Germany Ushers In Renewable Energy Reform
Markus Wacket and Madeline Chambers
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet approved on Tuesday a reform of Germany’s renewable energy law designed to curb a rise in the cost of electricity in Europe’s biggest economy driven by the rapid expansion of green power.
Ukrainian Police Move Against Pro-Russian Demonstrators in Kharkiv
Kathy Lally / The Washington Post
Police began removing the pro-Russian demonstrators occupying eastern Ukrainian government buildings early Tuesday after a tense night of confrontation that officials here accused Moscow of provoking to seek a pretext for invasion.
Roadside Bomb Kills 15 People in Afghanistan
Associated Press
A roadside bomb killed at least 15 people traveling in vehicles that had been diverted from a main road Monday after an earlier attack in southern Afghanistan, officials said.
China Calls on U.S. to Restrain Ally Japan as Tension Simmers
Phil Stewart / Reuters
China called on the United States on Tuesday to restrain ally Japan and chided another U.S. ally, the Philippines, at the end of talks between American and Chinese defense chiefs that showed the strain of regional territorial disputes on Sino-U.S. ties.
Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Signals Progress on Arak Reactor in Nuclear Talks
Laurence Norman / The Wall Street Journal
Iran’s Deputy foreign Minister Majid Ravanchi signaled potential progress in the country’s nuclear talks with six world powers on one of the thorniest issues—the future of the country’s heavy water plutonium reactor in Arak.
IMF Says U.S. Driving World Growth Amid Weak Brazil, Russia
Sandrine Rastello / Bloomberg
Stronger U.S. growth this year and next will help the world economy withstand weaker recoveries in emerging markets including Brazil and Russia, the International Monetary Fund said.
Amid Showdown With Energy-Rich Russia, Calls Rise in Europe to Start Fracking
Griff Witte and Anthony Faiola / The Washington Post
Europe’s newest weapon in the battle of wills with Russian President Vladimir Putin lies buried deep beneath the ancient oaks and rolling green pastures of this quintessentially English village.
World ‘Needs Plan B’ on Climate – IPCC Report
Roger Harrabin / BBC
The world needs a Plan B on climate change because politicians are failing to reduce carbon emissions, according to a UN report. It warns governments if they overshoot their short-term carbon targets they will have to cut CO2 even faster in the second half of the century to keep climate change manageable.
Fears Over ‘Heartbleed’ Security Bug Found in Software
BBC News
A bug in software used by millions of web servers could have exposed anyone visiting sites they hosted to spying and eavesdropping, say researchers. The bug is in a software library used in servers, operating systems and email and instant messaging systems.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
ASDA’A Arab Youth Survey 2014 Results Released
Madeline Bersch
On Monday, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller released the results of its sixth annual Arab Youth Survey, a poll conducted to gain insight into the opinions, attitudes, and aspirations of the 200 million youth in the Middle East and Africa. The 2014 report is the largest yet, including results from 3,500 Arab youths aged 18-24 in 16 countries.
U.S. Official: Iran Nuclear Agreement Moving Along, Drafting to Begin in May
Nathan Daniels
During a State Department background briefing on Friday, a senior U.S. official was confident that all parties are still committed to seeking a comprehensive, peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear program within the 6 month time frame set forth by the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA). The official also noted that the drafting of the agreement is to begin next month.
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.
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
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.
CHICAGO EVENT – The Multiplication of Threats: Climate Changes & the Risks to National Security
April 30, 6:00-8:30 P.M.
Join Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.) and Senior Fellow Andrew Holland to discuss how climate change is creating new threats to America’s national security.
Fusion Power: The Answer to an Uncertain Energy Future – A Discussion with Dan Clery
April 15, 12:00-1:30 P.M.
Join ASP for a conversation with author Dan Clery on the future of fusion power, moderated by Andrew Holland, Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate at the American Security Project. Our rapidly industrializing world has an insatiable hunger for energy and conventional sources are struggling to meet demand. Oil is running oit, coal is damaging our climate, many nations are abandoning nuclear, yet solar, wind, and water will never be a complete replacement. The solution, says Daniel Clery, is to be found in the original energy source: the Sun itself.
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