N. Korea arms dealers named in UN sanctions resolution

AFP

The UN Security Council will add two top North Korean arms dealers to a sanctions list following the country’s nuclear test last month, according to a copy of a US-China draft resolution obtained by AFP on Wednesday.

 Obama’s Nuclear Future

Joseph Cirincione / Foreign Affairs

Opinion-The author argues after two years of making steady progress in reducing the nuclear risks to the United States, President Barack Obama stalled in those efforts in the second half of his first term. Recent speeches and press reports indicate, however, that he is trying to revive the endeavor. With a new national security team in place, an emerging consensus forming around the need to reshape the nuclear arsenal, and budget realities forcing a reassessment of the size of the U.S. stockpile, Obama may well be positioned for success.

US takes its diplomacy digital

Global Post

When John Kerry took to Twitter on his first day as US secretary of state, he joined an army of diplomats using social media to reach out and connect directly with people around the world.

Australia links ‘angry summer’ to climate change – at last

Jessica Aldred / The Guardian

Government advisers unequivocally link the country’s extreme weather and global warming, and say the worst is yet to come.

Report: Most Insurers not prepared for climate change

Wendy Koch / USA Today

Are insurers ready for the risks posed by climate change? New study finds most aren’t fully prepared, but the industry says it can handle claims.

Climate Change: The Secret Inflamer of the Arab Spring

Tim McDonnell / The Atlantic Cities

In October 2010, just months before a Tunisian street vendor self-immolated and sparked what would become the Arab Spring, a prolonged drought was turning Syria’s verdant farmland into dust. By last month, more than 70,000 Syrians, mostly civilians, had been killed in the brutal and ongoing conflict between President Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorial regime and a coalition of opposition forces; just today, the UN announced that over one million refugees fled the country in the last two years.

Cleaning up

The Economist

A striking new report finds that China is a net importer of clean technology from America. The two countries traded about $6.5 billion in solar, wind and smart-grid technology and services in 2011—and America sold $1.63 billion more of such kit to China than it imported from there.

Crowdfunding Clean Energy

David Bornstein / The New York Times

A generation and a half after the first Earth Day, we may be witnessing the coming of age of solar power.

ASP Published Today

UN Imposes Additions North Korea Sanctions

The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions against North Korea in response to last month’s nuclear test. The sanctions, intended to hinder North Korea’s weapons programs, impose financial and travel restrictions on diplomats and individuals associated with the DPRK military.

On Our Flashpoint Blog

Living with uncertainty in the defense industry

August Cole

The defense budget can be cut responsibly, but sequester is not the right way to do it. A strategic approach to funding the military is needed now more than ever, even if it is increasingly difficult to take this long-term approach given the near-term political fights.

Fusion: Power, Water, Food, Soon!

Lockheed Martin is well known for their ability to keep projects top secret. However, Senior Program Manager Charles Chase has created a video presentation revealing a new project that Lockheed Martin is particularly proud of that could rid the world of its many problems such as global warming, and food and water shortages