Kurds withdraw support, leaving Iraq without a president
Mark Tran / Guardian
Deepening rift between Kurds and prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, also causes loss of foreign, trade and health ministers, after the prime minister accused them of harboring terrorists in the Kurdish capital of Irbil.
Iraqi soldier tells of desertion as militants attacked refinery: ‘Our officers sold us out’
Ben Van Huevelen / Washington Post
Ammar, an Iraqi Shiite, was so eager as a teenager to join his country’s army that he considered lying about his age. Three years after he finally joined, he found himself defending an oil refinery as it came under attack in late June by Sunni militants.
Miami, the great world city, is drowning while the powers that be look away
Robin McKie / Guardian
Low-lying south Florida, at the front line of climate change in the US, will be swallowed as sea levels rise. Astonishingly, the population is growing, house prices are rising, and building goes on. The problem is the city is run by climate change deniers.
China says It’s up to US to Drive Global Economy
Louise Watt / Associated Press
China’s finance minister said Wednesday that the country is not planning any new stimulus measures and it is up to the United States to drive the global economy. Lou Jiwei said that leaders are satisfied with the country’s economic performance so far this year and that in the first five months China created up to 6 million jobs, 60 percent of this year’s target.
Germany orders CIA station chief to leave over spying allegations
Greg Miller and Stephanie Kirchner / Washington Post
The German government ordered the CIA’s top officer in Berlin to leave the country Thursday in an extraordinary escalation of a conflict between the two allies over U.S. espionage. The move amounts to a high-profile expression of German anger over alleged CIA operations uncovered by German investigators in recent weeks.
Why the Caliphate Will Devour Its Children
Philip Jenkins / Daily Beast
The pan-Islamic caliphate that Muslim extremists want to establish carries within it the seeds of its own destruction. Plenty of experts have weighed in on the likely effects of the decision by the extremist movement ISIS to re-establish the Caliphate.
Modi’s budget: Roads, foreign investment and, eventually, a toilet for every home
Annie Gowen / Washington Post
India will focus on developing its infrastructure, streamlining its subsidiary programs, and easing restrictions on foreign investment in the coming months, according to the annual budget presented by its new government Thursday.
First dengue vaccine ‘shows promise’
Smitha Mundasad / BBC
Scientists say they have developed the world’s first vaccine against dengue fever seen to work in large-scale trials. Research in the Lancet journal suggests more than 50% of children who are given the vaccine are protected against the disease.
ASP Recent Reports
Fusion White Paper 2014 – A 10 Year Plan for American Energy Security
ASP’s White Paper, “Fusion Power – A 10 Year Plan for American Energy Security” provides a detailed plan on how to accelerate the development of fusion power.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Petraeus: TPP a Matter of National Security
Dan Day
Retired U.S. Army general David Petraeus recently outlined the potential national security benefits that can accrue from the success of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a free trade deal currently being negotiated between 12 Pacific-rim nations, most notably the U.S. and Japan.
Upcoming Events
INVITE – Iraq in Crisis: Recent Developments and Risk Management Strategy
July 16 @ 12:00PM – 1:30PM
Join the American Security Project and Clements Worldwide on July 16th, as an expert panel will discuss the latest situation in Iraq, assess potential outcomes, and determine how individuals and businesses can effectively manage risk in the region moving forward.
What’s Next? Fostering the Next Generation of Energy Security Conference
September 30 @ 9:00AM –4:30PM
The next steps in building a cleaner, more resilient energy system and economy will not be easy. The American Security Project intends to build on its years of research into energy security and climate policy by initiating a study into the next generation of energy policy.Join ASP and our panelists as we discuss the next generation of energy technology and climate policy.
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