Global Markets- Yuan Drops Most in 3 Years, Wall Street Near all-time High

Marc Jones / Reuters

The repatriation of investors’ cash into developed markets was underscored on Tuesday as Wall Street opened at an all-time high after China’s yuan suffered its worst day in over

Westward Shift by Ukraine Would be Momentous Event

John-Thor Dahl Burg /Associated Press

A firm course change in Ukraine – westward and turning away from Moscow – would have momentous consequences for the balance of power in Europe.

UN Makes Future of Small Island States a 2014 Priority

RTCC

The UN has made addressing the potential destruction of many Pacific low lying islands in the Pacific priority for 2014. The next 12 months have been named the International Year of Small Island States (SIDS), allowing UN agencies to help islands better manage their natural resources, protect the environment and create green jobs.

Egypt’s new PM says to Fight Militancy, Rebuild Economy

Tom Perry/ Reuters

Egypt’s interim has resigned en masse in a surprise move that could pave the way for army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to declare his candidacy for president.

Will North Korean films ever be more than propaganda?

Clarissa Sebag Montefiore/ BBC

Sugar-coated propaganda films are popular in North Korea – but they gloss over reality. Could things be changing? Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore reports.  In the Technicolor world of Comrade Kim Goes Flying, the sky is a dazzling turquoise blue and the grass is emerald green. The characters are chirpy and well fed. They work in the mines and on building sites, laughing and joking as they heave heavy bricks in the sunshine.

The Politics of Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Ursula Jasper/ ISN

While traditional nonproliferation measures are still effective, Ursula Jasper believes they also neglect the ‘demand side’ of the problem. A better understanding of why states want nuclear weapons in the first place could help prevent their spread in new ways.

Japan Pushes to Revive Moribund Nuclear Energy Sector

Hiroko Tabuchi / The New York Times

The government of Shinzo Abe made its biggest push yet to revive its nuclear energy program on Tuesday, announcing details of a national plan that designates atomic power as an important long-term electricity source.

Hagel’s Military Budget Focuses on Changing Threats

Dion Nissenbaum and Julian E. Barnes / The Wall Street Journal

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel proposed a defense budget designed to turn the military’s attention away from the long ground war in Afghanistan and toward emerging cyberthreats from China and increasing challenges from al Qaeda-affiliated groups in Africa.

ASP Recent Publications

Mapping the Conflict in Aleppo, Syria
David Kilcullen and Nathaniel Rosenblatt

Over the course of four months American Security Project supported Caerus Associates and First Mile Geo in what may be the highest fidelity, time series analysis of the ongoing human tragedy unfolding inside of Aleppo, Syria.

Fact Sheet — Executive Authority in US Trade Policy
Brendan Connell

There has been an increasing discussion regarding the possibility of Congress granting the US presidency “fast track” authority in free trade agreements. This report gives the facts.

America’s Energy Choices – 2014
American Security Project

Three years after ASP first released “America’s Energy Choices” in 2011, the U.S. remains stuck in a political stalemate over energy. Even so, the energy choices made years or even decades ago by politicians, businesses, and consumers have led to a revolution in how the U.S. produces energy. The reality of change in America’s energy system is far different from the stagnation of the political debate.

On Our Flashpoint Blog

A Dispatch From Our Man in Kiev

American Security Project

A detailed view of the political changes that have happened in Ukraine this weekend, including analysis of Yanukovych, Tymoshenko, Turchynov, Putin and others.

ASP in Pittsburgh: Climate Change Threatens Security of US and Pennsylvania

Andrew Holland

On Monday and Tuesday February 10 and 11, representatives of the American Security Project visited Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania for a series of meetings, public events, and briefings on how climate change is affecting national security, and the security of people living in Pennsylvania.

Hart and Augustine: Why 9/11 can happen again

Paul Hamill

In the LA Times this morning, ASP Board Members Sen. Gary Hart and Norman R. Augustine wrote an oped on the Congressional oversight over homeland security issues.

California, Drought, and Climate Change

William Fassuliotis

California and much of the rest of the West Coast have been gripped by drought for the past two years. What role has climate change had to play and how will it impact the future?

Inside Aleppo: New Tools for Understanding the Syrian Conflict—Event Summary

Nathan Alvarado-Castle

What may be the most detailed, publically available assessment of the ongoing conflict in Syria to date.

Untangling Trade: How TPP Can Help American Businesses

Brendan Connell

As is the case among negotiating TPP members, the existence of overlapping FTAs can be vastly complex and confusing. So just how “tangled” is Pacific trade and why should this matter to American businesses?

Radley Horton on CNN New Day: “What is to Blame for Extreme Weather?”
William Fassuliotis

On February 5th, Dr. Radley Horton, a climate scientist at Columbia University, discussed the current extreme weather throughout the United States and climate change on CNN’s “New Day”.

ASP in the News

Hart and Augustine: Why 9/11 can happen again

Paul Hamill

In the LA Times this morning, ASP Board Members Sen. Gary Hart and Norman R. Augustine wrote an oped on the Congressional oversight over homeland security issues.

ASP’s Pittsburgh Event on Weather.com
A recent Weather.com article quoted American Security Project’s Brig. General Stephen Cheney, CEO, Andrew Holland, Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate, and Rear Admiral Dr. David Titley.

ASP’s Andrew Holland on America’s Fusion Race in Defense One
American Security Project’s Andrew Holland, Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate, was quoted in a recent article by Defense One’s Patrick Tucker.

Upcoming Events

TTIP – Trade and Investment: A U.S. and European Perspective
February 26 @ 8:30 am – 9:30 am

Paul Adamson, editor of the European magazine E!Sharp and Senior European Policy Advisor for Covington & Burling, and Peter Rashish, a Senior Advisor for Europe and Transatlantic Trade at Transnational Strategy Group LLC, will discuss the key elements of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, key aspects for the U.S. and the E.U., the 2014 trade-political climate, and key issues both parties will face going forward.

Save the Date: Defense Budget 2014 Discussion
March 26 @ 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

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.

 

 

The post What We Are Reading appeared first on American Security Project.