Key Reads
Air Force may send F-22s to Europe over Russia ‘threat’
Brad Lendon / CNN
The U.S. Air Force could be sending some of its most advanced warplanes to Europe in a show of force against Russian actions in Ukraine and elsewhere around the continent, the service’s top civilian said Monday
Yemen al-Qaeda chief al-Wuhayshi killed in US strike
BBC
Nasser al-Wuhayshi was a major global figure among jihadists – even supporters of al-Qaeda’s rival Islamic State viewed Wuhayshi with respect. His death is no doubt a big blow for AQAP – but it seems to have been prepared for this moment, swiftly naming another highly influential figure, Qasim al-Raymi, to succeed him.
American Competitiveness
What NAFTA can teach us about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal
Michael Muskal / LA Times
The Obama administration this week will continue to wrestle with reluctant congressional Democrats seeking a compromise to advance the president’s hoped-for legacy of expanding trading relations with Asia.
Greek PM tears into lenders, euro zone prepares for ‘Grexit’
Lefteris Papadimas and Erik Kirschbaum / Reuters
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lashed out at Greece’s creditors on Tuesday, accusing them of trying to “humiliate” Greeks, as he defied a drumbeat of warnings that Europe is preparing for his country to leave the euro.
National Security & Strategy
China to build Military Facilities on South China Sea Islets
Chun Han Wong / The Wall Street Journal
China said it is shifting work on disputed South China Sea islets from the dredging of land to the construction of military and other facilities as it pushes forward with a program that has aggravated tensions with the U.S. and neighbors.
North Korea boasts about rocket testings
Madison Park / CNN
The newspaper described the rockets as “highly intelligent” that detected and hit “enemy” warships in the drill. And it reported that Kim “appreciated their high concentrated firing” and apparently remarked that “shells seemed to have eyes.”
Asymmetric Operations
Turkey sees signs of ‘ethnic cleansing’ by Kurdish fighters in Syria
Humeyra Pamuk / Reuters
Turkey accused Kurdish militia in northern Syria on Tuesday of driving out civilians in areas it occupies and said it saw signs of “a kind of ethnic cleansing”.
Climate Security
American Are Again Getting More Worried About the Climate
David Leonhardt / New York Times
The financial crisis and recession made Americans more worried about the immediate condition of the economy, rather than about the long-term condition of the planet. About 69 percent of adults say that global warming is either a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem, according to a new Pew Research Center poll, up from 63 percent in 2010.
Energy Security
White House raises $4 billion for clean energy
Gregory Korte / USA Today
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says many investors see the risks associated with climate change are using their investments in clean energy “as a way to reduce risk in other parts of their portfolio.”
Nuclear Security
Senate Prepares to Review Iran Nuclear Deal
Laura Rozen / U.S. News & World Report
With negotiators from Iran and six world powers locked down in Vienna, almost continuously trying to meet the June 30 deadline for a final Iran nuclear deal, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has started holding a series of classified briefings and open hearings to prepare members to evaluate a prospective deal next month.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Fusion Energy-The National Security Requirement
Sophie Shafer-Landau
Fusion energy is real and will revolutionize the American energy system as a clean, safe, secure, and affordable energy source. Scientific breakthroughs in research institutions across America and around the world will allow fusion to be a viable source of power much sooner than many had thought.
Clark Derrington
TAA is a cornerstone of successful trade policy. Should it fail to pass after being reintroduced, the impact on American workers and companies, trade negotiations, and future trade deals would be severe in three key ways.
Rohingya Migration From Myanmar – A Complex, Cross-Border Challenge
Andrew Holland
Too often, we think of problems separated by borders and separated by issue. But the security issues of the 21st century involve complex, overlapping issues with multiple causes, that cross borders.
Steven Eisen
The current US nuclear reactors are near the end of their lifespans. Fifty reactors built in the 1970’s are still operating and could be retired by 2040 or earlier.
ASP Recently Published
White Paper: Economic Diplomacy
American Security Project
Economic diplomacy is the utilization of all national economic instruments in furtherance of the national interest when engaging with other nations. It is the new frontier of foreign policy in an interconnected world. Principles in Action: Economic Diplomacy as the New Face of American Global Leadership, explains and analyses a variety of U.S. economic diplomacy efforts, and provides key recommendations for improvement.
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