ViewsWeek Views from around the world
Here Is What Republicans Got For Shutting Down The Government By Igor Volsky After shutting down the government for two weeks, Republicans appear to have secured just one concession from a Senate-crafted deal to raise the debt ceiling and re-open the federal government: an income verification system for individuals who earn above 400 percent of the federal poverty line and qualify …
October, 2013
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17 October
Bhutan’s Paddy Crop Victim of Climate Change?
The forces of nature have overwhelmed some farmers in western Bhutan. Within one week, their hope of a good harvest was turned into despair as the clear skies at the beginning of the week gave way to heavy rains last night (October 14). Farmers were so close to reap the fruit of a year round hard work, when they laid …
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16 October
Podcast: The Future of Nuclear Energy
On this latest American Security Project podcast , ASP’s Senior Fellow Andrew Holland discusses with Brian Marrs, a power markets specialist, and Robert Petroski, a nuclear engineer, the future of nuclear power. Holland asked how nuclear has changed in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. They said that the nuclear power today is far different than plants built in the 1960s (as …
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15 October
A Very Abrahamic Feast
These days, the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims are celebrating the four day long Eid al-Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice.” While many aspects of the feast, such as gatherings with family and friends, will probably sound very familiar to other religions, a particular practice that gives the feast its name can look a bit scary: The sacrifice of animals, often …
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15 October
The Many Roads to Kabul
A few years ago, Pakistan made an extraordinary proposal to Afghanistan regarding the extraction and marketing of Afghan mineral wealth which is, according to the United States Geological Survey, worth around $1 trillion. It suggested that an Afghan, Pakistani and Chinese consortium be established to undertake this activity. It was a serious and thought out proposal for it was …
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15 October
Afghanistan, TTP and the Silk Road
For all intents and purposes, Pakistan is now entering the third phase of the war against extremists. The first phase was the Musharraf era, followed by Kayani-Zardari timeframe, and now Nawaz Sharif and the next army chief, will own the third and crucial stage of this struggle. Nawaz Sharif started his tenure focusing on the economy. However, the ground reality …
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15 October
The New Threat to Turkey’s Security
Turkey lives in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the world. As such it has always has special security needs. Ankara’s regional foreign policy was traditionally based on treading cautiously and engaging in balancing acts in order to accommodate this delicate geopolitical situation. The overriding aim was always to ensure that one did not import the seemingly interminable troubles of …
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14 October
Enforcing or Negotiating Peace in Pakistan
We love the Afghan Taliban — the slayers of arrogant global superpowers — but not so much their brothers-in-arms in Pakistan, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Is there a method to our madness that only the khaki-inspired ‘strategic’ mindset is capable of comprehending? We have over 40,000 citizens and probably another 5,000 or so security personnel dead. We hear emphatic demands …
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14 October
Why Saudis Are Not in Harmony With US Over Egypt?
In a fractious, rife-with-conflicts Middle East, nothing is spared; worship houses are attacked and sport clubs, schools and markets have become unsafe with continued upticks in violence. Now, attention is focused on the Syrian dilemma, which has been colored in a sectarian hue: Sunni-Shiite/Alawi conflict. Another invisible fray is also taking place in that region, but it is so very …
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14 October
China and Latin America: Connected and Competing
The Global Rise of China The rise of China has stolen more headlines than any other global issue these days, stirring up questions about what China’s growing prominence really means, and how – more than why – it affects the world. While the rise of previous global powers took decades, if not centuries, China’s rise has been spectacularly fast and …
