Positive Spin? Some messages from military not entirely accurate
Heath Druzin / Stars and Stripes
Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander of the NATO-led international military force in Afghanistan, speaks at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan during a March ceremony marking the handover of a prison from American to Afghan control.
In Iran Race, All 8 Candidates Toe Hard Line on Nuclear Might
Thomas Erdbrink / New York Times
TEHRAN — A group of chador-wearing female supporters of Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, cheered wildly when he entered a packed conference hall during a campaign stop at Tehran University last week.
Special Report: Iran, the United States and ‘the cup of poison’
Louis Charbonneau and Parisa Hafezi / Reuters
Five months ago Iran’s foreign minister sent an unusual letter to the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was time, Ali Akbar Salehi wrote according to two sources who read the letter, to reach out to Tehran’s arch foe by entering into “broad discussions with the United States.”
Turkish Police Retake Square Amid Clashes
Selcan Hacaoglu and Ben Holland / Bloomberg
Turkish protesters urged people to return to Taksim Square this evening, after they were driven out by police last night.
Obama Quietly Raises ‘Carbon Price’ as Costs to Climate Increase
Mark Drajem / Bloomberg
Buried in a little-noticed rule on microwave ovens is a change in the U.S. government’s accounting for carbon emissions that could have wide-ranging implications for everything from power plants to the Keystone XL pipeline.
Giving up Tuna? Breathing Is Next
Mark Bittman / New York Times
If you’re like most people (including me, up until a month or two ago), you know that tuna and other top-of-the-food-chain fish contain unsafe levels of mercury and that childbirth-age women and nursing mothers, especially, are warned off these fish.
Mayor Bloomberg Unveils Plan to Save New York from Climate Change
Agence France-Presse / The Raw Story
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has unveiled a $19.5 billion plan to boost the city’s defenses against climate change, seven months after superstorm Sandy devastated the US East Coast.
U.S. and China Move Closer on North Korea, but Not on Cyberespionage
Jackie Calmes and Steven Lee Myers / The New York Times
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Even as they pledged to build “a new model” of relations, President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China ended two days of informal meetings here on Saturday moving closer on pressuring a nuclear North Korea and addressing climate change, but remaining sharply divided over cyberespionage and other issues that have divided the countries for years.
Pentagon Missile Defense Brass Frown on East Coast Interceptor Sites
Paul Mcleary / Defense News
WASHINGTON — The nation’s two top military officers leading the US missile defense enterprise replied to a letter from Sen. Carl Levin today, telling him that there is “no validated military requirement” for a proposed East Coast missile defense site as some on Capitol Hill have proposed.
Seoul rolls up red carpet for scrapped talks with North Korea but rivals may try again
Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea dismantled the meeting table, pulled down the placards and rolled up the red carpet. Its intended guest, North Korea, has stopped answering the phone.
On our flashpoint blog
Prompt Global Strike: Strategic Considerations and Interpretations
In pursuit of U.S. aims against non-state actors at the outset of the War on Terror, in 2006 the Defense Department identified the ability to strike anywhere on Earth in under a hour’s notice as a necessary military capability and called the concept Prompt Global Strike (PGS). However, recent advances in hypersonic technology pose real questions about how PGS could affect our strategic planning and the strategic planning of other nations.
ASP Podcast- Developments in Nuclear Security
This week we discuss the latest developments on nuclear security, including the latest on Iran and North Korea, plus the structure of the U.S. cold-war arsenal, relations with Russia and the defense budget process.
The Carbon Bubble: What We Know and Why You Should Care
The world’s financial markets are carrying a “carbon bubble”; governments and industry need to acknowledge its existence and prepare for the future.
Corporate Tax Reform: Is Territorial the Solution?
Corporate tax reform must begin with lowering the rate and eliminating deferrals. Should a territorial tax system be the next step?
Upcoming Events
The Future of Stability Operations: Lessons from Afghanistan
Monday, June 17th from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. Location: 110 New York Avenue, 7th Floor West Tower. The international community has learned a great deal about how to conduct stability operations in the last 12 years. Join us for a fact-based discussion with leading experts on stability operations.
North Koran Nuclear, Missile, and Space Programs: Imagery Brief Policy with Joel Wit
Tuesday, June 25th from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm. Location: 110 New York Avenue, 7th Floor West Tower. Join us for a lunchtime discussion with Visiting Scholar and former State Department official Joel Wit as he describes current North Korean nuclear, missile, and space programs using imagery slides. Mr. Wit will give his views on the policy options for dealing with this difficult and dangerous nation.
Redefining US energy Security for the 21st Century- New York Energy Week
Tuesday, June 25 from 4:15 until 5:30pm. 300 Madison Ave, New York, NY. With the United States in the midst of an oil and natural gas boom, long-held concerns about energy security are giving way to bold predictions of energy independence and diminishing concerns about climate change. These trends raise important questions for business leaders and policymakers alike. Join us as we explore them with some of the nation’s foremost national security experts.
