What We Are Reading

Is Africa al-Qaeda’s new launch pad?

Oren Dorell / USA Today

As U.S. forces have largely left Iraq and plan a withdrawal from Afghanistan, intelligence experts see a global threat emerging on a continent that has frustrated foreign forces for much of the past century and provided the world’s bad actors a refuge from international justice.

Andean glaciers melting at “unprecedented” rates: study

Mitra Taj/Reuters

Climate change has shrunk Andean glaciers between 30 and 50 percent since the 1970s and could melt many of them away altogether in coming years, according to a study published on Tuesday in the journal Cryosphere.

North Korea Hints at New Nuclear Test

Choe Sang-Hun / The New York Times

North Korea said on Wednesday that its nuclear weapon program was no longer negotiable, and indicated that it might conduct its third nuclear test to retaliate against the United Nations Security Council’s tightening of sanctions against the isolated yet highly militarized country.

Launch, Sanctions, Nukes: North Korea may repeat cycle

Jean H. Lee/Associated Press

North Korea’s nuclear agitations follow a well-worn route. It starts with a long-range rocket launch. The United Nations punishes the act with sanctions. And Pyongyang responds by conducting a nuclear test.

It’s Not DOE That Drives Energy Policy

Nick Cunningham/AOL Energy

Despite its namesake, there are other agencies that are actually more influential over America’s energy industry than the Department of Energy, and they will be at the center of how the Obama administration deals with the critical energy choices it faces in a second term.

Is nuclear arms control dead?

David E. Hoffman/Foreign Policy

In his first inaugural address, President Obama made this pledge: “With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming plant.” In his second address, the president again returned to climate change — but dropped the nuclear threat. He didn’t mention it once.

India Warns Kashmiris to Prepare for Nuclear War

Gardiner Harris/The New York Times                                                                                                                                       Indian officials are advising residents of strife-torn Kashmir to prepare for a possible nuclear war by building bombproof basements and stockpiling food and water, adding to tensions between India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, after deadly cross-border skirmishes in recent weeks.

These 14 fossil-fuel projects could make our climate goals impossible

Brad Plumer/The Washington Post

If we want to avoid severe global warming, we’ll have to stay within a strict carbon budget in the decades ahead. That won’t be easy. There are already 14 major fossil-fuel projects being planned worldwide with the potential to blow past that budget, a new report argues.

Democratic Senators Pass Torch to EPA on Climate Change

Amy Harder/National Journal

After years of trying—and failing—to get climate-change legislation through Congress, top Senate Democrats are publicly ready to hand over the power to President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency.

ASP Upcoming Events

Understanding the Strategic & Legal Context of Drone Strikes

Join us for a fact-based discussion with leading experts on counterterrorism about how we can better understand the effects of America’s drone campaign. This event will launch ASP’s latest paper on drone policy and doctrine, as part of a continuing project.

The event will take place:

Thursday, January 24, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

1100 New York Ave, NW Washington DC
Suite 710W – Conference Room E

Please RSVP by Monday, January 21 to events@americansecurityproject.org

“Fusion Energy – Implications for a Near-Term Breakthrough”

ASP to host an expert-level, invite only event on the implications if fusion energy reaches a breakthrough faster than is expected.

The event will take place:

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 from 8:30am until 1:30pm.

Hotel Monaco, 700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004

If you would like to attend this event please RSVP: events@americansecurityproject.org

On Our Flashpoint Blog

The Syria Chemical Weapons Crisis

Brian Kastner

The recently leaked cable regarding possible chemical weapons use by Syria last month has once again highlighted the security risk posed by Syria’s chemical arsenal.

BGen Steve Cheney on President Obama’s Inaugural Address

BGen Stephen A. Cheney USMC (Ret.)

Yesterday, President Obama stated in his inaugural address that his administration will take strong action to deal with climate change, noting that “the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.”

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