Iran hopes drafting of nuclear deal can start soon
Parisa Hafezi & Fredrik Dahl / Reuters
Iran said it hopes enough progress will be made at talks with major powers this week to enable negotiators to start drafting by mid-May a final accord to settle a long-running dispute over its nuclear program.
Pro-Moscow protesters seize arms, declare republic; Kiev fears invasion
Richard Balmforth & Lina Kushch / Reuters
Pro-Moscow protesters in eastern Ukraine seized arms in one city and declared a separatist republic in another, in moves Kiev described on Monday as part of a Russian-orchestrated plan to justify an invasion to dismember the country.
China warns US against ‘interference’ in Hong Kong
Agence France-Presse
Beijing warned the United States on Monday against interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs after US Vice President Joe Biden met with two of the city’s outspoken pro-democracy campaigners last week.
The world’s biggest election starts Monday
Chris Cillizza / The Washington Post
Starting Monday and running for six weeks, India will hold its national election. Approximately 815 million people will cast a ballot, making it, by far, the largest vote in the world.
Nigeria becomes Africa’s biggest economy
Ola Awoniyi / Agence France-Presse
Nigeria on Sunday became Africa’s biggest economy, leap-frogging South Africa, after the government announced a long-overdue rebasing of the country’s gross domestic product. The new calculations take into account changes in production and consumption since the last time the exercise was carried out in 1990, including an added focus on communications and the movie industry.
Ukraine crisis: Protesters declare Donetsk ‘republic’
BBC News
Ukrainian security officials are being sent to the eastern cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv after pro-Russia groups occupied government buildings.
Third party candidate wins Costa Rica presidential vote
Maria Isabel Sanchez / Agence France-Presse
A candidate who was virtually unknown just months ago was elected Costa Rica’s president Sunday, becoming the first third-party member to win the highest office in decades.
Hezbollah chief says danger to Syria regime over
Agence France-Presse
Syria’s regime is no longer in danger of being toppled and the risk of the country being divided has passed, the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said in remarks published Monday. san Nasrallah’s comments to the Al-Safir daily come as his Shiite movement is increasingly involved in the conflict in neighbouring Syria, where they are fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The Weather Channel
Ebola, a virus that causes a debilitating disease, has no vaccine or cure. Watch the men and women who go out trying to contain and prevent Ebola epidemics.
How Wildfires Are Leading to Gray Snow in the Arctic
NBC News
An intriguing look at how the weather extremes in one part of the world have a direct impact on another.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
The Cuban Twitter: Doomed from the Start
Matthew Wallin
With news breaking this week about USAID’s creation of a “Cuban Twitter,” it’s a perfect time to discuss the alignment of public diplomacy goals and the tools used to accomplish them. In this case, the tools, goals, concept, and the executor of the plan were all misaligned, dooming the project from the start.
Tennessee and Climate Change
Andrew Holland
Climate change threatens America’s national security around the world by acting as a “threat multiplier” that will undermine stability and draw American forces into conflict. However, we should not think that this is a problem solely for the rest of the world to deal with. Climate change presents clear threats to American livelihoods here at home – the effects of climate change threaten us, and are a growing mission for homeland security.
Senators Call on DOD for Competition in Air Force Space Launch Program
Nathan Daniels
Yesterday, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and six other Senators called on the Department of Defense to allow more competition within the U.S. Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
ASP Reports
Tennessee and Climate Change
Andrew Holland
Climate change threatens America’s national security around the world by acting as a “threat multiplier” that will undermine stability and draw American forces into conflict. However, we should not think that this is a problem solely for the rest of the world to deal with.
National Security and America’s Space Challenge
August Cole
The U.S. military and intelligence community is increasingly dependent on its satellite capabilities to do everything from communicating securely to targeting precision weapons. Billions of taxpayer dollars are spent trying to expand and protect this strategic edge.
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 occurring today on all corners of the globe.
Upcoming Events
University of Tennessee Martin Discussion “Climate Change: Risks for National Security”
April 7, 7:30- 9:00 P.M.
Join us April 7, 2014 at 7:30pm for a discussion at the University of Tennessee Martin. In 2014-2015, the American Security Project (ASP) is undertaking a grassroots effort to build a consensus among Americans around the country from left to right, and especially among the non-political, that climate change is not simply a low-priority ‘green’ issue: but instead it is a pressing national security threat.
Belmont University Discussion “Climate Change: Risks for National Security”
April 8, 2:00-4:00 P.M.
Join us April 8, 2014 at 2pm for a discussion at Belmont University. In 2014-2015, the American Security Project (ASP) is undertaking a grassroots effort to build a consensus among Americans around the country from left to right, and especially among the non-political, that climate change is not simply a low-priority ‘green’ issue: but instead it is a pressing national security threat.
Weather, Climate & National Security
April 23, 12:30-1:30 P.M.
Join ASP as Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret)., of American Security Project, and Mr. Bryan Norcross, of the Weather Channel, discuss changes in climate and weather and the relationship they have with our national security.
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