Center for Strategic Communication

The Sources on Russian conflict

Richard N. Haass /  Council on Foreign Relations

Thousands of Russian troops remain on Ukraine’s eastern border; every day, there are new reports of unrest inside Ukraine, many allegedly instigated by Russia. We thus need to move quickly to understand what recent events imply about Russia, its president, Vladimir Putin, and the international order.

 

Russia mulls lawsuit against U.S. in WTO over sanctions  

Megan Davies / Reuters

Russia is looking at the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the United States in the World Trade Organization over sanctions hitting Russian banks

 

Felipe Calderon: Economic Arguments Needed to Fight Climate Change

Carmen Nobel / Forbes

What do Chinese coal plants and the American legislative branch have in common? They are both major adversaries in the fight against climate change, according to former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón.

 

Apparent Ukrainian troop defections escalate tensions in eastern Ukraine

Anthony Faiola / The Washington Post  

Tensions escalated in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, with pro-Russian gunmen storming City Hall in the sprawling city of Donetsk and a cluster of Ukrainian troops meant to be restoring order in the region apparently defecting to the side of separatists.

 

Teaching Machines How to Spell Will Help Catch Terrorists

David Murgatroyd / Defense One

Teaching software to understand the nuances of names and speech is an enormous national security challenge. If computer programs blindly start hunting misspellings without nuance, your name may be just a typo or two away from one of the hundreds of thousands of suspects on government watch lists. False positives erode public faith in security procedures, inconvenience innocent passengers and make it harder for security professionals to spot real bad actors.

 

Using Drones as Wireless Hotspots

Frank Konkel / Defense One

A small collection of aging surveillance drones are about to have something in common with a typical Starbucks: the ability to provide high-speed Wi-Fi access.

 

NATO Strengthens Military Presence Along Eastern Border In Response To Russian Threat

John-Thor Dahlburg and Juergen Baetz / The Huffington Post

ATO is strengthening its military footprint along its eastern border immediately in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the alliance’s chief said Wednesday.

 

Saudi King Replaces Intelligence Chief Bandar

Associated Press

Saudi Arabia’s king has appointed a new intelligence chief, Youssef al-Idrisi, replacing Bandar bin Sultan in the key post, which oversees the kingdom’s support for Syrian rebels.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

ASP in Tennessee: Climate Change Threatens Security

Andrew Holland

On Monday and Tuesday, April 7 and 8, representatives of the American Security Project visited Western and Central Tennessee for a series of meetings, public events, and briefings on how climate change is affecting security, and how businesses are planning for it.

 

China’s Xi talks up military role in space

August Cole

In a week that has China’s President Xi Jinping presiding over the country’s national security commission, he reportedly told air force officers that he wants the People’s Liberation Army to have a more robust space role

 

Does the US-Japan Impasse Spell Doom for TPP?

Brendan Connell

With new breaking on Wednesday of top US trade negotiators failing to reach a complete agreement with Japan over any of the most contentious trade issues, many are left feeling a sense of cynicism regarding the precious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

 

Ebola Outbreak a Regional Threat

Nathan Alvarado-Castle

The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm for coordinated preventative action on the rapidly evolving outbreak of Ebola in coastal West Africa

 

ASP Recent Publications

 

WHITE PAPER – National Security and Space – The Next Space Race: Competition
August Cole

Of any of the armed services, the United States Air Force should know the most about speed. Their pilots, who historically rose to the service’s top ranks, fly the fastest fighters in the American arsenal. Yet, there are times when moving as fast as you can may not be fast enough.

This paper goes into detail on the next steps the United States should be considering to enhance our national security, secure our access to space, as well as to gain value for money from taxpayers.

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.

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.

 

ASP Upcoming Events

Event Invite: Weather, Climate & National Security
April 23, 12:30 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.

Join ASP on Wednesday, April 23 at the Capitol Building, as BGen. Stephen A. Cheney and Mr. Bryan Norcross come together to discuss the national security implications of changing patterns in weather and the climate.

 

Chicago Event – Multiplication of Threats: Climate Change & the Risks to National Security
April 30, 6:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M.

Join us April 30, 2014 at 6:00pm for a discussion at Northwestern University of Chicago. 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.

 

Event Invite: Building a Better Corporate Tax Regime & Strengthening our Economic Security – A conversation with Robert Pozen

May 13, 8:00 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.

Join ASP Tuesday, May 13th as we host Bob Pozen for an informative discussion about corporate tax reform, as well as the many fiscal and political obstacles facing it. Mr. Pozen will present his unique strategy for a new corporate tax regime that could end up benefiting governments and US corporations alike.

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