Budget cuts threaten pursuit of nuclear fusion as a clean energy source

Brian Vastag / The Washington Post

Already, the United States has cut way back on investment in fusion. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Energy Department spent about three times more than it does now.

Arab Spring provided new breeding ground for British terrorists – spy chief

Tom Whitehead / Telegraph

The Arab Spring has spawned a new generation of British-born terrorists after al-Qaeda lured dozens of would-be bombers abroad to train for possible attacks on the UK, the head of MI5 warned.

Top NATO general to raise Haqqani attacks with Pakistan

Rob Taylor/ Reuters

In his trip to Pakistan, US General John Allen, NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan, will review border coordination with General Ashfaq Kayani after recent cross-border activity by Haqqani militants including several attacks in Kabul.

Assad Supporters Suspected in New Beirut Incidents

Rod Nordland / New York Times

Angered by the arrest of a man who firebombed the offices of a local television station, supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad set up roadblocks in downtown Beirut, causing Lebanon to worry it will be dragged into its neighbor’s conflict.

Russia and US discuss nuclear cooperation plans

The Associated Press

The U. S. deputy energy secretary says the United States and Russia are planning to enhance cooperation in nuclear reactor design, while maintaining joint efforts to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands.

US, China hold fifth round of security dialogue

Lalit K Jha / PTI News

After a gap of more than four years, the US and China held the fifth round of security dialogue during which the two sides discussed about arms control, non-proliferation, disarmament and other international security issues.

Debate Over Missile Defense Interceptors Gets Testy

National Defense Magazine

The debate over whether a missile defense system the Obama administration plans to deploy in Europe will actually work got testy as a senior State Department official squared off with a leading critic of the program during a panel discussion June 25.

Rio+20: What does the Earth Summit’s outcome mean for climate change?

John Parnell / RTCC

The outcome document of the United Nation’s Rio+20 conference indicates a growing awareness among global politicians that climate change is a real and present threat. With no binding agreements to reduce emissions, though, the question of whether concrete progress will be made remains.

On Our Flashpoint Blog

It’s Time for Magnetic Fusion to Have a Seat at the Energy Table

Matthew Baker

A combination of public and private partnerships could make fusion the solution to some of the greatest challenges of the 21st. It is vital that we make fusion part of the public energy discourse.

Egypt: the will of the people honored, but military still firmly in control

Ashley Boyle

In what many considered a surprising turn of events, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood was confirmed as Egypt’s President-elect on Sunday. The confirmation of Morsi’s win is a milestone – however ambiguous – in what has so far been a tenuous democratic transition in Egypt.

Algae Biofuel: A Promising Alternative Fuel

Robert Gardner

Algae-based biofuel has emerged at the forefront of alternative fuel options. Recent breakthroughs in algae production technology have improved algae’s promise as an economical and environmentally beneficial alternative fuel

Washington Post: “Budget cuts threaten pursuit of nuclear fusion as a clean energy source”

Andrew Holland

This is a subject that ASP has been following closely since the budget was first released in February, when BGen Stephen A. Cheney USMC (Ret.) , ASP’s CEO, wrote that we were “shocked and appalled that the Administration’s budget for the Department of Energy cuts crucial funding for fusion energy sciences.”

Law of the Sea Treaty: A Compilation of Opinion-Editorials

Lauren Haigler

A compilation of recent opinion-editorials supporting the ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty. They show the wide-ranging and bipartisan support for the treaty.

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.

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