Key Reads

Obama rejects Keystone XL project
Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post
President Obama rejected a presidential permit Friday for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, citing concerns about its impact on the climate.

Climate Change Is the ‘Mother of All Risks’ to National Security
Jon Powers / TIME Magazine
Serving at Pentagon, I worked with leaders who studied threats ranging from insurgent groups to rogue states. One of the U.S. military’s less-noticed findings, however, is that there is clear consensus that climate change poses an immediate risk to national security.

Ashton Carter: Gulf Arabs Need to Get in the Fight
Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic
In an interview, the U.S. defense secretary says America’s Arab allies need fewer expensive weapons systems—and more will to battle ISIS and Iran on the ground.

Russian President wants flights from his country to Egypt suspended, report says
CNN
In a stunning turnaround, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that flights from his country to Egypt should be suspended until it’s clear what brought down Metrojet Flight 9268, according to Russian state news.

 

American Competitiveness

Strong hiring drives unemployment rate to 5%
CNN
The U.S. economy added 271,000 jobs in October, far better than sluggish gains in September and any forecasts and the best monthly gain of 2015.

AmCham Singapore Calls On US Congress To Support TPP
Bernama
The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (AmCham) has welcomed the formal White House’s announcement of President Barack Obama’s intention to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as well as the release of the full text.

National Security & Strategy

‘Hope to see you again’: China warship to U.S. destroyer after South China Sea patrol
Yeganeh Torbati / Reuters
As soon as the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen breached 12-nautical-mile territorial limits around one of China’s man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea last week, a Chinese warship shadowing its movements began demanding answers.

Russian plane crash: How has airport security changed?
Justin Parkinson / BBC
A bomb is being cited as the most likely cause of a plane crash which killed 224 people. But has anything changed in recent years to make passengers safer?

Obama’s outreach to tyrants approach will be tested by Burmese elections
David Nakamura / Washington Post
On a short flight aboard Air Force One, President Obama placed a phone call he hoped would have long-lasting implications.

 

Asymmetric Operations

Syria conflict: ‘Mustard gas used’ in Marea attack
BBC
Mustard gas was used in an attack on a town in northern Syria in August, chemical weapons experts are reported to have concluded.

What empowers ISIS
Peter Bergen / CNN
Whether or not ISIS brought down Metrojet Flight 9268 in the Sinai Peninsula, the terrorist group has catapulted itself from obscurity to lead the global jihadist movement in just 18 months.

Climate Security

Exxon Mobil accused of climate change cover-up
BBC
Oil giant Exxon Mobil is being investigated for misleading the public about the impact of climate change.

More Oil Companies Could Join Exxon Mobil as Focus of Climate Investigations
Clifford Kraus / New York Times
The opening of an investigation of Exxon Mobil by the New York attorney general’s office into the company’s record on climate change may well spur legal inquiries into other oil companies, according to legal and climate experts, although successful prosecutions are far from assured.

Energy Security

Oil slides as dollar jumps; down 4 percent on the week
Barani Krishnan / Reuters
Oil prices were down for a third straight day on Friday, on track to their third weekly decline in four, as the dollar rallied on expectations of a rate hike before the year-end after strong U.S. jobs growth for October.
Nuclear Security

In Iran, a Deal and Then a Crackdown
Editorial Board / New York Times
The anti-American backlash in Iran since the nuclear deal was signed has gotten so bad that one Iranian-American businessman in Tehran now likens it to a witch hunt. As alarming as that is, the crackdown will probably get worse.
On Our Flashpoint Blog

Improving the Relationship Between the U.S. and Iran with Ambassador Thomas Pickering
Sam Hickey
On Monday November 2, 2015, Ambassador Thomas Pickering visited American University to address Improving the Relationship Between the U.S. and Iran.

GMOs Play a Key Role in Climate and National Security
Ricky Gandhi
Climate change has had notable impacts on our environment and national security, serving as a “threat multiplier,” according to the Department of Defense. The argument goes that climate change can exacerbate existing conflict by making already-scarce resources ever scarcer, such as land and water.

Reality, Risk and Potential: Managing Today’s Conflicts
Sam Hickey
On Monday, October 26th at the Council on Foreign Relation’s, Foreign Affairs and the International Crisis Group (ICG) in New York hosted an event on “Reality, Risk, and Potential: Managing Today’s Conflicts.” The event featured panels of experts consisting of think tank fellows, academics, journalists, and business professionals.

Israel’s Energy Choice
Spencer Shweky
A few weeks ago Genie Energy, an American energy company, announced that it had found significant quantities of oil and gas in Israel’s disputed Golan Heights territory. Since then, many have speculated that these new-found reserves may be large enough to eventually make Israel self-sufficient in energy.

Upcoming Events

College of Charleston Event – Climate Change: Risks for National Security
November 09 @ 4:00pm – 5:30pm
Join ASP in Charleston, NC for a discussion with senior flag officers as they discuss the steps the US military has taken and future implications for our national security.

Hill Briefing: Opportunities in International Climate Cooperation
November 10 @ 3:00pm-4:00pm
Please join us in 121 Canon HOB for a discussion of the latest updates and developments in international climate policy as nations prepare for international negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), set to take place in Paris, France from November 30 – December 11, 2015.

TPP: Implications of the Trans-Pacific Partnership for Global and Regional Stability
November 19 @ 12:30pm – 2:00pm
This event will include a panel discussion featuring key leaders well versed in the economic and security impact of free trade from several TPP nations. The event will conclude with a keynote address from Representative Don Beyer (D, VA-8), former Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

ASP Recently Published

Climate Diplomacy: A Strategy for American Leadership
American Security Project       
In December, 2015, the world will gather in Paris in an attempt to finally address the challenge of climate change. The stakes are high: failure would only make addressing climate change more costly and difficult and could have repercussions on broader national security goals. But “Climate Diplomacy” is not just about a single conference in Paris: it must be a bipartisan, long-standing priority for the U.S. government.

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