Key Reads

 

Greek bailout: Europe strikes deal after marathon talks
CNN
Europe has offered Greece a new $96 billion bailout after its government agreed to enact deep economic reforms under close supervision by its creditors.

 

Diplomats Close to Clinching Iran Nuclear Deal
Dan De Luce / Foreign Policy
Negotiators from Iran and six world powers appear close to securing a landmark agreement with Iran that would impose limits on the country’s nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.

 

Cameron pleads for UK to ramp up fight against ISIS
Julian Hattem / The Hill
United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron is pushing to spend more money on drones and other technology to confront Islamic extremists.

 

 

American Competitiveness & Economic Diplomacy
With Ban on Exports Lifted, Japan Arms Makers Cautiously Market Wares Abroad
Jonathan Soble / NY Times
Less than 1 percent of Japan’s industrial output is military-related, but some of the nation’s large industrial conglomerates have long had sidelines in military production.

 

China and Russia Lay Foundation for Massive Economic Cooperation
Reid Standish / Foreign Policy
In the past decade, Beijing and Moscow have been more competitors than partners. But that relationship may now be changing as Russian and Chinese leaders are considering combining their two countries’ regional economic projects — the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt, respectively.

 

 

National Security & Strategy

 

U.S. Wants Drones in North Africa to Combat Islamic State in Libya
Adam Entous and Gordon Lubold / WSJ
The U.S. is in talks with North African countries about positioning drones at a base on their soil to ramp up surveillance of Islamic State in Libya in what would be the most significant expansion of the campaign against the extremist group in the region.

 

Islamic State Audio Tape Raises Doubt Whether Afghan Leader Dead
NY Times via Reuters
On Monday ISIS released an audio tape it said was Hafez Saeed, the group’s leader for Afghanistan, raising doubts over whether he was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Friday as reported.

 

Feds Get Aggressive on Terror Threats
Julian Hattem / The Hill
Law enforcement officials are taking a more aggressive stance against suspected would-be terrorists, with the rise of “lone wolves” spurring a change in mentality.Federal officials say a string of recent arrests is a sign of the need to be constantly on guard for plots against the nation that are inspired — but not orchestrated — by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS).

 

 

Asymmetric Operations

 

 

Car Bomb Kills 33 in Afghanistan Near U.S. Base
NY Times via Reuters A suicide car bomb on Sunday killed 33 people and wounded 10 in southeastern Afghanistan, close to a U.S. base that was once used by the CIA, police said.
Tunisian government claims to have killed top terrorists
The Guardian via Associated Press
Tunisia’s interior minister has said that government forces have killed an extremist leader and nearly wiped out his group, as European tourists continue to leave the country amid fears of new attacks.

 

Islamic State ‘behind blast’ at Italian consulate in Cairo

BBC
Islamic State militants have said they were behind a deadly explosion that severely damaged the Italian consulate in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. At least one person died and several people were injured when a car bomb went off at the building.

 

 

Climate Security

 

States consider defying Obama climate rule
Timothy Cama / The Hill
Governors of some conservative states are threatening to disregard President Obama’s signature climate rule for power plants, potentially creating a showdown with the federal government.

 

Australia Blocks Government Spending for Wind Farms
David Henry / The Hill
The Australian government is blocking the country’s $7.4 billion renewable energy fund from investing in wind power.

 

 

Energy Security

 

Nuclear Plant Closing Reflects Overhaul of German Energy Production
Melissa Eddy / NY Times
The shutdown is a milestone in the country’s push to establish a nuclear-free energy system by 2022. The plant became the first active reactor to be decommissioned since 2011, following Chancellor Angela Merkel’s about-face on nuclear power after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant catastrophe in Japan.

 

Oil Production Shows Signs of Flagging
Nicole Friedman / WSJ
The U.S. and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have flooded the world with crude oil, sending prices tumbling. But the abundance has overshadowed declining production in areas—from Colombia to Norway to northern China—that experts consider vital to long-term supply growth.

 

 

Nuclear Security

 

Russia To Continue Tests On Nuclear-Capable Iskander Short-Range Ballistic Missiles Near Ukraine
Christopher Harress / International Business Times
A Russian military unit will be testing the Iskander ballistic missile near the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea this month, the press service of the southern region of Krasnodar said Monday. The tests, which are in range of many Eastern European countries further ratchet up the tension that has been escalating between U.S.-led NATO and Russia since Moscow annexed Crimea 16 months ago and got involved in the eastern Ukraine conflict.

 

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

 

Hearing on Department of Homeland Security and Climate Change
Andrew Holland
On Wednesday, July 8, 2015, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency of the House Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing on how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is addressing the threats of climate change.

 

The DHS Response to Climate Change
Clark Derrington
On July 8th, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency of the House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing about the Department of Homeland Security’s response to the growing threat of climate change. Subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) called the hearing to examine DHS’s “misplaced focus” on climate change, and asked questions of two panels of witnesses.

 

Appropriators Should Support the Green Climate Fund
American Security Project
In a world already facing many threats, militaries around the world have recognized a new one: climate change. In order to fight this new threat, as the Appropriations Committee considers the Fiscal Year 2016 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, it is important that the Senate supports the $500 million for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) that was requested in President Obama’s budget. Although the subcommittee’s legislation did not include funding for the GCF, Senators should consider an amendment that would fund the new institution.

 

 

ASP Recently Added

 

Perspective – Energy and Geopolitics in the Eastern Mediterranean
American Security Project
Since 2009, there have been a succession of substantial natural gas finds in the Levantine Basin, under the Mediterranean Sea between Israel and Cyprus. How to regulate, tax, and export the gas continues to be controversial in Israeli politics. However, the strategic benefits of using energy resources to more closely tie Israel with its long-hostile neighbors are too compelling to ignore. This report analyzes the risks and opportunities involved in such an endeavor.

 

Perspective: Potential Areas of Cooperation Between the U.S. and Cuba

American Security Project
Latin America and the Caribbean are critical regions for U.S. security, but the lack of open communication between the U.S. and Cuba weakens America’s ability to operate in these areas. Open dialogue with Cuba will help the U.S. maintain security, and could also bring potential economic opportunities.

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