Archive for February 2nd, 2010

The Obama National Security Council has ordered the U.S. intelligence community to downgrade China as an intelligence collection… »

Over coming decades, Asia is likely to become the dominant influence shaping the global nuclear order, and to bring to that order the characteristics of its own strategic relationships. As it does so, the global nuclear order will move further away from bilateral nuclear symmetry—the dominant nuclear relationship of the Cold War—and towards a set… »

The year 2010 will be critical for U.S. policy toward Africa, from Sudan to Somalia and the Congo to Zimbabwe. President Barack Obama should use the fast-closing window of opportunity to begin a new era in U.S.-Africa relations characterized by a people-centered development strategy and respect for human rights, the environment, peace and… »

Several terrorist groups have actively sought weapons of mass destruction (WMD) of one kind or another. In particular, the Japanese cult group Aum Shinrikyo, al Qaeda and its associates — notably the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Jemaah Islamiya and Lashkar al Tayyib — figure most prominently among the groups that have manifested some degree of intent,… »

President Obama has decided not to attend a United States-European Union summit meeting scheduled for Madrid in May, and European Union officials found out about the decision through news outlets late on Monday, senior European officials said Tuesday… »

Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Monday the success of military operations in the tribal regions have caused substantial decline in cross-border attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan and warned that it was essential to address Pakistan’s long-term strategic concerns for stability in the… »

A global deal to tackle climate change is all but impossible in 2010, leaving the scale and pace of action to slow global warming in coming decades uncertain, according to senior figures across the world involved in the… »

The Russian economy shrank 7.9% in 2009 compared with 2008, the Federal Statistics Service has announced. This was less bad than the government’s 8.5% forecast, but it was still the biggest annual fall in 15… »

The militant group al Shabaab said it would ally with al Qaeda in a drive to establish an Islamic state in Somalia and fight for Muslims across East Africa, offering a fresh test for U.S.-backed African peacekeepers struggling to defend a weak Somali… »

The head of a Seoul-based news agency run by North Korean defectors said yesterday that North Korean embassies overseas have been told to lay the foundation for a leadership change in Pyongyang, making a possible succession of power virtually… »

A preliminary investigation conducted by Hamas suggests that the assassination of one of its officials in Dubai last month was likely carried out by agents of an Arab government, and not by Israel’s Mossad spy… »

At least 26 people have been killed in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, after four days of ethnic killings, police officials say. The clashes appeared to be between activists from rival political parties, which traditionally gather support from different ethnic… »

U.S. and Russian negotiators Monday began finalizing a new 10-year nuclear arms reduction treaty after President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev resolved the last major differences over a pact to cut both nations’ deployed strategic nuclear warheads by about a… »

As Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, urged Greek and Turkish leaders in Cyprus to push for a peaceful solution to the conflict on the divided Mediterranean island yesterday, government officials in Ankara were watching carefully. For the Turkish government, the Cyprus problem represents big political opportunities as well as huge… »

The reported death of the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, a violent Islamist group with close links to al-Qaeda, leaves the predatory and feared militia effectively decapitated, with its fighters on the run from the Pakistani army and public sympathy running… »

Iran said Tuesday that the strengthening of U.S. missile defense systems in Gulf Arab countries is aimed at sowing regional divisions and that Tehran’s neighbors should not be drawn into believing the country poses a threat. U.S. military officials said over the weekend that the systems — involving upgraded Patriot missiles on land and more… »

Nigerians have not seen their president for more than two months and tensions are mounting, with huge security implications for the oil-producing giant and the wider region. If Abuja does not resolve the impasse over its leadership and return governance to a clear constitutional track very soon, it will spell disaster – by Louise Arbour… »

What is beyond dispute is that Russia’s economic health depends on external factors. Russia’s economy is now hostage to potential global growth. It is clear why: The state budget depends almost totally on energy prices. Now that the oil price has reached $80 per barrel, the Central Bank can start buying foreign currency again. Gold… »

In a surprisingly swift move last Thursday night that could have wide-ranging implications, the United States Senate passed a bill containing broad unilateral sanctions to punish foreign companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand its domestic refinery capabilities. The senate move reveals an administration losing control of even its own party in foreign… »

The aftershock sequence of a magnitude-7 earthquake will continue for months if not years in the affected area. The frequency of events will diminish with time, but damaging earthquakes will remain possible in the coming months. There is also a small chance of subsequent earthquakes larger than the initial shock. The sequence from the Port-au-Prince… »

A new Israeli report defending the military’s conduct in the Gaza war was challenged after evidence emerged apparently contradicting one of its key findings. Israel submitted a 46-page report to the UN on Friday saying its forces abided by international law throughout the three-week war last year. It was meant to avert the threat of… »

In a federal budget filled with mind-boggling statistics, two numbers stand out as particularly stunning, for the way they may change American politics and American power. The first is the projected deficit in the coming year, nearly 11 percent of the country’s entire economic output. the second number, buried deeper in the budget’s projections, is… »