Center for Strategic Communication

Breaking Out of Abu Ghraib

Jon Lee Anderson / The New Yorker

Abu Ghraib, again. The notorious prison, on the outskirts of Baghdad, is back in the news, with Al Qaeda’s spectacular breakout of more than five hundred of its members who had been imprisoned there. This is not the first time that its doors have been opened in a manner that is more of a threat than a reprieve.

The Five most important names in renewable energy that you’ve never heard of

Bill White / Grist

Moeller, Norris, LaFleur, Clark, and Binz (if he is confirmed). These are the chief electricity officers of the United States of America — they are the commissioners of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

World Energy Consumption to Increase 56% by 2040 Led by Asia

Moming Zhou / Bloomberg

World energy consumption will rise 56 percent in the next three decades, driven by growth in developing countries such as China and India, the Energy Information Administration said.

US to host Israeli-Palestinian talks

Aljazeera

Israeli and Palestinian teams are heading to Washington for preliminary talks towards a formal re-opening of negotiations after years of stalemate, but both sides are emphasizing that many obstacles stand between them and a final deal.

U.S. Spends $24 Million On ‘Propaganda Plane’ Few Can See or Hear

John Hudson / Foreign Policy

For the last six years, the U.S. government has spent more than $24 million to fly a plane around Cuba and beam American-sponsored TV programming to the island’s inhabitants. But every day the plane flies, the government in Havana jams its broadcast signal.

Obama’s Big Pitch for Infrastructure Falls Short

Eric Pianin and Brianna Ehley / The Fiscal Times

Since the darkest days of the financial crisis, President Obama has portrayed spending on bridges, roads, waterways, schools and other forms of infrastructure as a silver bullet that could help the nation out of its worst economic woes.

Grumbling All Around After Solar Panel Deal

Keith Bradsher / Global Business

China’s victory over the weekend in its solar panel dispute with the European Commission has exposed glaring gaps in European unity on trade issues. And it casts a harsh light on the prospects for the United States and Europe to cooperate on trade policy.

North Korea to put captured US spy ship on display

Eric Talmadge / AP

With a fresh coat of paint and a new home along the Pothong River, the USS Pueblo, a spy ship seized off North Korea’s east coast in the late 1960s, is expected to be unveiled this week as the centerpiece of a renovated war museum to commemorate what North Korea calls “Victory Day.”

On Our Flashpoint Blog

BPC Event on Geopolitics of Shale Gas
Nicholas Cunningham
On July 25th, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted its second installment of its ongoing series on unconventional oil and gas developments in the U.S. The first was on the geopolitical implications of the tight oil boom, and this second event covered the geopolitical implications of the surge in U.S. shale gas production – something that ASP has written extensively on.

Forecasting the Future: EIA’s International Energy Outlook to 2040
Warren Dym
On July 25th the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted the administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Adam Sieminski, on the occasion of the 2013 International Energy Outlook (IEO2013) release. The report contains forecasts of world energy demand by region and energy source, electricity generation by energy source, and CO2 emissions by energy source to 2040, among other critical issues.

Chasing the Prize: The Role of Incentivized Competition in Innovation
Rory Johnston
Rory Johnston examines SAFE’s Energy Security Prize; a grant awarded to three readily deployable oil dependence-reducing technologies each year.

ASP in the News

ASP CEO BGen Quoted in Breaking Energy

Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.) was quoted in an article in Breaking Energy about the connection between climate change and national security.

Adjunct Fellow Dan Grant Writes an Op-Ed on TTIP for “The Hill”
ASP Adjunct Fellow Dan Grant recently published a blog for “The Hill” on the impact of the “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on China.

ASP’s BGen Steve Cheney Op-Ed published on eSharp – ‘Trade agreement will enhance national security’
Earlier this month, representatives from the United States and European Union began the start of what both sides hope will be the largest trade deal in history. This Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a comprehensive trade deal that will attempt to eliminate trade barriers between the two economic superpowers.  The United States and Europe hope to have the deal completed by the end of 2014.

ASP’s Event on Port Security Featured in Maritime Reporter Op-Ed
An op-ed piece published in the July edition of Maritime Reporter by Joan M. Bondareff and Patricia O’Neill quoted analysis provided by ASP’s May panel on the threat of nuclear terrorism and port security. The article argued for increased investment in port security and infrastructure, quoting ASP panelists Dr. Stephen Flynn, David Waller, and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Jay Cohen as they discussed the ease in which terrorists could smuggle a nuclear device undetected into American ports.

ASP’s Andrew Holland Quoted in Law360
ASP’s Andrew Holland offered his take on the recent selection of Adm. McGinn to lead the Navy’s energy efficiency efforts.

ASP Board Member Norman Augustine and American Competitiveness Principles Quoted by National Defense Magazine
The National Defense Magazine recently published an article reviewing ASP’s American Competitiveness Day Panel Discussion. The article quotes Dr. Michael Porter and Dr. Jan Rivkin of the Harvard Business School as well as ASP Board Member Mr. Norman R. Augustine.

Upcoming Events

Yemen’s Political Transition and National Dialogue: Progress and Challenges

Yemen is currently in a historic period of political transition following the 2011 revolution and the end of former President Saleh’s regime. At the mid-point of its National Dialogue process, Yemen faces many challenges. Please join us on Tuesday, July 30th from 12:00 until 1:00pm at 1100 New York Ave, 7th Floor West Tower. Lunch refreshments will be served between 11:30am and 12:00pm. If you wish to attend, please RSVP by July 28th to: events@americansecurityproject.org.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Implications for Global Security & Western-Chinese Relations.

How will a free trade zone with unified standards that comprises nearly half of the world’s GDP affect China? Is this the beginning of an economic cold war between East and West? Or is it an opportunity for establishing standards that will become globally recognized? Join us for a panel discussion on the implications of the TTIP on Wednesday, July 31st from 8:30 until 9:30 am. Location: 1100 New York Avenue, NW 7th Floor West. Breakfast refreshments will be served from 8:00 until 8:30 am. If you wish to attend, please RSVP by July 29th to: events@americansecurityproject.org