What We Are Reading

20 September 2012

Cheap natural gas hurting coal market

The Virginian-Pilot

Every lost job is a tragedy. And so there is pain in each of the 1,200 jobs being cut by Alpha Natural Resources, the company that bought the beleaguered Massey Energy.

North Slope Oil is Drying Up

Real Clean Energy

The Alaskan Pipeline System is very close to shutting down because of declining production on the North Slope. Since peaking at 2 million barrels per day in 1988, production has declined to just over 500,000 bbd.

A Step Forward for Fusion

Daniel Clery/Science

The Sandia National Laboratory is making progress on a new approach to fusion energy, known as MagLIF. Their research looks so promising that they believe that net energy gain is achievable cheaper and faster than traditional approaches.

Defense industry is reshaping itself in a multitude of ways

Marjorie Censer/The Washington Post

The defense industry is remaking itself in the face of changing technologies and shrinking budgets, with companies rushing to buy or sell vast lines of business to better position themselves for an uncertain future.

Afghanistan’s Karzai targets governors in anti-graft fight

Reuters

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai sacked five governors and made changes to the leadership of almost a third of the country’s 34 provinces on Thursday in a shakeout of corrupt or inept officials aimed at soothing foreign donors.

Israel to Iran: Jewish State Can Defend Itself

George Jahn/Associated Press

A senior Israeli official warned Iran on Wednesday to stop its “direct and blunt threats” against his country, telling a 155-nation nuclear conference the Jewish state is ready to defend itself against any nation that menaces its existence.

Japan, Under Pressure, Backs Off Goal to Phase Out Nuclear Power by 2040

Hiroko Tabuchi/the New York Times

TOKYO — In an abrupt turnabout, the Japanese government on Wednesday stopped short of formally adopting the goal it announced just last week — to phase out nuclear power by 2040 — after the plan drew intense opposition from business groups and communities whose economies depend on local nuclear power plants.

Iran underlines ‘right’ to nuclear energy

Najmeh Bozorgmehr/Financial Times

Military action against Iran would be “highly costly” for the US and threats issued by Mitt Romney as he tries to become the next American president are campaign rhetoric only and can be largely ignored, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian parliament, has told the FT.

Leader’s Tweets Offer a Distorted Tip in Assessing eDiplomacy

Andrew F. Cooper/ the Centre for International Governance Innovation

Publications sometime hit on an important topic that leaves more questions than answers. A good illustration is the release over the summer of a study from the PR firm Burson-Marsteller on “Twiplomacy.”

Pakistan anti-Islam film protests: Clashes in Islamabad

BBC News – Asia

Authorities in Pakistan are calling for assistance from the army in quelling protests outside the US Embassy in Islamabad against an American film considered offensive to Islam.

Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks

Jim Finkle and David Henry/Reuters

Following significant and still unexplained outages on JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America’s websites, the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) has increased the threat level for cyber attacks against US financial services.

Building a New Foundation with Yemen

Mark Jansson & Charles D. Ferguson/Science and Diplomacy

Promising opportunities exist for technical collaboration between American and Yemeni scientists and engineers who can play an important role in overcoming some of Yemen’s most pressing challenges, building a foundation for a more robust bilateral relationship, and paving the way to multilateral collaboration on issues affecting the region.

Japan’s Cabinet backpedals on totally phasing out nuclear energy; new regulatory agency starts

Associated Press

Japan’s Cabinet stopped short of a commitment Wednesday to phase out nuclear power by 2040, backtracking from an advisory panel’s recommendation in the face of opposition from pro-nuclear businesses and groups.

UK lawmakers seek moratorium on Arctic drilling

David Stringer / Associated Press

International governments should seek a moratorium on offshore drilling in the Arctic amid concern an oil spill in the region could cause catastrophic environmental damage, British lawmakers said Thursday

New ASP Report

Fact Sheet: Yemen

Joshua Foust

Yemen has become a focal point of the war on terrorism. The American Security Project compiled this fact sheet to lay out some basic facts about the country so we can better understand why things happen there.

From Our Flashpoint Blog

The New York Times Editorial Highlights Iran Report

Sean Boers

While much news coverage was devoted to the recent protests in the Middle East, the New York Times editorial board recently highlighted the Iran Project Report titled “Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Military Action Against Iran.”

ASP Video – Science and National Security

Consensus for American Security

Brigadier General John Adams USA (Ret.) sits down with ASP’s Andrew Holland to discussion the national security imperative in supporting science and R&D.

ASP Hosts Science & National Security Forum

American Security Project

This morning on Capitol Hill, The American Security Project, along with the American Geophysical Union, co-hosted an event entitled Science Supporting National Security. The event was made possible with the support of House members Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Judy Biggert (R-IL).

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