Center for Strategic Communication

BBG that runs Voice of America is structural mess, says former chair Glassman

Amar Mustikhan/Examiner

Glassman noted structural inefficiencies and advocated for a chief executive to run the affairs better.

Kenya: Top Shabaab Commander Killed in Kismayu Onslaught

Simon Ndonga/Capital FM (Nairobi) in AllAfrica

A “senior Al Shabaab commander” has been killed as Kenyan forces shell the Somali port city of Kismayu in preparation for a broader counterterrorism operation in the area.

Exclusive: China president-in-waiting signals quicker reform – sources

Chris Buckley/Reuters

China’s next president, Xi Jinping, has signaled that the country must embrace reform, including “faster economic liberalization but also a relaxation of political controls.”

Family Life According to the Brotherhood

Mona El-Naggar/NYT

Since the Brotherhood rose to power and one of its former leaders was elected president, much of the uncertainty over its social agenda has centered on its plans for women.

Pakistan attacks help unite Afghans

Heath Druzin/Stars and Stripes

Afghans are rallying around a common enemy – Pakistan – spurred largely by cross-border rocket attacks in northeast Afghanistan blamed on their neighbors.

Overview of General Fusion

Nextbigfuture.com

General Fusion is a Canadian-based fusion energy company. Back by venture capital, General Fusion is seeking to build a fusion reactor much faster and cheaper than many of the traditional fusion labs.

Canada closes embassy in Iran, expels Iranian diplomats

CBC News

Canada closes Iranian embassy, expels diplomats citing Iran’s support for the Assad regime in Syria and failure to comply with UN resolutions on its nuclear program, and its threats against Israel.

Employing soft power in the West

Yelena Chernenko/Kommersant

Rossutrudichestvo was called upon this week to take on the responsibility of conducting Russia’s soft power politics, which the Kremlin hopes will improve the image of the country abroad.

The Baffling Nexus of Climate Change and Health

Dylan Walsh/NYT

Meteorological and ecological shifts driven by climate change are creating a slow and often unpredictable bloom of novel public health challenges across the United States.

ASP Published Today:

A Look Back on Four Years of Energy and Climate Policy: Successes and Failures

Nicholas Cunningham

How did President Obama fare on energy and climate change policy over the last four years? He has achieved some significant victories, but failed in other areas.

On Our Flashpoint Blog:

Afghanistan still violent, candidates still silent

Joshua Foust

Without the vigorous debate the Afghanistan strategy demands, this war risks sliding into autopilot— a continuing saga of half-formed plans with an ill-defined end in sight. Though the Afghan war’s strategy is fundamentally flawed and suffers from a critical lack of long-term planning — neither candidate has been willing to put forward a new approach.

Converging Forces Factor Into Defense Strategy

William Chodkowski

The upcoming presidential campaign is likely to feature the issues of defense and foreign policy highlighted disproportionately by a single party. However, the domestic political portion is only one aspect of defense policy as it pertains to military operations abroad. Competing internal strategies among armed forces theorists, and public perceptions of the U.S. military abroad also play significant roles.

Wake up call from the Arctic

Martin Bee

The Arctic ice cap is the smallest it has ever been since satellite observation began. While this will result in short term economic gains for the United States, it could also mean that severe climate change is a lot closer than previously thought.

 

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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