Nigeria Loses Billions to Inefficiencies in Oil Sector – Watchdog
Sarah Kent / The Wall Street Journal
Nigeria lost billions of dollars as a result of inefficiency and poor management in its oil sector between 2009 and 2011, the country’s extractive-industry transparency watchdog said Monday.
Pakistan Jailbreak: Taliban Free 248 in Dera Ismail Khan
BBC
Militants armed with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and bombs blasted down the walls of the jail in the town of Dera Ismail Khan and streamed inside, reports said …The attack was similar to an assault on a prison in nearby Bannu in April last year, in which almost 400 prisoners were freed.
Mamnoon Hussain Elected as New President of Pakistan
The Guardian
Mamnoon Hussain, a veteran Pakistani politician and trusted ally of prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been elected president, in a vote by legislators. Hussain, 73, will be sworn in on 9 September at the presidential palace due to be vacated by Asif Ali Zardari, who is stepping down at the end of his five-year term.
Moniz Touts CO2 Capture, Says Coal in “our Energy Future for Decades”
Ari Natter / Bloomberg
Coal and other fossil fuels will be “a major part of our energy future for decades,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said July 29 during a speech in which he said research on the development of clean coal technologies is needed to combat climate change.
Obama to Propose ‘Grand Bargain’ on Corporate Tax Rate, Infrastructure
Steve Holland / Reuters
President Barack Obama will propose a “grand bargain for middle-class jobs” on Tuesday that would cut the U.S. corporate tax rate and use billions in revenues generated by a business tax overhaul to fund projects aimed at creating jobs.
Robert Kunzig / National Geographic
In his book Storms of my Grandchildren, noted climate scientist James Hansen issued the following warning: “[I]f we burn all reserves of oil, gas, and coal, there is a substantial chance we will initiate the runaway greenhouse. If we also burn the tar sands and tar shale, I believe the Venus syndrome is a dead certainty.”
Study: Sea-Level Rise Threatens 1,400 U.S. Cities
Wendy Koch / USA Today
A rise in sea levels threatens the viability of more than 1,400 cities and towns, including Miami, Virginia Beach and Jacksonville, unless there are deep cuts in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, says an analysis out Monday.
U.S. Deploying Jets Around Asia to Keep China Surrounded
John Reed / Foreign Policy
The United States Air Force will dramatically expand its military presence across the Pacific this year, sending jets to Thailand, India, Singapore, and Australia, according to the service’s top general in the region.
ASP Recent Publications
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Exporting Public Diplomacy to Egypt
Christian Mull
What are the barriers to U.S. public diplomacy in Egypt?
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.
Chasing the Prize: The Role of Incentivized Competition in Innovation
Rory Johnston
There is something about competing for a prize that drives people to do previously unthinkable things. Enter SAFE’s Energy Security Prize.
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. Entergy Information Administration (EIA), Adam Sieminski, on the occasion of the 2013 International Energy Outlook (IEO2013) release.
Upcoming Events
A new US-EU trade agreement may have significant implications on the national security and Western-Chinese relations. Join us for a fact-based discussion regarding the TTIP.
Breakfast refreshments will be served from 8:00 until 8:30. The discussion will begin promptly at 8:30.
