National Security | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Nat’l Security / Foreign Affairs: September 17th, 2012
- Fresh protests held over anti-Islam video
- Netanyahu Says Iran Is ‘20 Yards’ From Nuclear Bomb
- Coordinated Taliban Raid Penetrates Base
- Panetta Targets Two Pacific Disputes
- Widespread rights abuses alleged in Syria
Excerpts and more top stories
MIDDLE EAST: Fresh protests held over anti-Islam video – AL JAZEERA
Angry demonstrators clash with police in Afghanistan, Indonesia and Pakistan, as peaceful protests are held elsewhere.
MIDDLE EAST: Cultural Clash Fuels Muslims Raging at Film – NYT
DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK – In Egypt, some say that the protests at the American Embassy in Cairo and in about 20 countries over an anti-Islamic video was about more than religious sensitivity.
MIDDLE EAST: Susan Rice: Libya Protests ‘Hijacked’ by Extremists – WSJ
An Obama administration official said the deadly attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya last week was the work of “individual clusters of extremists” but began as a spontaneous protest.
MIDDLE EAST: Is Progressive Islam Dead? - The Independent, Opinion
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown – It’s more or less over for progressive, liberal Islam. Many of us who’ve tried to keep alive the thoughtful, humane, cultured beliefs and practices of our parents and enlightened scholars can barely breathe or speak after the last wretched week
PAKISTAN: Crowds Storm U.S. Consulate in Pakistan, and One Dies – NYT
SALMAN MASOOD – The outbreak of violence in Karachi came after days of peaceful demonstrations against the release of a video, made in America, that mocked the Prophet Muhammad.
ISRAEL/IRAN: Netanyahu Says Iran Is ‘20 Yards’ From Nuclear Bomb - NYT
STEVEN LEE MYERS – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on TV on Sunday to make his case about Iran even more urgently to a broader American audience.
ISRAEL: What Does Israel Want from U.S.? - WP, Opinion
David Ignatius – Obama has directed the U.S. military to prepare detailed plans for attacking Iran if it should cross the line he has set. The Israelis know what signals the United States will look for in determining if Iran has begun weaponization, and what weapons the United States will use in its preventive attack. So what does Netanyahu seek from Obama that he hasn’t yet gotten?
AFGHANISTAN: Coordinated Taliban Raid Penetrates Base - WSJ
The Taliban’s weekend assault on a major coalition base was one of the most determined and effective in the Afghan war, according to details released Sunday, resulting in the biggest single-day loss of U.S. combat aircraft since the Vietnam War.
AFGHANISTAN: Afghan ‘insider’ kills four US troops - FT
Troops died in attack, believed to involve members of the local police, near a remote Nato installation in southern Afghanistan.
CHINA/JAPAN: Panetta Targets Two Pacific Disputes - WSJ
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Japan Sunday with a goal of helping to defuse a pair of growing disputes, one between Japan and China, the other between Japan and the U.S
CHINA: China Goes to WTO Over U.S. Tariff Law - WSJ
China has taken its complaint over a new U.S. tariff law to the WTO for consultations, the latest in a series of trade spats between the world’s two largest economies.
CHINA/JAPAN: Outrage, to a point – ECONOMIST
About 3,000 protesters gathered outside Shanghai’s Japanese consulate on September 16th. The young crowd, mostly aged 20-35, had draped themselves with the Chinese flag, chanting anti-Japan slogans and brandishing portraits of Chairman Mao.
CHINA: As Scandal Shook China, Quiet Spy Game Unraveled - WSJ
In spy-speak it is known as a “walk-in”—an unsolicited approach to a diplomatic mission by a foreigner claiming to have sensitive information…
CHINA/JAPAN: Japanese companies shut China factories - FT
Many groups have suspended their China operations amid fears of violent protests following Japan’s nationalisation of disputed islands
SYRIA: Widespread rights abuses alleged in Syria – AL JAZEERA
Both sides accused of committing possible crimes against humanity and war crimes by United Nations and US rights group.
ASIA/PACIFIC: Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi begins US visit – AL JAZEERA
Democracy leader to receive highest civilian honour during trip packed with meetings with officials and US-based groups.
ASIA/PACIFIC: Philippines on Asia’s New Frontline - Asia Times
The Philippines has emerged as a frontline state in the rivalry between the United States and China for Southeast Asian power and influence. Locked in a bitter territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea, and with no prospects of a diplomatic resolution in sight, Manila has moved to bolster to its long-standing strategic alliance with Washington.
SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa warns of cost of unrest - FT
Jacob Zuma called for a speedy resolution to a wave of wild-cat strikes in the nation’s vital mining sector, warning that industrial strife had already cost South Africa billions of rand.
RUSSIA: Tens of thousands join anti-Putin protest – FT
Opposition leaders have faced raids on their homes, criminal investigations and arrest since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency for a third term.
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