Posts 21 to 30:
Policy_Paper
“A Tough Town” – and Country – Take Next Steps
April 16, 2013
In the words of the Boston District Attorney, the tragic attack in Boston yesterday “was an act of cowardice. … make no mistake, an act of cowardice and of this severity cannot be justified or explained. It can only be answered.” The cowardice of this attack was more than matched by the bravery of those [...]
The Case for Diplomatic Engagement on the Korean Peninsula
April 15, 2013
This past week, Secretary of State Kerry travelled to meet with American partners in Asia – including South Korea, Japan and China – to put the pieces in place for diplomatically engaging North Korea at the “appropriate moment.” While recent calls for massively destabilizing military strikes against North Korea are not supported by experts or our [...]
State’s Budget: Balancing Strategy After the Wars?
April 11, 2013
Yesterday NSN looked at the implications of the President’s FY2014 budget request for the Pentagon. Today we consider the budget for civilian international affairs – the leading way most of the world encounters official America, and the tools we rely on to promote our interests without the use of force — accomplished with just over [...]
2014 Pentagon Budget: Strategic Reshaping?
April 10, 2013
The Obama administration’s FY2014 budget requests $526 billion in Pentagon spending, $51 billion above the budget cap of $475 billion foreseen under sequestration. Observers from business, the military and the Hill expect that further reductions from the requested level in Pentagon spending are coming whether through sequester or part of a sequester replacement. In the [...]
Middle East Update
April 9, 2013
As Secretary of State John Kerry returns to the Middle East with stops in Turkey and Israel this week, tensions are high. A series of economic woes plague Egypt including shortages of food, fuel and hard currency. As the country reaches out to the international community for economic support, religious tensions are also on the rise. Meanwhile, Syria continues [...]
Food Security in the 21st Century
April 8, 2013
Food insecurity matters for American security because, as Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute explains, it “can contribute — and it has — to revolutions and upheaval.” In challenging economic and security circumstances, the Obama administration is poised to take up a decade of bipartisan recommendations to overhaul the way the U.S. provides food aid to people in urgent [...]
Hagel’s Call to Reshape Pentagon Shows Way Forward
April 3, 2013
Today, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delivered his first policy address and called for reshaping Pentagon strategy and budgets to meet future challenges and opportunities. His call to take advantage of the “opportunities that exist to fundamentally reshape the defense enterprise to better reflect 21st century realities” is an effort widely supported by military leaders, [...]
Arms Trade Treaty Passes 154-3; US Votes For; North Korea, Syria, Iran Oppose
April 2, 2013
Years of work by American and international campaigners came to fruition in New York today, as the United Nations General Assembly adopted a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) designed to leave domestic laws intact while preventing illicit flows of weapons to terrorists and human rights violators. In voting for the treaty, the U.S. joined most [...]
Right-Sizing the Threat Assessment of North Korea
April 1, 2013
North Korea has issued a laundry list of threats against South Korea and the United States in recent days. Experts stress that while North Korea’s threats should be taken seriously, Pyongyang’s key motivation is to score political points domestically and to test the new South Korean administration – not to start a war. The North [...]
U.S., Israel, and Iran
March 21, 2013
Note to readers: The NSN Daily Update will be on a brief spring break next week. As President Obama visits Israel, the leadership of both countries displayed strong trust in the White House’s approach to nuclear negotiations with Iran – and its commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The security establishments of [...]
