Iraq VP To U.S.: Stay Out of Our War
Josh Rogin / Daily Beast
ISIS is only one small part of a larger Sunni revolt in Iraq that sectarian groups have been preparing for years, according to Iraq’s exiled Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi. And defeating ISIS won’t stop the greater battle.

 

Ukraine Rebels Are Retreating for Last Stand
David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times

Separatist rebels retreated Monday from positions in eastern Ukraine, apparently blowing up bridges, and began building barricades in the two largest cities, Donetsk and Luhansk, in anticipation of a final stand against advancing government troops.

 

Libyan ex-general battling Islamist militias faces dwindling support amid stalemate
Eric Cunningham / Washington Post

Just weeks after he launched a popular revolt against the Islamist militants plaguing Libya’s east, rogue general Khalifa Hifter already is losing support for his war.

 

Typhoon Neoguri Sweeps Across Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture
Alexander Martin / Wall Street Journal

A giant typhoon swept across Japan’s Okinawa prefecture Tuesday, bringing with it powerful winds, high waves and heavy rains, and causing at least one death and over a dozen injuries.

 

Fifty new Ebola cases and 25 deaths in West Africa – WHO
Reuters

Fifty new cases of Ebola and 25 deaths have been reported in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea since July 3, as the deadly virus continues to spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

 

China’s rise and Asian tensions send U.S. relations into downward spiral
Laris Karklis / The Washington Post

Hundreds of rocky islands, islets, sandbanks, reefs and cays lie scattered across Asia’s eastern waters, unimportant-looking to the naked eye but significant enough to spark what may be the most worrying deterioration in US-China relations.

 

Egypt’s Sisi says independence for Iraq’s Kurds would be ‘catastrophic’
Reuters

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday a referendum on the independence of Iraq’s Kurdish region would lead to a “catastrophic” break up of the country, which is facing an onslaught by Sunni Islamist militants.

 

Protecting US troops means being able to master nimble, effective procurement
Walter Pincus / Washington Post

What price do you put on American troops in combat? Put another way, has the $45 billion to $50 billion invested in purchasing some 25,000 MRAPs — mine resistant, ambush-protected troop-carrying vehicles — been worth it?

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

The United States Must Sign and Ratify the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea
Jon Breed
By mid century, models predict that the region will be largely ice-free. In simple terms, the United States government must do something that it has never done: Plan for a new ocean.

 

Cause and Effect: U.S. Gasoline Prices
Dan Day
The threat of war is driving up oil prices, as is a tight oil market characterized by growing demand for oil in the developing world.

 

Could New Russian Nuclear Reactors Help Resolve the Iran Nuclear Problem?
Theresa Shaffer
On Tuesday, June 24, Iran stated its intention of signing a deal with Russia to build two new 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors next to the first unit of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Upcoming Events

Iraq in Crisis: Recent Developments and Risk Management Strategy

Join the American Security Project and Clements Worldwide on July 16th, as an expert panel will discuss the latest situation in Iraq, assess some potential outcomes, and determine how individuals and businesses can effectively manage risk in the region moving forward.

 

About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.

 

The post What We Are Reading … July 8, 2014 appeared first on American Security Project.