Key Reads
Saudi Planes Strike Again in Yemen, Hours After Operation Ends
Mohammed Tawfeeq, Ed Payne / CNN
Saudi Arabia launched a new series of airstrikes in southern Yemen on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after announcing the end of its Operation Decisive Storm, a nearly monthlong air campaign against Houthi positions.
Italy PM Urges United EU Action to Tackle Migrant Crisis
Isla Binnie, Philip Pullella / Reuters
The European Union must take a collective stand to tackle migrant trafficking at its source in African countries, Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Wednesday ahead of an emergency summit of the bloc’s leaders to discuss the crisis.
American Competitiveness
Fed’s Rate Decisions Hang on Dollar, Growth Concerns
Jon Hilsenrath / The Wall Street Journal
The strong U.S. dollar and an unsteady global economy are emerging as primary concerns for Federal Reserve officials as they prepare for a policy meeting next week to consider the timing of the first interest-rate increase since before the financial crisis.
Report: Ports Contribute $4.6 Trillion to US Economy
Keith Laing / The Hill
Ports contribute $4.6 trillion to the U.S. economy, according to a new study released on Tuesday by the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) . The report, which was conducted by Lancaster, Pa.-based Martin Associates, found that the economic value of ports rose by 43 percent between 2007 and 2014, despite recurring labor issues that have often threatened the flow of cargo packages into the U.S.
National Security & Strategy
Xi Jinping of China and Shinzo Abe of Japan Meet Amid Slight Thaw in Ties
Jane Perlez / The New York Times
China’s president, Xi Jinping, and Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, met in Indonesia on Wednesday, a signal of a continued slight warming in relations that still remain frosty between Asia’s two biggest economies.
Timing of Sanctions Relief May Be Deal Breaker as Iran Talks Resume
Shadia Nasralla / Reuters
The timing of sanctions relief is the sticking point in nuclear talks between Iran and the six major world powers this week in Vienna, where negotiations kicked off on Wednesday with a meeting between delegates from Tehran and the European Union.
Asymmetric Operations
Taliban Announce Plans to Ramp Up Attacks in Afghanistan
Jessica Donati / Reuters
The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday announced the start of its annual spring offensive, warning it would ramp up attacks on foreign embassies and government officials, as well as military targets, starting on Friday.
France Police Arrest Man ‘Planning to Attack Churches’
BBC
French police have arrested a man suspected of planning an attack on “one or two churches” in a Paris suburb, the country’s interior minister has said. The man, a 24-year-old Algerian national, was detained on Sunday in Paris after he apparently shot himself by accident and called an ambulance.
Islamic State Killings Spur Official Protest in Ethiopia Capital
William Davison / Bloomberg
Tens of thousands of people attended a government-organized rally in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, three days after the Islamic State in Libya issued a video purporting to show the murder of about 30 migrants from the Horn of Africa nation.
Islamic State in Afghanistan: Raising the Black Flag?
The Economist
For months the presence of Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan was the subject of rumours and little more. Small splinter groups of local militants hoisted black flags, but they showed no sign of operational connections to the self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq. Their talk sounded like fanciful bluster.
Where The Grave Isn’t Free: An Afghan Interpreter Struggles Wish US Resettlement
Pete Cobus / Voice of America News
The former war zone interpreter is among an estimated 15,000 Afghans who risked their lives and endangered their families to guide U.S. forces through their longest-ever conflict. While Aimal’s five years of service exposed him to Taliban militants’ death threats, marked all his relatives as traitors and frightened him into locking himself in his Kabul home for months, it also earned him a prized U.S. visa.
Climate Security
Earth Day: Scientists Say 75% of Known Fossil Fuel Reserves Must Stay in Ground
Adam Vaughan / The Guardian
Three-quarters of known fossil fuel reserves must be kept in the ground if humanity is to avoid the worst effects of climate change, a group of leading scientists and economists have said in a statement timed to coincide with Earth Day.
Obama Turns Up Heat on Climate Change Debate in Florida
Kevin Liptak / CNN
President Barack Obama will venture into the South Florida Everglades on Wednesday to lend urgency to his environmental agenda, declaring the dangers of climate change an imminent threat to the state’s economy.
Energy Security
Oil Prices Lifted by U.S. Production Decline
Humanshu Ojha /Reuters
Oil prices rose on Wednesday after the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a decline in U.S. production. Brent crude for June delivery LCOc1 was up 66 cents at $62.74 a barrel by 1358 GMT, after touching an intraday low of $61.39.
EU Charges Gazprom With Market Abuse
BBC
The European Commission (EC) has charged Gazprom with abusing its dominant market position in Central and Eastern European gas markets. The Commission said its preliminary view was that the Russian energy giant was breaking EU anti-trust rules. It added Gazprom may have limited its customers’ ability to resell gas, potentially allowing it to charge unfair prices in some EU member states.
The U.S.’s Energy Infrastructure Will Need Major Changes, Says Obama Report
Chris Mooney / The Washington Post
The U.S. electric grid will require major changes to reposition itself for the future challenges of climate change, new technologies, and national security in coming decades, according to a first-ever “Quadrennial Energy Review” released by the Obama administration.
Nuclear Security
U.S. and South Korea Reach Revised Nuclear Deal
Choe Sang-Hun / The New York Times
After four and a half years of low-key yet highly sensitive negotiations, the United States and South Korea announced a revised treaty on Wednesday that continues to deny — but not permanently rule out — South Korea the right to enrich uranium or reprocess spent nuclear fuel, even for peaceful purposes.
Inching Towards 2016 Nuclear Security Summit
Voice of Journalists
After the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the US, many spectators voiced their fear about the existence of high probability of a nuclear threat, that the terrorist could acquire and use nuclear weapons to achieve their political-cum-religious motives. The nuclear security summit (NSS) which was born out of President Obama’s Prague speech delivered in April 2009 also aims at preventing threats associated with nuclear terrorism.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Gov. Christine Todd Whitman: Climate Change Calls for Clean and Safe Energy
Sungtae “Jacky” Park
On April 10, former Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman, currently the Chairwoman of American Security Project and the President of the Whitman Strategy Group (WSG), spoke at the World Affairs Council of Hilton Head Island about climate change and clean energy. Ms. Whitman also served as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency between 2001 and 2003.
Philip Rossetti
On Tuesday, April 14th, the National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden, Dr. Colin Kahl, briefed members of the ASP Board and Consensus for American Security on the framework deal for Iran’s nuclear program, and how it closes off Iran’s four pathways to developing a bomb.
ASP Adjunct Fellow to Work at World’s Expo 2015 in Milan
Paul Hamill
The American Security Project would like to congratulate Adjunct Fellow Sharon Yang on her new position as Chief Protocol Officer for the U.S. Pavilion at the World’s Expo 2015 in Milan. Ms. Yang is an experienced finance consultant and has worked on the election campaigns of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Upcoming Events
ASU EVENT – Climate Change: Risks for National Security
April 28 @ 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Climate change is already a major consideration for US military planners. Meanwhile, American politicians continue to ignore the issue. 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.
ASP Recently Published
Critical Issues Facing Russia and the Former Soviet Union: Governance and Corruption
American Security Project
When it comes to Russia and the other post-Soviet states, corruption is the subject of constant academic, policy, and popular debate. According to many, persistent corruption is the major factor undermining post-Soviet states from achieving broad-based political, economic, and social development along liberal-democratic lines.
Environmental Threats to Louisiana’s Future: Climate Change
American Security Project
As one of the centers of energy production, transit, and storage, Louisiana is a hub for the whole country. This ensures that any problems in Louisiana are transferred throughout the country by energy price volatility and uncertainty.
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