Who Cares How Many Women Are in Parliament?

Joshua Foust and Melinda Hering/Foreign Policy

Gender equality in government is important, but it’s not the primary variable in ensuring true representation.  Assuming that female representation indicates greater political freedom is sloppy thinking of the kind that has too often skewed the priorities and undermined the promise of the development community.

Saudi jails al Qaeda-linked group for U.S. forces plot

Reuters

A Saudi court has sentenced 11 men to up to 15 years in prison for membership of a cell linked to al Qaeda that planned to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait and state-owned Saudi oil giant Aramco, Saudi media reported on Wednesday.

Insight: As Congress looks away, U.S. tiptoes toward exporting a gas bounty

Ayesha Rascoe and Emily Stephenson/Reuters

In a bitterly divided U.S. political environment, there’s at least one thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on: Avoid a public showdown on natural gas exports, arguably the most important energy policy decision in recent memory.

Second-Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Second Successful Intercept Flight Test

Press Release / Missile Defense Agency

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors in the USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the intercept of a separating ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by the Navy’s newest missile defense interceptor missile, the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B.

Indian Navy to complete nuclear triad

World Defense Review

With the Navy poised to attain a retaliatory nuclear strike capability, India will soon have a “credible and invulnerable” deterrent nuclear triad in place, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said.

Putin calls for Middle East tolerance

UPI

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for tolerance between Israel and Palestine at the opening of a Russian cultural center Tuesday in Bethlehem.

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

Climate Change Policy: A Nearsighted Failure

Carl Grote

The negative impacts of climate change are well understood and have shown themselves with increasing frequency. Policy makers must look beyond the current costs of climate legislation, and recognize the long term benefits of a more secure climate.

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.

LOTS for America

Stephen Cheney

The facts of the Law of the Sea as it would apply to the military simply cannot be overlooked any longer: this is a treaty that bolsters military strength holistically. As General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, argues: “Under the Law of the Sea Convention we can be both strong through our physical presence [and] with force when necessary, and smart [by leveraging] law to mitigate the need for physical assertion.”

Limitations of Hard Power in the Pacific

Zachary Miller

Earlier this year, the Obama administration outlined a strategy for military rebalancing in Asia in order to provide a strategic military presence and enhanced cooperation with regional allies. In a time of fiscal uncertainty for the Defense Department, the United States must utilize all other forms of instruments to achieve favorable outcomes in Asia.

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