Putin speaks to Iran leader about Ukraine, Tehran’s nuclear program
Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani about Ukraine and expressed his appreciation of Tehran’s “constructive approach” in talks with six world powers on its nuclear program.
Kerry in London to defuse Ukraine crisis before Sunday vote
Anne Gearan and Kathy Lally / The Washington Post
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday morning started talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in a diplomatic push to ease the crisis over Russia’s military presence in a southern region of Ukraine.
BP deal opens door for new U.S. drilling
Darren Goode / Politico
BP will be allowed to sign new leases to drill for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico under a deal announced Thursday with the U.S. government that resolves outstanding issues tied to the British giant’s role in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Suicide bomber kills 7 in Pakistan
Zahir Shah Sherazi / CNN
A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed seven people and wounded 28 more Friday in a suburb of Peshawar, officials said.
Suspected extremists attack northern Nigeria city
Associated Press
Islamic militants struck the northern city of Maiduguri Friday morning, attacking the main military barracks with gunfire and explosions but the Ministry of Defense said it repelled the insurgents and inflicted “heavy casualties.”
Hedayat Abdel-Nabi /Al-Ahram
Water and resource issues will dominate the era ahead, Egypt’s foreign minister tells an audience at the American University in Cairo.
Amid Preparations, Mediator Says Syria Vote Would Doom Talks
Somini Sengupta / The New York Times
The United Nations mediator who has sought to coax the warring parties in Syria to negotiate an end to the three-year-old conflict said on Thursday that holding elections would doom prospects for any future talks, even as lawmakers in Damascus appeared to inch closer to scheduling national polls.
No leak from containers of radioactive material fall on ship in Halifax, Canada
Joe Sutton and Ben Brumfield / CNN
There has been no leak of radioactive material after large containers holding it fell on a transport ship at a port in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a local fire department spokesman said Friday.
Brazil Violence Flares Ahead of World Cup
Donna Bowater / Al Jazeera America
The giant summer tournament is casting ugly spotlight on nation’s complex history of social strife.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Prospects for the Egyptian Economy are Linked Directly to Security
Dina Khayat
In the end, issues of security will determine the presidential candidate the majority of Egyptians will vote for, as well as the future of the country’s economic prospects. It is true that the fate of Egypt is directly linked to the performance of the economy in the few years to come. It is also true that these are inextricably linked to security.
A Military View: Climate Change is Threatening our National Security
BGen Stephen A. Cheney USMC (Ret.)
Climate change is threatening our national security, and indeed the security of hundreds of millions around the world. It is a “threat multiplier” or an accelerant of instability” that affects issues like food and water availability and energy security. It will drive migration and create economic challenges.
Virginia and Climate Change
Andrew Holland
With a population of 8.2 million, Virginia is the 12th most populous state in the country. Virginia borders between the mid-Atlantic region and the Southeast; its climate has similarly been a border. Compared to other regions, like the southwest or the Northeast, warming in Virginia has been moderate over the last 50 years, with warming occurring mostly in the winter months.
ASP Recent Publications
American Security Quarterly V3 Issue 1
American Security Project
We see it in the news nearly every day. The world is rapidly shifting before our eyes as countries sprout up, struggle to gain a foothold in our international community, and sometimes fall just as quickly. One equally important trend is the interrelationship between the United States and international players on this stage. Never before have we seen the level of interdisciplinary security issues that we see today occurring in all corners of the globe.
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.
ASP 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
April 7, 7:30-9:00 P.M.
Today, the U.S. Navy is preparing for an open Arctic, the Marines are deploying in response to historic typhoons, and the Army is preparing their bases to use less energy than they produce. We know the effects of climate change are here. Meanwhile, many American politicians continue to ignore climate change.
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