heidemann & Patrick Renz
This is the final post of a series on US – China strategic energy relations. Chinese investment in unconventional fossil fuels is aimed at China’s goal of restricting coal use and increasing domestic natural gas production. It also presents an opportunity for increasingly difficult Sino-US bilateral relations.
The U.S. – E.U. Partnership: Looking Ahead
Maggie Feldman-Piltch
The EU-US partnership has been integral in successfully addressing many of the most serious threats to peace, stability, and democracy across the globe in the two decades since its formalization.
Upcoming Events
Geography 2050: Mounting an Expedition to the Future
November 19
Location: Low Memorial Library, Columbia University, 2960 Broadway, Manhattan, NY 10027
The one-day inaugural event, to be held at Columbia’s Low Library in Manhattan, offers an opportunity for thought leaders in industry, government, the social sector, and academe to come together to think about collectively exploring the future, and to examine how geography, geographic thinking, and geospatial data and technologies will enable this new age of exploration.
FSC Event – Climate Change: Risks for National Security
November 19 @ 10:30AM – 12:00PM
Location: Florida Southern College, 111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr., Lakeland, FL 33801
Climate change is already a major concern for US military planners. Meanwhile, American politicians continue to ignore the issue of this growing threat. Join ASP at the University of Tampa on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 as we discuss this important issue.
ASP Conference: Electricity Supply: What it Means for Security, Developments and Geopolitics
November 19 @ 12:00PM – 4:30PM
1100 New York Avenue, NW – 7th Floor – West Tower
The nexus of electricity, development, and security is significant, yet its nuances are too often overlooked. The half-day event will bring together development and energy experts, government officials, and policy makers to better establish the important linkages between power, security, and development, share successful implementation strategies and consider how these successes can be replicated in diverse contexts.
ASP Conference – Pakistan: Aid, Trade, and Security
December 9 @ 12:00PM – 2:00PM
Location: TBA
Join ASP and FTI Consulting as we host an event that will discuss current conditions of economic aid, trade and security in Pakistan, and will feature experts of military and development backgrounds.
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