| 18 September 2012 |
Russia writes off 90 percent of North Korea’s debt
Maya Dyakina and Lidia Kelly/Reuters
Russia has agreed to write off up to 90 percent of North Korea’s $11 billion debt and will instead reinvest the money in infrastructure and development efforts. The write off is seen as an act of forgiveness and a move to establish stronger ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Thousands flee as Somali forces advance on Kismayo
BBC News – Africa
Over 1,000 civilians a day are fleeing Kismayo ahead of military operations by Somali government forces and African Union troops to clear the port city of Al Shabab militants.
E.U. Looks to Rekindle Iran Nuclear Talks
Vanessa Mock and Laurence Norman/Wall Street Journal
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, plans to meet with Iran’s chief negotiator in Istanbul Tuesday in a bid to give new impetus to the virtually stalled talks with Tehran over its nuclear program, her office announced.
Pakistan Supreme Court gains edge over government in graft case
Aisha Chowdhry / Reuters
Pakistan’s increasingly assertive Supreme Court appeared to have gained the upper hand in a standoff with the government on Tuesday after the prime minister indicated he might be willing to re-open corruption cases against the president.
Is China’s New Stealth Fighter Headed to Sea?
David Axe / Wired
The U.S. knows very little about China’s newest stealth fighter prototype, the Shenyang J-21. But the just-released photographs of the Chinese jet reveal it to have a barely noticeable but key detail — one that suggests the jet might be hauled by China’s future fleet of aircraft carriers.
Norway Oil Rush Turns to Fool’s Gold for Closing Towns
Josiane Kremer / Bloomberg
For the town of Glomfjord in Norway’s Arctic, the country’s oil boom has turned into a curse. Unemployment has more than doubled, people are moving out, and schools now risk being shut after solar-energy component maker Renewable Energy Corp. (REC) ASA closed a 200-person plant in March before moving production abroad to cut costs.
Natural Gas: Putting the Pedal to the Metal
Harold Sirkin / Business Week
The coming U.S. energy boom, spearheaded by new technologies that have enabled us to recover vast amounts of previously inaccessible oil and natural gas from rock formations, will be important for several reasons, not least the nation’s competitive advantage in the global economy.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Key National Security and Business Experts Support Ratification of Law of the Sea
Last month several national security and business experts spoke at the Arctic Imperative Summit. The Arctic Imperative Summit included provocative discussions by influential stakeholders, investor roundtables and original research focusing on infrastructure development, policy needs and economic opportunities in the Alaskan Arctic.
The Nuke Review, September 10 – September 17
Mitchell Freddura
Last Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that “Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel.”
Baker on the need to ratify Law of the Sea
Last month, former Secretary of State Jim Baker gave a wide ranging speech at the Arctic Imperative Summit. During the speech, entitled “The U.S.-Russian Relationship Vis-à-vis the Arctic Circle”, he spoke about the pending ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty.
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For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org
