Obama weighs direct action against insurgents in Iraq
Paul Ritcher, David Cloud / LA Times
Facing the threat of sectarian conflict engulfing the Middle East, President Obama indicated Thursday that he may order direct military action in Iraq, a step he has ruled out since the U.S. ended its long war there.
Exclusive: Alarmed by Iraq, Iran open to shared role with U.S. – Iran official
Parisa Hafezi / Reuters
Shi’te Muslim Iran is so alarmed by Sunni insurgent gains in Iraq that it may be willing to cooperate with Washington in helping Baghdad fight back, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
Iraqi Violence Roils Markets as Oil Prices Rise
Nicole Friedman / Wall Street Journal
Oil prices gained for a third straight session as Sunni militants continued their advance toward Baghdad, fueling fears that Iraq’s ample oil production could be threatened.
Iraqi Shiite Cleric Issues Call to Arms
Alissa Rubin, Suadad Al-Salhy, Alan Cowell / NY Times
The senior Shiite cleric in Iraq issued an urgent call to arms on Friday, telling all able-bodied Iraqis to help the government fight Sunni militants who have seized broad stretches of Iraqi territory.
Iraqis flee as militants close in; Obama says Iraq’s government needs help
Faith Karimi, Laura Smith-Spark / CNN
As Iraq further disintegrated, residents fled Mosul in droves. Militants captured the country’s second-largest city this week after soldiers scattered, leaving their uniforms and weapons behind.
The rules in ISIS’ new state: Amputations for stealing and women to stay indoors.
Adam Taylor / Washington Post
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is now effectively governing a large chunk of Iraqi territory.
Dressed for cycling, Egypt’s Sisi calls for help on fuel subsidies
Shadia Nasralla, Louise Ireland / Reuters
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked Egyptians on Friday to cycle and walk more to help the cash-strapped government that spends tens of billions of dollars a year on fuel subsidies.
Ukraine crisis: Kiev forces win back Mariupol
BBC
Government troops in eastern Ukraine have won back the port city of Mariupol from pro-Russian separatist rebels after heavy fighting.
China says will never send military to oil rig spat with Vietnam
Ben Blanchard / Reuters
Vietnam has accused China of sending six warships, but Yi Xianliang, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, said that China had never sent military forces.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Event Review: Top 10 Findings of 2014 ASDA’A Arab Youth Survey
Thomas Campbell
On June 10, American Security Project hosted Worldwide Executive Vice President of Burson-Marsteller and CEO of Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) Jay Leveton to discuss the findings of the 2014 ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey.
Seip and Cheney: Look to Private Sector for Satellite Security
Dan Day
Retired Air Force Lt. General Norm Seip as well as retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen and American Security Project CEO Stephen Cheney wrote an op-ed for The Hill, pushing the government to utilize the private sector, particularly innovative companies like SpaceX, in its attempt to find alternatives to its dependence on Russian-made engines to power space launch technology.
Upcoming Events
The 2014 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review: A Blueprint for State and USAID
June 24 @ 12:30 – 1:30PM
A Briefing and Q&A about the QDDR with Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom, Assistant Administrator Alexander Thier and Special Representative for the QDDR, Thomas Perriello.
The post What We Are Reading… June 13, 2014 appeared first on American Security Project.
