International News Coverage
Middle East, Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Supporting the Arab Solution
Fadi Elsalameen, Paul Hamill / The Hill
These last few days have seen further horrors from Daesh, also known as ISIS. Their murderous rampage through Syria and Iraq has now spread to Libya with the beheading of 21 Egyptian citizens on a beach near Tripoli, while the week before saw the immolation of Jordanian pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh.
45 Dead in Eastern Libya Bombings, Islamic Extremists Claim Responsibility
The Associated Press
The Islamic State group’s offshoot in Libya has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly suicide bombings Friday that killed at least 45 and rocked an eastern town under the control of the country’s elected government.
Three UK Schoolgirls ‘Travelling to Syria’
BBC
Three east London schoolgirls have flown to Turkey and there are fears they may cross the Syrian border and join the Islamic State terrorist group.
U.S. Lawmaker Pushes White House to Aid Allies in Islamic State Fight
Patricia Zengerle / Reuters
A senior Republican lawmaker warned President Barack Obama she would do “everything within my power,” including holding up money, to push the United States to provide fighter jets and weapons to Egypt and other allies fighting Islamic State militants.
Yemen Rival Parties Agree on Transitional Council
BBC
Rival parties in Yemen are to form a “people’s transitional council” to help govern the country and solve the deepening political crisis. UN mediator Jamal Benomar announced the preliminary accord on Thursday and hailed it as “an important step”.
Europe
Fighting Still Rages in East Ukraine Despite Cease-Fire
Jim Heintz / The Associated Press
The Ukrainian government and the separatist rebels blamed each other Friday for violating a fragile cease-fire dozens of times, sparking fears of wider hostilities in war-torn eastern Ukraine.
Greek PM ‘Certain’ Euro Zone Will Back Loan, Merkel Demands More
Jan Strupczewski, Renee Maltezou / Reuters
Greece’s leftist prime minister said on Friday he was certain euro zone finance ministers would accept Athens’ request for an extended loan but Germany demanded “significant improvements” in Greek reform commitments.
UK Government Finances £8.8bn in Surplus in January
BBC
UK government finances showed a surplus of £8.8bn in January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. It is the highest surplus for seven years and higher than the revised £6.5bn reported for January 2014.
The Americas
Caracas Mayor Arrested on Sedition Accusation, Plunging Venezuela into New Crisis
Girish Gupta, Frances Robles / The New York Times
A new political crisis convulsed Venezuela on Friday over the arrest of the Caracas mayor, one of the country’s top opposition figures, accused by President Nicolás Maduro of abetting what he called an American plot to overthrow the government.
Central American Governments Disappointed by U.S. Immigration Delay
Nelson Renteria, Sofia Menchu, Gustavo Palencia / Reuters
Several Central American governments and Mexico said on Tuesday they were disappointed after a U.S. judge in Texas blocked President Barack Obama’s steps to ease the threat of deportation for 4.7 million undocumented immigrants, many of them from the region.
Africa
Somali President Condemns Al-Shabab Attack
Mohammed Yusuf / Voice of America
Somalia’s president has vowed to continue the country’s fight against terrorism after his deputy prime minister was wounded and at least 10 others were killed Friday when al-Shabab militants bombed a Mogadishu hotel.
Boko Haram Kill 21 in Nigeria Near Missing Girls’ Village
Lanre Ola / Reuters
Boko Haram militants fleeing a Nigerian army offensive killed 21 people on Friday in attacks near the northern village of Chibok, close to where the rebels abducted more than 200 schoolgirls last year, a military source said.
Asia
India Deploys Expert Teams to Study Rise in Flu Cases
Ellen Barry / The New York Times
Indian officials this week scrambled to cope with a rise in cases of the flu, which they say has sickened thousands of people and caused the deaths of 700 since the beginning of January.
China Protests Modi’s Visit to Disputed Border Region
Pete Sweeney / Reuters
China said on Friday it had lodged an official protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to a border region claimed by both countries. China disputes the entire territory of Arunachal Pradesh, calling it south Tibet. Its historic town Tawang, a key site for Tibetan Buddhism, was briefly occupied by Chinese forces during a 1962 war.
Energy Security, Science and Technology, Climate Change
Climate Change Activists Dismiss Fossil Fuel Divestment Push as a Waste of Time, Resources
Valerie Richardson / The Washington Times
Four years after its inception, the divestment movement is under attack, and not just from its natural enemies in the oil, gas and coal business. Opposition is also emerging from liberal analysts, scientists and professors who are wholeheartedly dedicated to combating climate change, but insist that divestment is a waste of time and resources.
UK on Track to Meet its Renewable Energy Targets
Fiona Harvey / The Guardian
The UK is on track to meet its renewable energy goals, with wind power substituting for gas and coal use and driving down greenhouse gas emissions, according to new analyses. However, the actions of the next government are likely to be crucial in deciding whether the legally binding targets can be met.
India Lowers Expectations for Paris Climate Talks
Jeff McMahon / Forbes
The Paris Climate Conference this December will not produce an agreement that is “environmentally optimal,” according to the Member of Parliament who served as India’s chief negotiator at the 2009 conference in Copenhagen.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Supporting the Arab Solution
Paul Hamill
In an oped this morning in the The Hill, I wrote with Fadi Elsalameen, ones of ASP’s Senior Adjunct Fellows, the need for the United States and its allies to support Arab nations and Arab solutions.
Ambassador Froman on the Geopolitical Stakes of America’s Trade Policy
Hugo Grondel
In an op-ed published on Wednesday by Foreign Policy, Ambassador Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative, outlines why international trade has become one of America’s most important foreign policy tools.
The Need for a Faster Global Health Response
Kennington Cung
The West Africa Ebola epidemic can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. With over 22,000 cases and over 9,000 deaths, it is the largest Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered almost forty years ago. The staggering loss of life in the region coupled with the destruction of families and communities is unfathomable. The importance of the wide media coverage and the large death tolls inflicted by Ebola is the lessons the local and international health organizations can learn from this.
What’s Going On in the Eurozone? The Greek Stalemate Explained.
Hugo Grondel
Last Monday, a top level meeting of Eurozone finance ministers in Brussels failed to yield a solution to Greece’s spiraling debt crisis. Greece finds itself isolated after its newly elected government has openly vowed to unilaterally end the austerity measures the country has been faced with since 2011.
No Fury like a Woman’s School
Luke Lorenz
To undermine our values, terrorists must resort to horrific acts of deplorable brutality. How advantageous that we need only give a girl a schoolbook for a proportionately horrified response.
Divestment Strategy Lacks Effectiveness for Addressing Climate Change
Philip Rossetti
Recently there has been a large push among universities to divest their endowments away from fossil fuels, and this is based upon a false assumption that divestment is an effective tool for reducing emissions. Divestment alone does not actually produce any emission reductions though, since it ignores basic functions of the market.
Department of Defense Reducing Energy Consumption: Why This is a GREAT Thing
William George
According to the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), energy used by the US Department of Defense fell to its lowest recorded level since fiscal year 1975 (FY 1975). DoD energy use fell to .75 quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs) in FY 2013, the lowest levels on record.
Strong Push for Export Bank
Luke Lorenz
Today, national security leaders submitted a letter to Congress to impress the importance of reauthorizing the Export Import Bank (often referred to as Ex-Im). The bank furthers international trade and enhances American national security.
Upcoming Events
Obama’s National Security Policy: A New Assessment
February 25 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Join the American Security Project on Wednesday, February 25, 2015 as we host researcher Seyom Brown as he discusses the national security policies of the Obama Administration versus previous presidents.
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
Effective Measures for Tackling Climate Change — Divestment
American Security Project
This report focuses on how effective fossil fuel divestment campaigns in the United States would be in combating the effects of global climate change, as well as explore various solutions that aim to mitigate and eventually reverse the effects of our current accelerating climate change.
White Paper – Military Public Diplomacy
American Security Project
The U.S. Department of State is hardly America’s sole player in the public diplomacy realm. For decades, the U.S. military has been at the forefront of America’s efforts to inform and influence public audiences abroad. Members of the United States Military are often the first Americans many foreign publics meet, and have a role in forging relationships and perceptions of America.
Fact Sheet: Yemen (2015)
American Security Project
Yemen has entered a new phase of instability and uncertainty, as a conflict between the Houthis and the country’s government led by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi eventually forced him and his cabinet to resign in January 2015. On January 25, Hadi then withdrew his resignation.
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