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National Security Strategy

Rethink our Russian relationship

Sen. Gary Hart / The Hill

As an American with more than average interest and experience in Russia, it is a mystery to me why, unlike virtually every other country on earth, U.S. policy has tended to be so dependent on the personal relationship between the respective leaders.

Defense austerity the GOP can believe in

Joshua Foust / PBS

Some, however, see defense austerity as an opportunity for Republicans to eliminate waste. While the broader strategic issues of national strategy need more public debate – the basic question of America’s place in the world remains weirdly unsettled  – there are huge gaps in the budget that can be closed to create substantial cost savings. This would reinforce the traditional Republican strengths of promoting smaller, smarter government, while also addressing the push from the Democrats to cut defense spending and having a minimal effect on the core strategic interests of the country.

Russia warns West against military action in Syria

BASSEM MROUE and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV / Associated Press

Syria’s powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent.

Asymmetric Operations

Afghan official: 12 killed by suicide attacker

AP

An Afghan official says 12 people have been killed by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle in southern Afghanistan.

US says al-Qaida magazine got into Guantanamo cell

RICHARD LARDNER  / Associated Press

U.S. prosecutors say a copy of a magazine published by an arm of al-Qaida made its way to a terror suspect at the Guantanamo Bay prison, leading to an inspection of cells and a contentious new policy requiring special review teams to examine correspondence between prisoners and attorneys.

Taliban peace talks ‘at risk’ as Obama stalls on Guantánamo

Julian Borger / The Guardian

Europeans fear US failing to appreciate ‘game-changing’ offer could prompt Afghan ceasefire ‘as early as 2012′…. Other European officials are not as confident as Semple that the talks could lead to a cessation of hostilities, pointing to wide differences between the parties. The Taliban insists on the complete removal of foreign troops, while the US and the Kabul government are negotiating a “strategic partnership” agreement which would establish long-term US bases in Afghanistan. Kabul and its western backers also insist that Afghanistan’s present constitution, including women’s rights, should be accepted as part of the agreement, while the Taliban argues some of the constitution conflicts with Islam.

Energy and Climate Security

Brussels plots more ITER funding

Keith Nuthall  / Utilities / Weekly

THE European Commission has drafted a plan ensuring cash-strapped international nuclear fusion project ITER would have funding of Euro EUR2.573 billion from 2014 to 2018.

The morning after: Detroit automakers support federal fuel economy standards — to a degree

Michael Wayland | MLive.com 

Everyone from automakers and environmentalists to a priest from Marysville were in Detroit Tuesday to express their opinions on proposed 2017-2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. 

On the ASP Flashpoint blog:

Holland: Keystone Pipeline to be Rejected

I have written previously on this blog, in a very long post, that the Keystone XL Pipeline was simply not necessary for America’s energy security. The very real environmental costs, including increased greenhouse gas emissions and substantial environmental degradation in northern Alberta, are not worth the questionable benefits to American security, especially given that much of the imported Canadian oil would simply be re-exported due to changes in America’s refining capacity.

Wallin: Measuring the Nuclear Threat

The Nuclear Threat Initiative just released its new Nuclear Materials Security Index, which ranks countries on based on the condition of nuclear materials security. It’s an impressive report on a difficult subject, especially due to the difficulty of finding publicly available information on nuclear security measures.

Wallin: Ending the Nuclear Budget Ambiguity

Stephen Schwartz, one of the foremost experts on the U.S. nuclear budget, just released a perspective on the lack of accountability in American nuclear spending.  As he explains, in the nearly 7 decades that the U.S. nuclear program has existed, no one in the government has a clear explanation as to how much the U.S. actually spends on nuclear weapons and their related programs.

Holland on Iran and Global Oil Prices

As Iran claims to become closer to building the capacity to develop a nuclear weapon, the rest of the world, led by the U.S., has worked to ratchet up sanctions. The U.S. has had an economic embargo on all imports from Iran since the fall of the Shah in 1979. Just last week, President Obama signed legislation to strengthen those sanctions by imposing restrictions on the Iranian central bank, making it harder for them to sell their oil. This is already causing problems for their economy, with a run on the Iranian Rial.

About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.

For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org. info@americansecurityproject.org

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