Center for Strategic Communication

International News Coverage

 

Middle East, Terrorism and Counterterrorism

 

Houthis set deadline to resolve Yemen crisis
Al Jazeera
Shia rebels say they will take over power themselves unless political crisis is resolved in three days.

 

U.S., allies plan tough battle to retake Iraqi city from Islamic State
W.J. Hennigan / LA Times
Working from this sun-scorched desert base, U.S. and allied commanders are beginning perhaps the most perilous phase of their fight against Islamic State: an attempt to recapture Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, from the entrenched militant forces.

 

U.S. ground troops could be needed in Iraq: Chuck Hagel
Bill Trott / Reuters
Outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in an interview on Friday the United States might eventually need to send non-combat ground troops to Iraq to help turn back Islamic State forces.

 

New video purportedly shows beheading of Japanese journalist by ISIS
Fox News
Japan reacted with shock and anger Sunday after an online video was released that appeared to show Islamic State executing Japanese journalist Kenji Goto — the apparent end to a frantic past couple of days in which officials tried negotiating to save Goto’s life.

 

White House Grapples With Fraught Terrorism Language
Julie Pace / The Huffington Post
Twice this month, the White House has publicly grappled with the politically fraught language of terrorism.

 

Blast targeting bus near Shi’ite shrine in Damascus kills six
Marwan Makdesi / Reuters
A bomb tore apart a bus carrying Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims in Damascus on Sunday, killing at least six people and wounding 19 in a rare attack at the centre of the Syrian capital, a Reuters witness and local media said.

 

Sisi Blames Muslim Brotherhood for Bombings in Sinai
David D. Kirkpatrick / The New York Times
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Saturday blamed the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for bombings that killed at least 30 people in the North Sinai two days earlier, and declared that Egypt was “fighting the strongest secret organization” in the world.

 

Sisi says Egypt faces long, tough battle against militants
Michael Georgy / Reuters
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that Egypt faces a long, hard battle against militancy, days after one of the bloodiest attacks on security forces in years.

 

Egypt releases jailed Al Jazeera reporter Peter Greste
Al Jazeera
Journalist arrives in Cyprus after being freed, as Al Jazeera demands release of his two colleagues who remain in jail.

 

In a first, Egyptian president speaks about killed protester
The Associated Press/ The Washington Post
The Egyptian president has spoken publicly for the first time about the recent shooting death of a female protester, calling her a “martyr” and offering condolences to her family and all Egyptians “pained” by her death, newspapers reported Monday.

 

Egyptian court bans Hamas’ armed wing, lists as terrorist organization
Michael Georgy / Reuters
An Egyptian court on Saturday banned the armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas and listed it as a terrorist organization, a ruling in keeping with a systematic crackdown on Islamists by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

 

Pilot held by Islamic State puts Jordan’s king in a tough spot
Suleiman al-Khalidi / Reuters
The fate of a Jordanian pilot held by Islamic State has raised public pressure on King Abdullah over his country’s role in the U.S-led military campaign against the hardline group in Syria, fuelling the risk of broader discontent in the U.S. ally.

 

Europe

 

U.S. Considers Supplying Arms to Ukraine Forces, Officials Say
Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt / The New York Times
With Russian-backed separatists pressing their attacks in Ukraine, NATO’s military commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, now supports providing defensive weapons and equipment to Kiev’s beleaguered forces, and an array of administration and military officials appear to be edging toward that position, American officials said Sunday.

 

Intercepted Russian bomber was carrying a nuclear missile over the Channel
Marco Giannangeli / Express
A Russian bomber intercepted over the Channel last week was carrying a nuclear missile designed to destroy Trident submarines…

 

Rebels pound Ukrainian troops after peace talks fail
Aleksandar Vasovic / Reuters
Separatist rockets streaked across hills in eastern Ukraine on Monday as rebels pounded the positions of Ukrainian government troops holding a strategic rail town while both sides pressed ahead with mobilizing more forces for combat.

 

Tsipras Says No To Possible Russian Aid; Says Greece Will Stay In Euro Zone During First Foreign Trip
Aditya Tejas / International Business Times
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ruled out the possibility of his left-wing Syriza government seeking economic aid from Russia, saying he intends to stick to his mandate of renegotiating relief terms for the embattled nation with its European partners.

 

Syriza-led Greek parliament ‘will never ratify TTIP’
Sarantis Michalopoulos / EurActiv
The newly-elected government in Athens has always been suspicious of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and will use its Parliament majority to sink the EU-US trade pact, claims a former Syriza MEP now turned minister.

 

Africa

 

Mali armed groups clash near Timbuktu
Business Day
Malian rebels fought pro-government militia in the northern village of Kano overnight, three security sources said, firing rockets and briefly kidnapping at least 20 people in the latest spike of violence between armed groups.

 

The Americas

 

Private moments helped shape Obama’s education about war
Greg Jaffe / The Washington Post
…rather than distancing himself from — and hardening himself against — the costs of war, the president’s impulse is to understand as intimately as possible the human consequences of his decisions…

 

Pile of Daunting Challenges Ahead for Next Defense Secretary
The Associated Press / The New York Times
As defense secretary, Ashton Carter would face a daunting pile of problems at home and abroad.

 

What insiders expect from Ash Carter’s hearing
Philip Ewing / Politico
Experience doesn’t mean his hearing will be a walk in the park.

 

Asia

 

Asia trade talks heat up as fast-track battle rages
Adam Behsudi / Politico
Talks have accelerated on what would be the biggest trade deal in world history thanks to a Republican Congress that wants to give President Barack Obama more power to negotiate the agreement and a group of Asian nations that are closer than ever to making concessions on consumer goods sold around the globe.

 

India Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile
Santanu Choudhury / The Wall Street Journal
India on Saturday successfully used a mobile launcher to test-fire a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that could strike targets in Pakistan and China.

 

The Islamic State beheadings are firing up Japan’s hawks
Geoffrey Cain / Global Post
Despite a pacifist constitution, Prime Minister Abe is demanding a more aggressive response to the terrorists, and a stronger Japan.

 

Energy Security, Science and Technology, Climate Change

 

Oil surges 8 percent as U.S. rig count plunges, shorts scramble
Barani Krishnan / Reuters
Oil prices roared back from six-year lows on Friday, rocketing more than 8 percent as a record weekly decline in U.S. oil drilling fueled a frenzy of short-covering.

 

US oil workers on largest national strike since 1980
BBC
US union leaders have launched a large-scale strike at nine refineries after failing to agree on a new national contract with major oil companies.

 

Budget boosts Obama’s climate agenda
Laura Barron-Lopez / The Hill
President Obama’s 2016 budget proposal would give a major boost to his climate change agenda, directing billions toward clean energy technology and programs incentivizing states to tackle global warming.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

Global Challenges and U.S. National Security Strategy
Paul Hamill
Key Quotes from the Testimony before Senate Armed Services Committee, 27 January 2015

 

ASP’s Caribbean Energy Security Event Follows Biden’s Lead
Andrew Holland
Earlier this week, Vice President Biden hosted the Caribbean Energy Summit at the State Department. He said to leaders and stakeholders from across the region: “We’re in the midst of a seismic shift in the global economy: the ascendancy of the Americas as the epicenter of energy production in the world. We have more oil and gas rigs running in the United States, than all the rest of the world combined. Mexico, Canada and the United States is the new epicenter of energy — not the Arabian Peninsula. It is the new epicenter of energy in the 21st century.”

 

Upcoming Events

 

Conference – Energy Security in the Caribbean: Unique Challenges
February 4 @ 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Join ASP as we host a conference on February 4, 2015, discussing the challenges facing the Caribbean in securing their energy future and how to move forward in the years to come.

 

Obama’s National Security Policy: A New Assessment
February 25 @ 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Based on the research for his new book, Faces of Power: Constancy and Change in United States Foreign Policy from Truman to Obama, Seyom Brown will argue that Obama’s national security policy resembles those of Reagan and George W. Bush in their second terms more than any of his other predecessors; and will assess the implications of Obama’s evolving grand strategy for his successors.

 

Discussion with Gov. Christine Todd Whitman: Climate Change Calls for Clean and Safe Energy
April 10 @ 10:00am – 11:00am
Join Governor Whitman at the World Affairs Council of Hilton Head Island as she discusses the important issue of climate change and its impact on clean, safe energy. She will recount her experience as governor as well as the Administrator of the EPA. Come join this exciting event.

 

ASP Recently Published

 

Critical Issues Facing Africa: Terrorism, War, and Political Violence
John Bugnacki
During the past few years, violence in Africa has, undoubtedly, increased from its recent historic levels. Moreover, it is clear that the current phase of this violence is highly concentrated in a small number of high-profile conflicts: the Boko Haram insurgency in Central Africa, the Second Libyan Civil War to the north of the Sahara, and the al Shabaab insurgency in the continent’s eastern horn.

 

Libya: On the Brink
Giancarlo Lima
This report analyzes the recent events that have placed Libya on its current path. In order to understand events on the ground, this report includes a breakdown of key Libyan parties and figures as well as an examination of the economic and energy dimensions of the conflict. The report then concludes with a look forward for Libya and recommendations for the U.S. and international community.

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