We strive to examine issues important to U.S. national security from a post-partisan perspective, meaning we try to break through the spin to find ideas we can use to encourage fresh thinking and build genuine consensus.
What we are reading
posted by Kelvin Lum on April 5, 2012 at 12:17 pm
U.N. pressures Syria to heed peace plan
CNN
Syria said Thursday that it had taken several steps to comply with a peace plan championed by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan, including the withdrawal of troops from three regions and the expansion of Red Cross humanitarian access.
Analysis: In Iraq, oil majors play north versus south
Patrick Markey and Peg Mackey / Reuters
In the weeks before Iraqi Kurdistan revealed that Exxon Mobil had signed up to explore for oil there, executives at rival Shell faced a dilemma over whether or not to join the U.S. oil major in its foray north and risk angering Baghdad
Iraq’s fugitive vice president in Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Al-Shihri / AP
Iraq’s fugitive vice president arrived Wednesday in Saudi Arabia hours after he vowed in a television interview that he would return home
Rare Earth Supplies in U.S. to Meet Defense Needs, Pentagon Says
Gopal Ratnam / Bloomberg
Domestic rare earth supplies will meet the U.S. defense industry’s needs by 2013 for the materials that go into military motors and electronics, according to a Pentagon report sent to Congress.
Exclusive: China ship insurer deals new blow to Iran oil exports
Randy Fabi / Reuters
A major Chinese ship insurer will halt indemnity cover for tankers carrying Iranian oil from July, dealing a blow that narrows the insurance options for Tehran’s main export already constricted by payment barriers caused by Western sanctions
U.S. Sees Iran in Bids to Stir Unrest in Afghanistan
Thom Shanker, Eric Schmitt and Alissa Rubin / New York Times
Just hours after it was revealed that American soldiers had burned Korans seized at an Afghan detention center in late February, Iran secretly ordered its agents operating inside Afghanistan to exploit the anticipated public outrage by trying to instigate violent protests in the capital, Kabul, and across the western part of the country, according to American officials
Egypt Brotherhood hopeful promises clerics a role
Maggie Michael / AP
The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for Egypt’s presidency is lobbying hard for support of ultraconservative Muslim clerics, promising them a say over legislation in the future to ensure it is in line with Islamic law, as he tries to rally the divided Islamist vote behind him
Greece Urged to Sell ‘Virtual’ Solar Power to Help EU Meet Goals
Sally Bakewell / Bloomberg
Greece, planning a 20 billion-euro ($26 billion) solar venture, would do well to sell the power “virtually” to help other European countries offset more- polluting generation, according to an adviser to the project
Why We Should Focus on Economics in Afghanistan, Not on Fighting
Joshua Foust / The Atlantic
If there’s a magic formula for success in Afghanistan, we haven’t found it. Building up tribal militias and local security forces, our standard militarized efforts, don’t seem to be working. After nearly 11 years of military intervention, we’ve learned that developing and stabilizing a war-torn country requires more than just military operations. While military action has its role, what Afghanistan needs is not more militias, more armies, or more fighting — what it needs is more politics and more economics.
The Watergate Exxon’s famously expensive gas
John Kelly / Washington Post
The World’s Most Famous Gas Station sits right next to the world’s most famous office building. The Watergate Exxon it is called and TV reporters from around the globe troop there — to Virginia Avenue NW where it eases into Rock Creek Parkway — to babble about how expensive gasoline is these days.
UPCOMING EVENT: Nuclear Security Media Call with Ambassador Linton Brooks
On Our Flashpoint Blog
AMERICAN SECURITY QUARTERLY – April 2012
Gold: The Nuke Review: March 28- April 5
As the P5+1 gears up for its first summit with Iran in more than a year, Iran dismisses Istanbul as the summit’s location. Read this story and more in this week’s Nuke Review.
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
Relevant Reports
Fact Sheet – Intelligence Assessments of Iran’s Nuclear Program
Why the U.S. Can Not Ignore Pakistan
FACT SHEET: Arctic Climate and Energy
U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan: Five Lessons We Should Have Learned
