Iran Nuclear Talks End with Agreement on Outstanding Issues-Iran State TV
Ankara / Reuters
Iran’s talks with the European Union have ended with an agreement over outstanding issues about the practical details of implementing a nuclear agreement, Iranian state television reported on Friday.
Exclusive: Iran, Russia Negotiating Big Oil-for-Goods Deal
Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi / Reuters
Iran and Russia are negotiating an oil-for-goods swap worth $1.5 billion a month that would let Iran lift oil exports substantially, in defiance of Western sanctions that helped force Tehran to agree a preliminary deal to end its nuclear program.
The National Ignition Facility
The Atlantic
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center about 50 miles east of San Francisco, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are trying to achieve self-sustaining nuclear fusion — in other words, to create a miniature star on Earth.
Japan’s Nuclear Crossroads: Restart the Reactors?
Michael Okwu / Aljazeera America
Nearly three years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, there’s a feeling that some nuclear reactors may be forced to come back online.
Egypt: El-Sissi Seeks Mandate from Vote on Charter
Hamza Hendawi / Associated Press
Egypt’s military chief is looking for a strong turnout in next week’s constitutional referendum as a mandate to run for president. But the popular general who ousted President Mohammed Morsi and ordered a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood could be disappointed: His Islamist foes have promised a boycott and mass demonstrations aimed at keeping voters at home.
Activists: Nearly 500 Dead in Syria Rebel Clashes
Ryan Lucas / Associated Press
Rebel-on-rebel fighting between an al-Qaida-linked group and an array of more moderate and ultraconservative Islamists has killed nearly 500 people over the past week in northern Syria, an activist group said Friday, in the most serious bout of violence among opponents of President Bashar Assad since the civil war began.
Syria Militants Said to Recruit Visiting Americans to Attack U.S.
Michael S. Schmidt and Eric Schmidt / New York Times
Islamic extremist groups in Syria with ties to Al Qaeda are trying to identify, recruit and train Americans and other Westerners who have traveled there to get them to carry out attacks when they return home, according to senior American intelligence and counterterrorism officials.
Obama Orders Review of U.S. Energy Infrastructure
Jeff Mason and Valerie Volcovici / Reuters
President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered a broad review of the country’s energy infrastructure, noting that factors such as rising demand and climate change have put increased pressure on the aging system.
What’s Going on in the Central African Republic?
Tristian McConnell / Global Post
There’s been a key development in crumbling CAR. Global Post’s senior correspondent in Africa decodes the past, present and future of a very big problem.
Gates: U.S. Tried to Oust Karzai in ‘Failed Putsch’
Yochi Dreazen / Foreign Policy
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has long accused the Obama administration of trying to secretly engineer his political downfall. Turns out he may be right.
South Sudan Troops ‘Recapture Key Oil City of Bentiu’
BBC News
South Sudanese government forces have recaptured the oil hub of Bentiu from rebels, an army spokesman has told the BBC.
EVENTS:
Defense Budget in 2014: A Conversation with Russell Rumbaugh
American Security Project
Since sequestration and passage of the new budget, the Defense Department has been adjusting to a reduced funding environment – and 2014 won’t be much different. The speaker will discuss the outlook for Pentagon spending in 2014.
FLASHPOINT BLOG:
Top 10 U.S. Public Diplomacy Priorities for 2014
Matthew Wallin / Fellow & Officer Manager – American Security Project
It’s a new year for public diplomacy, and one that’s likely to be filled with opportunities and challenges. With this in mind, I have assembled a top 10 list for public diplomacy priorities for 2014. While by no means serving as a complete list of all the important issues facing U.S. public diplomacy, it is a reflection of the numerous discussions I have held with officials, practitioners, and academics over the past year. In no particular order:
Egypt: The Realities on the Ground
Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.) / CEO – American Security Project
Having just returned from a week in Cairo, I can say this – Egyptians, as a whole, are considerably happier now and more anxious to move on then they have been in several years.
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