23 September 2013
Yuliya Chernova / Wall Street Journal
Electric cars still only make up a small percentage of U.S. vehicles, but their sales nearly tripled in 2012 and are likely to double this year.
High-Level U.S.-Iran Meeting to Take Place
Laurence Norman / Wall Street Journal
Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and counterparts from five other countries on Thursday to negotiate containing Iranian nuclear policy. This will be the highest-level face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Nairobi Westgate attack: Assault begins to break siege
BBC
Two days after militants went on a rampage in the Westgate shopping center in Nairobi, Kenyan security forces have launched an assault to break the siege. The attack by suspected al-Shabab militants has already left 62 dead and over 170 injured, with at least 40 people still believed to be trapped in the building.
Germany’s Christian Democratic Union secures historic third term
Philip Oltermann and Kate Connolly / The Guardian
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, were re-elected over the weekend, just five seats short of a majority with 41.5% of the vote.
Joseph Charlton / Independent
Typhoon Usagi hit the southern Chinese province of Guangdong over the weekend, narrowly missing Hong Kong, and killed at least 25 people.
Egypt Takes Further Action Against Muslim Brotherhood
BBC
The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters in Egypt has banned “all activities” by the Muslim Brotherhood, including the movement itself, its non-governmental organizations, and any affiliated group. It also ordered the interim government to seize the Brotherhood’s funds and form a panel to administer its frozen assets until any appeal had been heard.
ASP Recent Publications
The Arctic: Five Critical Security Challenges
The Arctic is the “last frontier.” Due to climate change, melting sea ice is opening up the Arctic as never before to human exploration.
Upcoming ASP Events
Bangladesh at a Crossroads: A Political and Security Outlook
ASP and Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies are hosting an event on October 1st to discuss security issues of Bangladesh and the stability of the wider South Asian region.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
The Future of the 21st Century Nuclear Warfare in the DoD
Joshua Miller
The Department of Defense needs to take a more realistic approach to the procurement of nuclear weapons in light of the fiscal constraints sequestration has imposed on our security structure.
Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing on the Administration’s Climate Change Policies and Activities
Farhad Mirzadeh
The Energy and Commerce Committee had a hearing on the Obama Administration’s climate change policies and activities.
Food Security: A Catastrophe Mitigator
Aaron Haubert
Food security is the most devastating consequence of climate change. Innovation can increase yields and food systems can become more efficient, but no amount of determination or will power will overcome the biological imperative to eat.
Food (In)Security – Hungry for Change
Farhad Mirzadeh
Climate change has the potential to create food shortages that can have international consequences.
EPA Targets Coal Power Plant Emissions
Farhad Mirzadeh
The EPA announced new rules that would require new gas-fired plants to emit lower levels of carbon dioxide.
ASP in the News
American Security Project cited Cal Thomas: Wrong on Climate Change
The American Security Project was recently cited in a RealClearPolicy article titled “Cal Thomas: Wrong on Climate Change,” which takes a look at the evidence of climate change and the implications for our national security strategy.
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