Ukraine poses no threat to Russian rocket engine imports –US
Andrea Shalal / Reuters
The crisis in Ukraine has not jeopardized the longstanding relationship between the U.S. Air Force and the Russian company that builds engines for the rockets used to launch large U.S. government satellites, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.
EU approves framework and wording for sanctions on Russia
Martin Santa and Luke Baker / Reuters
EU member states have agreed the wording of sanctions on Russia, including travel restrictions and asset freezes against those responsible for violating the sovereignty of Ukraine, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.
IMF reforms to hold up Ukraine bill?
Erik Wasson and Peter Schroeder / The Hill
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote on an aid bill for Ukraine on Wednesday that includes reforms to the International Monetary Fund pushed by President Obama.
Israel restricts exemptions from military service
Isabel Kershner / NY Times
After years of heated public debate and political wrangling, the Israeli Parliament on Wednesday approved landmark legislation that aims to phase out blanket exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox students at yeshivas, or religious seminaries.
African Union opens probe into South Sudan atrocities
Africa Review
The African Union opened a commission of inquiry Wednesday into atrocities carried out in the ongoing conflict in South Sudan.
Harper Piecing Together Canada Trade Markets Beyond U.S.
Andrew Mayeda and Theophilos Argitis / Bloomberg
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has stressed the need to diversify his country’s exports away from the U.S. since taking power in 2006. One deal at a time, he’s piecing together access to markets for Canadian exports equal to more than half the world economy.
George Soros says EU may not survive crisis ‘tragedy’
BBC News
Billionaire George Soros has told the BBC that the European Union may not survive its “long-lasting stagnation”.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
New Standard Development Alert: FERC’s Response to Physical Threats to the Electricity Industry
Andrew Charles Wills
On February 11, 2014, a PBS aired an interview with former FERC Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff where he lamented slow government reactions to a year-old sniper attack on a California electricity substation, an event that received almost no media coverage for months
Time for Strategic Thinking for Space
August Cole
One of the great 21st Century ironies is that the global economy is critically dependent on space-based communications, monitoring and navigation yet decades ago the American public lost its awe for the Space Age feats that made the era such a powerful one.
The 2014 QDR and Public Diplomacy Towards Iran
Madeline Bersch
Earlier this month, the Department of Defense released the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, released every four years to “adapt, reshape, and rebalance [the] military to prepare for the strategic challenges and opportunities” to be faced in the coming years.
ASP Reports
National Security and Climate Change
Andrew Holland
The American Security Project, as a national security-focused think tank, believes that concern about climate change should be a non-partisan issue. While we know that the argument about solutions will be partisan, both sides should start with a common understanding that climate change poses real threats to national security.
The Ukraine Crisis and the Geopolitics of Energy
Andrew Holland
A briefing note on the Ukraine Crisis and the Geopolitics of Energy – click to find out the facts and way forward the United States could take.
Mapping the Conflict in Aleppo, Syria
American Security Project
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
Upcoming Events
Norman Augustine on Defense Budget & Acquisition Reform
March 26, 12:30 – 1:30 P.M.
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.
Extreme Productivity – An Evening with Bob Pozen
March 27, 6:30 – 9:00 P.M.
Bob Pozen is one of the most productive executives. While serving as full time chairman of a large asset management company and teaching a full course load at Harvard Business School, he wrote a popular book entitled Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results; Reduce Your Hours.
Cost: $40.00 Member/ $60.00 Non-Members (cost includes copy of Professor Posen’s book, signed upon request) – Click here to buy tickets
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