Event Invite:  The 2012 Climate Security Report Launch

  

SANDY GAINS POWER AND AIMS FOR NORTHEAST

JENNIFER PELTZ and ALLEN G. BREED / AP

A fast-strengthening Hurricane Sandy churned north Monday, raking ghost-town cities along the Northeast corridor with rain and wind gusts. Subways and schools were closed across the region of 50 million people, the floor of the New York Stock Exchange was deserted, and thousands fled inland to await the storm’s fury 

GERMAN OFFICIAL: RENEWABLE ENERGY BEATS FORECASTS

JUERGEN BAETZ / ASSOCIATED PRESS

The production of renewable energies in Germany is expected to grow faster than the government’s forecast and account for almost half of the country’s electricity within a decade, a top official said Monday

Lithuania president vetoes coalition in vote fraud row

Patrick Lannin and Andrius Sytas /Reuters

Lithuania’s president on Monday vetoed a proposed coalition government, saying one of the three parties involved stood accused of serious voter fraud in a weekend election and was therefore unfit to govern.

BEIJING REPORT SAYS CHINESE MUSLIMS ARE IN SYRIA

CHRISTOPHER BODEEN  / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chinese Muslim separatists from the northwest region of Xinjiang are battling Syrian government forces alongside al-Qaida and other extremist groups, an official Chinese newspaper reported Monday.

The #Frankenstorm in Climate Context

Andrew Revkin / The New York Times Dot Earth Blog

While it’s difficult to pin any one extreme weather event on climate change, Hurricane Sandy is consistent with what scientists are predicting for climate change.

Frankenstorm: Has Climate Change Created A Monster?

Adam Frank / NPR

Scientists avoid attributing specific weather events to climate change. What’s more, attributing specific hurricanes to climate change is especially difficult to do.

Nuclear terror threat goes ‘POOF’

Micah Zenko and Michael Levi/USA Today

The threat of nuclear terrorism has diminished markedly over the past decade, but it has not been eliminated. The next U.S. president will still face a vital challenge that he cannot ignore.

Iran hopes to resist sanctions by boosting production

Jason Rezaian/Washington Post

With an economy struggling through some of the most punishing economic sanctions in history, Iran is looking inward to meet its basic needs while attempting to change the consumption habits of a society accustomed to enjoying a range of foreign products.

Pressure builds on Algeria over Mali

Al Jazeera

Any military intervention in Mali’s norther region requires the support of Algeria, the region’s largest military power.  French and US officials are appealing to Algeria for assistance; however, analysts believe the country “fears that military involvement could backfire.”

Western monitors decry Ukraine election

Will Englund/Washington Post

Observers from the OSCE have called Ukraine’s recent parliamentary elections a “disappointment” citing problems in campaign conduct and a lack of transparency in poll calculations, among other issues.

Iran naval task force ‘docks in Sudan’

BBC News – Africa

An Iranian “naval task force” has docked in Sudan with a “message of peace and security.”  The visit comes several days after an explosion at a Khartoum arms factory, which Sudan has blamed on Israel.

 

ASP Report

Critical Energy Choices for the Next Administration

ASP’s report, “Critical Energy Choices for the Next Administration” takes an in-depth look at the serious issues the next administration will need to address.

 

On our Blog

Holland: “Frankenstorm” or “S’noreasticane” threatens Washington and New York

A Frankenstorm following an unprecedented track threatens the east coast of the United States.

Freear : Should the United States worry about the youth of Somalia?

The new threats issued by this week from Harakat al Shabaab al Mujahideen, the Movement of Striving Youth in Arabic, include a reference to the United States. Although they are mostly directed at the United Kingdom, they pose an interesting question for American national security analysts: where is the al Qaeda-allied Islamic movement in Somalia going next?

Boers: CTBTO elects Lassina Zerbo as its new head

After several rounds of voting, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) elected Lassina Zerbo, a geophysicist from Burkina Faso, as its head.  Given Zerbo’s recent election, the case for CTBT ratification should be reiterated.

Chodkowski Nacrotrafficking in Afghanistan and Mexico: Parallel Lessons?

The American effort to set up de facto governance and defeat insurgency largely funded by narcotrafficking in Afghanistan has failed thus far. Parallel lessons can be drawn and policy responses should address the necessity for a stable and legitimate Mexican state resilient to the influence of powerful drug cartels.