International News Coverage
Middle East, Terrorism and Counterterrorism
‘Jihadi John’ Unmasking Raises Questions for British Security Forces
Henry Ridgwell / Voice of America
The identity of the masked man in several Islamic State videos showing the beheading of foreign hostages has been widely reported as Kuwaiti-born Briton Mohammed Emwazi. He was previously known to British security services, and some are now asking why they did not prevent him from traveling to Syria.
Islamic State Under Pressure as Kurds Take Syrian Town
Mariam Karouny / Reuters
Kurdish forces dealt a blow to Islamic State by capturing an important town on Friday in the latest stage of a powerful offensive in northeast Syria, a Kurdish militia spokesman said. Islamic State has been forced into retreat across parts of the strategic region, a land bridge between territory it controls in Syria and Iraq, even as its fighters have mounted new raids this week on Assyrian Christian villages, abducting more than 200 people.
Europe
Is Greece Becoming a New Russian Satellite State?
David Patrikarakos / The Daily Beast
The Kremlin’s strategy of supporting the far left and the far right, playing on resentment of Berlin and Brussels, is bearing fruit.
Shaky Ukraine Ceasefire Takes Hold, But Tensions Rise Over Gas Supply
Laura Smith-Spark, Diana Magnay / CNN
A dispute over natural gas supply flared Friday between Russia and Ukraine, even as a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine appeared to be taking hold.
Greek Debt Crisis: German MPs Back Bailout Extension
BBC
The German parliament has voted to extend financial aid to Greece by another four months. The extension – approved by creditors last week in exchange for a series of Greek government reforms – needs to be ratified by eurozone members. Some MPs had expressed doubts about the deal and there is substantial public scepticism but the vote passed easily.
The Americas
Cuba’s Spot on U.S. Terror List Gums Up Restoration of Relations
Randal C. Archibold / The New York Times
As Cuban diplomats gather in Washington on Friday for historic talks to restore relations with the United States, their diplomatic entourage may carry something even more tangible than political demands: bundles of cash.
Holder Says U.S. Malls Should ‘Step Up’ Security: CNN
Lisa Lambert / Reuters
Shopping mall operators need to increase security through more staff, cameras and other techniques in light of threats made against the Mall of America in Minnesota and other shopping centers by Somali-based Islamist militants this week, outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said.
Mexico Captures Drug Lord Servando ‘La Tuta’ Gomez
The Guardian
Mexico has captured the country’s most wanted drug lord, Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, police have said, in a boost for President Enrique Peña Nieto as he struggles to contain gang violence.
Africa
Fatality Rate is Falling in West African Ebola Clinics
Donald C. McNeil Jr. / The New York Times
As the Ebola epidemic in West Africa wanes, physicians from Doctors Without Borders are confronting a mystery: More of their patients are surviving. They do not know why.
U.S. Moves Toward Greater Trade with Africa
Neanda Salvaterra / The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. completed a deal that commits five African countries to reducing trade barriers in a plan that also provides them with technical assistance to export mostly African agricultural products to American consumers.
Asia
China Draft Counterterror Law Strikes Fear in Foreign Tech Firms
Michael Martina, Krista Hughes / Reuters
China is weighing a far-reaching counterterrorism law that would require technology firms to hand over encryption keys and install security “backdoors”, a potential escalation of what some firms view as the increasingly onerous terms of doing business in the world’s second largest economy.
Energy Security, Science and Technology, Climate Change
Most Americans See Combating Climate Change as a Moral Duty
Bruce Wallace / Reuters
A significant majority of Americans say combating climate change is a moral issue that obligates them – and world leaders – to reduce carbon emissions, a Reuters/IPSOS poll has found.
Investing in America’s Next Energy Boom
Norman Augustine, Chad Holliday / The Hill
While few outside the industry realize it, the energy boom America enjoys today would not be nearly as robust without substantial investments in energy research and development made by presidents and members of Congress of both parties over the past four decades. These basic science and technology advances, together with private sector innovations and commercialization, helped spawn dozens of technologies, fundamentally transforming America’s oil and gas production, renewable energy, energy efficiency and much else.
The FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules: What We Know So Far
Grant Gross / PCWorld
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to pass new net neutrality rules and reclassify broadband as a regulated telecommunications service, but the text of the full order may not be released for several weeks. Here’s what we know so far:
On Our Flashpoint Blog
ASP Senior Fellow Seyom Brown Discusses Obama’s National Security Policy
William George
On Wednesday, February 25, 2015, the American Security Project hosted Dr. Seyom Brown in a discussion of President Obama’s national security policy. Dr. Brown sat down with ASP CEO BGen Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret) and examined key questions regarding the current Administration’s national security policy choices and highlighting key resemblances to the past policies of the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations.
Concerns Over the Daesh and Libya
Luke Lorenz
ASP Board Member Admiral William J. Fallon, U.S. Navy (retired) appeared last week on Fox Business’ Neil Cavuto show to provide insight and analysis on the emerging extremist threat in Libya. While he has significant concerns for the region, he also offered suggestions which have been echoed by other allies in the fight against ISIS.
The Long Final Leap Against Polio in Pakistan
Kennington Cung
On February 23, 2015, in Quetta, Pakistan over 400 teams of healthcare workers began an eight day campaign to inoculate of 478,000 children against polio. The men and women bring with them paperwork, information handouts, coolers containing the vaccines, and an extensive military security detail. With another four workers found murdered just ten day prior, bringing the death toll to eighty six, the heightened security is not only important for the safety of health workers but also crucial to keep the momentum to eradicate polio. Being a health worker in Pakistan and Afghanistan has become a deadly profession that has led to the increase of polio cases over the past few years in the region.
CVE—is about the choice we set
Paul Hamill
Today we have seen the arrest of three Americans plotting to commit terrorist acts here in the homeland and join Daesh/ ISIS. We also saw earlier this week three young women fly from the UK to Turkey, and now possibly enter Syria to do the same – and join Daesh.
Falsely Framed Debates about Our Options on Iran
BGen Stephen A. Cheney and Sungtae “Jacky” Park
The two actual alternatives that Washington must choose between are an Iran without nuclear weapons as a result of a deal or an Iran with nuclear weapons which could eventually emerge out of failed negotiations.
America’s Role in the Arctic: Opportunity and Security in the High North
Andrew Holland
Today, melting ice is opening the Arctic to economic exploitation. Inevitably, geopolitics has followed, with countries as far from the Arctic as China, India, and Singapore expressing interest in the region. Russia has significantly stepped up its military activity along their Arctic shore and in the Arctic Sea.
Eurozone Reaches Preliminary Deal With Greece
Hugo Grondel
After a week of tense negotiations, the finance ministers of the Eurozone have managed to carve out a preliminary deal with Greece. Previous attempts by Greece to renegotiate the terms of their bailout program failed last Monday.
Upcoming Events
Congressional Breakfast Conversation on National Security Strategy
March 11 @ 9:30am – 10:00am
Well-informed congressional leaders are key to ensuring the national security of our nation. For that reason, American Security Project (ASP), is hosting a breakfast roundtable discussion on strategic approaches to national security issues from a nonpartisan perspective.
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
Global Natural Gas Pivot to Asia
American Security Project
Asia currently has two of the world’s three largest economies, and its energy needs to fuel these economies are continuing to grow. Energy suppliers are increasingly looking to exploit this market demand, trying to secure their market share in an economy with a long term demand. To this effect, energy suppliers are looking to how they can best fulfill the needs of the Asian energy markets.
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.
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