8 November 2012
Red Cross says it ‘can’t cope’ with with Syria emergency
BBC News/ Middle East
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) — the only international aid agency able to operate within Syria — has said it cannot keep up with the deteriorating situation inside the country. The nature of the conflict makes it difficult for the ICRC to plan its operations and reach victims.
China’s Hu says graft threatens state, party must stay in charge
Sui-Lee Wee and Ben Blanchard / Reuters
Outgoing Chinese President Hu Jintao warned the country’s new leaders that graft threatens the ruling Communist Party, saying that “combating corruption and promoting political integrity” must be a commitment of the new leadership.
S. Korean candidates offer Pyongyang talks
Simon Mundy / Financial Times
Two of South Korea’s leading presidential candidates on Thursday promised to overhaul relations with North Korea if elected in December, and to aim for a renewal of top-level talks.
Iran not ruling out nuclear talks with US but in no hurry
Asia One News / AFP
Iran, reeling from international sanctions over its nuclear programme and facing four more years with Barak Obama as leader of arch-enemy the United Sates, does not rule out direct talks with Washington but says they will not come overnight.
Obama Must Mend Divided Country, Seek Realistic Energy Policy
Andres Cala/Energy Tribune
It looks as if the U.S. may be uniting around an increasingly realistic view of the health, environmental and climate costs of burning coal. Add in the economic forces acting against coal at a time of low natural-gas prices, and there’s reason to think policy makers might now be encouraged to enact a tax on carbon emissions as part of a broader tax-reform package to help reduce the deficit.
Exports will be next divisive U.S. oil tangle
Ayesha Rascoe/Reuters
After decades when the concept of energy independence seemed a pipe dream, the river of oil flowing from shale formations in North Dakota and Texas is reshaping U.S. energy policy. With oil and gas output increasing, the United States is quickly entering an era where it will have to decide how to manage its newfound energy wealth.
Harsher energy regulations seen in Obama’s second term
Nichola Groom and Braden Reddall / Reuters
Energy producers braced for tighter regulation in President Barack Obama’s second term, with coal companies expecting more emissions restrictions and drillers anticipating less access to federal land even as his platform promotes energy independence.
Reid on climate change: ‘I hope we can address it’
Ben Geman / The Hill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday that he hopes the Senate will act to address climate change. But he didn’t say how.
After Obama win, U.S. backs new U.N. arms treaty talks
Louis Charbonneau/Reuters
Hours after U.S. President Barack Obama was re-elected, the United States backed a U.N. committee’s call on Wednesday to renew debate over a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade. The month-long talks at U.N. headquarters broke off in July.
Europe Cannot do Soft Power
Judy Dempsey / Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Any doubts you might have harbored about the effectiveness of the EU’s soft power have been confirmed by a devastating report by the European Court of Auditors. The detailed report, published last week, gives a blow-by-blow account of the EU’s failure in Kosovo.
Laser lab shifts focus to warheads
Geoff Brumfiel / Nature
After an unsuccessful campaign to demonstrate the principles of a futuristic fusion power plant, the world’s most powerful laser facility is set to change course and emphasize its nuclear weapons research.
ASP In the News
ASP Board Member Christine Todd Whitman Featured in NY Times
Former Governor of New Jersey and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman discussed the importance of climate change for President Obama’s second term.
Nick Cunningham Featured in E!Sharp
Nick Cunningham wrote an article for E!Sharp, an online publication based in Europe, discussing Russia’s waning power over European energy
ASP Published Today
Fact Sheet – The United States Information Agency
William Chodkowski
The United States Information Agency (USIA) ran America’s public diplomacy efforts from 1953 until it was disbanded in 1999. This fact sheet takes a look at some of these issues, telling a brief history of the program and how public diplomacy is operated today.
Climate Security Report 2012
Andrew Holland and Catherine Foley
One of the most significant challenges to the global security system in the 21st Century will be a changing climate; the effects of these changes are already being felt all over the world. Climate change poses a clear and present danger to the United States through its effects on our global allies as well as its direct effects on our agriculture, infrastructure, economy and public health.
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