Center for Strategic Communication

International News Coverage

Economic Security

Grim German data, IMF concerns spook Europe

Marc Jones | Reuters

A second day of grim German data and expectations for a cut in the International Monetary Fund’s growth forecasts spooked European assets on Tuesday, as the recent spell of global financial market volatility continued.

Austerity has been an even bigger disaster than we thought

Matt O’Brian | The Washington Post

The fundamental economic question of the last five years has been a simple one: how much does stimulus work? The answer is much more than we previously thought. And that means austerity has also hurt more than we thought — so much so that it might even be self-defeating.

IMF warns of ‘weak and uneven’ global recovery

BBC

The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global economic growth for both this year and next and warned the recovery is “weak and uneven”. It is now forecasting 3.3% growth this year, down from its forecast in July of 3.4%. Next year, it predicts 3.8% growth, against an earlier prediction of 4.0%.

 

ISIS, Middle East, Terrorism and Counter Terrorism

Turkey willing to put troops in Syria ‘if others do their part,’ Prime Minister says

Mick Krever | CNN

Turkey would be willing to put its troops on the ground in Syria “if others dos their part,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview that aired Monday.

Turkey says Syrian town about to fall as Islamic State moves in

Daren Butler and Oliver Holmes | Reuters

Turkey’s president said Kobani was “about to fall” after Islamic State fighters advanced into the south west of the Syrian Kurdish town, pressing home a three-week assault has cost a reported 400 lives.

Self-funded and deep-rooted: How ISIS makes its millions

Scott Bronstein and Drew Griffin | CNN

The U.S. Treasury Department admits it does not have hard figures on the group’s wealth but believes ISIS reaps millions of dollars a month.

 

Ebola

Standing with Liberia to Reverse Ebola’s ‘Spillover’ Effects

Steven O’Connell

Ebola threatens not only lives, but livelihoods. The main driver of economic impacts is not the loss of labor to sickness and death, or even the major diversion of resources into health care, but rather the much broader spillover effects from peoples’ fear of contagion.

Four hospitalized in Spain after first Ebola transmission outside Africa

Inmaculada Sanz and Sarah Morris | Reuters

Four people have been hospitalized in Spain to try to stem the spread of Ebola after a Spanish nurse became the first person in the world known to have contracted the virus outside of Africa, health authorities said on Tuesday.

 

Asia

Myanmar to release 3,000 prisoners to aid ‘stability’

BBC

The Myanmar government has announced it is releasing more than 3,000 prisoners. An update on the Information Minister’s U Ye Htut’s Facebook page said President Thein Sein had pardoned them for the sake of peace and stability.

Dengue fever cases top 21,000 in Guangdong

Mimi Lau | South China Morning Post

The number of cases of dengue fever in Guangdong has doubled in just over a week. Twenty cities in the province had reported 21,527 cases by midnight on Sunday, according to figures released by the provincial health department.

Hong Kong’s Youth Are Venting Economic as Well as Political Frustration

Elizabeth Barber | Time

While the protests here have been mostly political — demonstrators want to be able to freely nominate and vote for the city’s leader, instead of choosing from a list of candidates screened by Beijing — they also have an economic component, reflecting the struggles of the city’s squeezed middle class.

 

Science and Technology, Environmental Security

3 Scientists Win Nobel In Physics For Development Of Blue LED

Scott Neuman

A trio of scientists, two from Japan and one from the U.S., will share the Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), leading to a new, environmentally friendly light source.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Meets with ASI President Roberto Battiston

NASA

At their first bilateral meeting in Rome, Italy on Oct. 7, 2014, NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) President Roberto Battiston reviewed the status of bilateral cooperation between the two space agencies.

Often Pesky Beavers Put To Work Restoring Streams

Phuong Lee | The Associated Press

In a heavily irrigated Washington valley where fish, crops and people often compete for water, biologists are turning to one of nature’s best engineers to help restore streams and salmon habitat.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

Event Recap: Renewable Transportation – Policy Options to Break the Oil Monopoly

Caroline Julia von Wurden

American Security Project hosted a panel of industry experts to speak about the current environment for renewable transportation and how their companies are leading innovation in developing different solutions to this serious problem.

Event Recap: Natural Gas/LNG – Using American Resources and Know-How to Build a World Market

Caroline Julia von Wurden

The emerging geopolitics of energy shows why it is important for the United States to take a leadership role in exporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Internationally high demand and our domestic resources have created an opportunity to build a global, market-based energy economy. This will be particularly important in preventing monopoly energy producers from using their control of gas markets to sway foreign policy.

Event Reap: Energy Technology of Tomorrow – and how can Government foster that innovation?

Caroline Julia von Wurden

On Tuesday panelists met to discuss the future of nuclear power and the political and technical hurdles. They agreed that nuclear power must be part of the solution to reduce carbon emissions.

Event Recap: Powering the Future – Prospects for Fusion Energy

Caroline Julia von Wurden

On Tuesday panelists convened to talk about the future of fusion energy. Talking points were that fusion can provide clean (emission free) energy and help create a new high-tech industry, and private companies are investing in novel fusion experiments.

General Allen: The anti-ISIS coalition is an “important moment”

Sophia Dahodwala

General John R. Allen USNC (Ret), who served as the top United States Commander in Afghanistan has been appointed as President Obama’s Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. General Allen will conduct several trips to the region in order to consolidate the coalition that is beginning to come together and to strengthen and clarify the lines of effort. In a recent interview with CNN’s Elise Labott, General Allen responded to a series of pressing questions regarding the US’s strategy to degrade, defeat, and destroy ISIS.

Maktoum’s Path to Lasting Peace

Sophia Dahodwala

The conversation surrounding ISIS needs to emphasize that a dynamic, long-term solution is needed to address Middle Eastern instability and insecurity. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum highlights three ingredients for lasting peace.

 

Upcoming Events

Security Jam: Brainstorming Global Security

October 14 @ 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM

To be held over 54 hours, from October 14-16, 2014, the Security Jam will be a catalyst for creative thinking by national, UN, NATO, and EU policymakers, experts, NGOs, industry representatives, soldiers, journalists, scholars and opinion-leaders.

INDIANAPOLIS EVENT – Climate Change: Risks for National Security

October 14 @ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Butler University

Join us for a discussion with senior flag officers as they discuss the steps the US military has taken and future implications for our national security.

 

INDIANAPOLIS EVENT – Climate Change: Risks for National Security

October 15 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Anderson University

Join us for a discussion with senior flag officers as they discuss the steps the US military has taken and future implications for our national security.

 

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