Key Reads
Pacific pact negotiators agree trade rules for six subjects: Japan government source
Ami Miyazaki / Reuters
Negotiators for the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed trade rules for six broad categories as officials race to conclude a trade pact, a Japanese government source said on Thursday.
China Warns North Korean Nuclear Threat Is Rising
Jeremy Page and Jay Solomon / Wall Street Journal
China’s top nuclear experts have increased their estimates of North Korea’s nuclear weapons production well beyond most previous U.S. figures, suggesting Pyongyang can make enough warheads to threaten regional security for the U.S. and its allies.
American Competitiveness & Economic Diplomacy
EU Considers Creating Powerful Regulators to Oversee Web Platforms
Tom Fairless / The Wall Street Journal
The European Union is considering creating a powerful new regulator to oversee a swath of mainly U.S.-based Internet platforms, according to an internal policy document that lays bare the deep concerns in top EU policy circles around the threat posed by companies like Google Inc. and Facebook Inc.
Merkel to press Greece’s Tsipras for progress on reforms
Reinhard Becker / Reuters
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was expected to press Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday to move faster to agree detailed economic reforms crucial to unlock international bailout funds before Athens runs out of cash.
National Security & Strategy
Watch a step in Navy history: an autonomous drone gets refueled mid-air
Christian Davenport / Washington Post
In what the Navy said was a major breakthrough, an unmanned X-47B aircraft became the first drone to be refueled in mid-air. Flying over the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday, the aircraft, built by Northrop Grumman, remained steady behind Omega K-707 tanker and received 4,000 pounds of fuel through a long hose, known as a drogue.
EU leaders to pledge rescue for migrants, but no fix for problem
Alastair Macdonald and Philip Pullella / Reuters
European Union leaders will reverse a cutback in rescue operations in the Mediterranean on Thursday to try to prevent record numbers of people drowning as they try to flee war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
Evacuation as Calbuco volcano erupts in Chile
BBC News
The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile has erupted twice in the space of a few hours – having lain dormant for decades.
A chill is already in the air ahead of the next meeting of the Arctic Council
Carol Morello / Washington Post
On Friday, diplomats from eight nations will meet in the Baffin Island town of Iqaluit, located in Canada’s far north, as the United States takes the reins of a body known as the Arctic Council.
Asymmetric Operations
Defense Secretary unveils new Pentagon cyberstrategy
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post
Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter will unveil a Pentagon cyberstrategy Thursday that stresses deterrence, private-sector partnerships and transparency.
Ukraine troops shelled by pro-Russian rebels near Mariupol
BBC News
Pro-Russian rebels have shelled Ukrainian army positions east of the key city of Mariupol in breach of a ceasefire deal, the BBC has witnessed.
Saudis launch new air strikes on rebels
BBC News
Saudi-led coalition warplanes have struck Houthi rebels across Yemen in fresh raids, two days after announcing the end of a month-long air campaign.
With 580 U.S. boots on the ground in Ukraine, what’s Vladimir Putin’s next move?
Josh Cohen / Reuters
As the crisis in Ukraine drags on, U.S.-Russia relations continue to deteriorate. The United States has just taken a step that risks bringing that relationship to a new low.
Climate Security
The Obama administration wants to slash emissions from agriculture.
Chris Mooney / Washington Post
When we talk about why the planet is warming, we talk about fossil fuels — oil, gas, coal and their many variants. What we rarely say or think to say, though, is that’s not the whole story.
Climate change: Paris ‘last chance’ for action
Helen Briggs / BBC News
Scientists are calling on world leaders to sign up to an eight-point plan of action at landmark talks in Paris.
Energy Security
Chinese banks must cut coal lending, shift to cleaner businesses
Kathy Chen /Reuters
China needs to cut lending to coal-related industries and shift more financing to cleaner businesses in order to address a huge funding gap that is hindering the country’s war on pollution, a study drawn up in part by central bank researchers said.
Liquid Batteries for Solar and Wind Power
Henry Fountain / New York Times
In an industrial park on the outskirts of Pullman, Wash., 10 white storage trailers sit side by side, neatly arranged in two rows.
Nuclear Security
Diplomatic push for final Iran nuclear deal in Vienna
Parisa Hafezi / Reuters
U.S. Under Secretary Wendy Sherman and Tehran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will resume talks about curbing Iran’s nuclear program later on Thursday, Iranian media said.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
The Geopolitics of TTIP: ASP Conference
William George
On Thursday, April 16th, The American Security Project held a conference entitled “The Geopolitics of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).” The conference consisted of two panels and featured a keynote address from Liliane Ploumen, the Minster for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation for the Netherlands. The conference explored TTIP’s potential in redefining transatlantic cooperation between the US and EU in the economic, security, and political spheres.
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.
Understanding the Iran Nuclear Deal
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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