International News Coverage
Middle East, ISIL, Counterterrorism
Finally, a Name for ISIS Strikes: Operation Inherent Resolve
The New York Times
The Defense Department has come up with a name for the American military strikes against the Islamic State: Operation Inherent Resolve.
US: Strikes near Kobani have killed hundreds
Robert Burns | The Associated Press
A barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes in and around the Syrian city of Kobani, including 39 over the past two days, has killed hundreds of Islamic State fighters and has stiffened the city’s Kurdish defenders, the Pentagon’s spokesman said Wednesday.
Official says ISIS pushed back by Kobane airstrikes
Al-Arabia
A Kurdish official in Kobane said Thursday that U.S.-led airstrikes have successfully pushed back Islamic State insurgents from parts of the besieged Syrian town.
Syrian opposition falls deeper into disarray
David Ignatius / The Washington Post
The political disarray of the Syrian opposition — and the regional feuding that drives it — deepened in Istanbul this week, as Qatar pushed its preferred Islamist candidate into a key leadership position of the major rebel coalition despite bitter protest from rival factions backed by Saudi Arabia and other nations.
Energy
EU energy chief to meet with Russia, Ukraine over gas deal
Laura Barron-Lopez | The Hill
The European Union’s energy chief is optimistic but wary that a gas deal between Ukraine and Russia will come out of new talks.
Putin: Russia will reduce Europe’s gas supplies if Ukraine takes gas
CNBC
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Russia will have to reduce gas supplies to Europe if Ukraine steals gas. Pipelines that supply Europe crosses Ukraine en route.
Fall in Oil Prices Poses a Problem for Russia, Iraq and Others
David M. Herszenhorn / The New York Times
A steep decline in oil prices is straining the budgets of major petroleum-exporting countries around the globe, raising a specter of spending cuts in Russia, where the economy is under pressure from Western sanctions, and posing a potentially grave security challenge for Iraq, which is already struggling to finance its fight against the Islamic State.
Nuclear Security
AP NewsBreak: Iran looks at compromise nuke offer
GEORGE JAHN | The Associated Press
Diplomats say Iran is considering a U.S. proposal at nuclear talks that would allow it to keep more of its atomic infrastructure while still reducing its ability to make an atomic bomb.
Climate Change
Fighting Climate Change Brings Benefits To The Bottom Line
Mike Scott | Forbes
From A for Apple AAPL -1.53% to Z for Zurich Insurance, companies that are doing most to tackle climate change are also financially outperforming their peers, new research suggests.
Ebola
Ebola crisis: WHO says major outbreak in West ‘unlikely’
BBC
A major outbreak of Ebola in the US and elsewhere in the West is unlikely given the strong health systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
US Ebola Force Continues To Build in West Africa
Patricia Kime | Defense News
Before entering the US Embassy in Monrovia to brief soldiers and reporters on the US military response to the Ebola epidemic, Army Maj. Gen. Daryl Williams washed his hands in chlorine bleach and had his temperature taken.
Russia & Ukraine
Russia’s Putin signs law extending Kremlin’s grip over media
Michael Birnbaum / The Washington Post
In a move that will significantly constrict Russia’s fast-shrinking space for independent reporting, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed into law a measure that will curtail foreign ownership of media outlets in his country.
Russia To Spend Record Amount On Defense In 2015
Radio Free Europe / Radio Library
Russia will allot some 3.3 trillion rubles (about $80 billion) from the state budget for defense spending in 2015, according to the chairman of the defense committee in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Asia Pacific
Hong Kong’s Renewed Offer Of Talks With Protesters Meets Skepticism
Scott Neuman / VOA
Hong Kong’s leader has revived the prospect of talks with student pro-democracy activists, after his government reneged last week on an offer of dialogue with protest leaders.
Japanese General Calls on US Military to Confront China
Military.com
In stark contrast to White House policy, a top Japanese general on Tuesday said the U.S. military rebalance of forces to the Pacific should confront Chinese aggression in the region.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Egypt: A Work In Progress But Open For Business
Giancarlo Lima
Changes are underway in Egypt but the country requires extensive reforms if it is to have the long term growth that Egyptian society vitally needs.
Lockheed Martin Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details
Caroline Julia von Wurden
Lockheed Martin Corp. announced that its Skunk Works® team had made a breakthrough on a compact fusion reactor (CFR).
Key Quotes – John Allen, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL
Paul Hamill
“.. this is a robust coalition. It’s made up of many diverse actors, all seized with the reality of degrading and defeating ISIL as a global challenge.”
Climate Change and the Threats to the American Midwest
American Security Project
Climate change threatens the Midwest’s infrastructure, agriculture, economy and population.
ASP Board Member Whitman pushes for wider nuclear power use
Caroline Julia von Wurden
Christine Todd Whitman, former Republican Governor of New Jersey, administrator of the EPA under George W. Bush, and American Security board member, is pushing for wider use of nuclear power in the US.
Holland on low oil production costs in Saudi Arabia
Caroline Julia von Wurden
ASP’s Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate Andrew Holland was quoted in an article, Declining oil prices benefit Saudi Arabia most: Experts.
Hagel Announces Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap
AJ Degarmo
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a former board member of the American Security Project, attended the 11th Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas during a six-day, three-country trip to Latin America that began on October 9, 2014.
Upcoming Events
Geography 2050: Mounting an Expedition to the Future
November 19
Location: Low Memorial Library, Columbia University, 2960 Broadway, Manhattan, NY 10027
The one-day inaugural event, to be held at Columbia’s Low Library in Manhattan, offers an opportunity for thought leaders in industry, government, the social sector, and academe to come together to think about collectively exploring the future, and to examine how geography, geographic thinking, and geospatial data and technologies will enable this new age of exploration.
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