National Security | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Nat’l Security / Foreign Affairs: September 24th, 2012
- Libyan Army Clamps Down on Militias
- Japan PM Warns China on Dispute
- U.N. General Assembly: 5 Political Potholes for Obama
- Germany Rejects Bailout Fund Boost
- Pakistan Disowns Bounty on Anti-Islam Filmmaker
Excerpts and more top news and analysis
LIBYA: Libyan Army Clamps Down on Militias – WSJ
The Libyan army ejected a rogue militia from its headquarters on Sunday, the first move in a government-threatened crackdown on such groups.
LIBYA: Deadly Attack in Libya Was Major Blow to C.I.A. Efforts – NYT
Among personnel pulled from Benghazi after the assault on the American mission were intelligence operatives and contractors who were crucial to surveillance on militants.
LIBYA: Government Issues Order to Disband Libya Forces - NYT
KIRKPATRICK: Libya’s interim government ordered the breakup of all militias that do not fall under its authority, and demanded that those militias pull out of military compounds and public property within 48 hours.
LIBYA: Libya issues ultimatum to militias - FT
Authorities challenge very forces that led the revolution against Colonel Muammer Gaddafi
CHINA/JAPAN: Japan PM Warns China on Dispute - WSJ
Japan’s prime minister warned China that its inflammatory reaction to a territorial dispute could further weaken the Asian giant’s already-fragile economy by scaring away foreign investors.
CHINA: Unrest Grows at Apple Supplier Foxconn - WSJ
A fight at a northern Chinese factory campus owned by major Apple supplier Hon Hai Precision Industry escalated into larger-scale unrest, according to the company and local police.
CHINA: Is China Burning? - FORBES, OPINION
Chinese streets were quiet today after anti-Japan protests, many of them violent, rocked more than a 100 cities last week. Large demonstrations continued through Tuesday, the 81st anniversary of Japan’s invasion of Manchuria.
CHINA: Police Chief in Chinese Murder Scandal Convicted and Sentenced to 15 Years – NYT
The Chinese authorities announced the guilty verdict for Wang Lijun, who exposed the slaying of a British businessman by a senior politician’s wife.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: U.N. General Assembly: 5 Political Potholes for Obama – TIME
Tricky relations with an emerging Arab public, Netanyahu’s shaming rhetoric and a growing China-Japan spat. What’s to love about the U.N. for a President whose appointment with his electorate is just weeks away?
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: At United Nations, Renewed Focus on Syria, if Not New Ideas – NYT
Despite at least three high-level meetings planned during the General Assembly, no broad new initiatives to end the war are expected.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to U.N., takes center stage in Syria debate – WP
Lessons of Rwanda have offered an imperfect guidebook for a diplomat weighing the use of American power.
EUROZONE: GERMANY: Germany Rejects Bailout Fund Boost – WSJ
Europe is discussing ways to leverage the assets of its bailout fund through the involvement of private-sector investors, but reports that this could boost the firepower of the European Stability Mechanism to more than $2.6 trillion are “completely illusory,” a spokesman for the German Finance Ministry said.
EUROZONE: Give Greece more time, says French PM – FT
Jean-Marc Ayrault warned that a Greek exit would be ‘unmanageable’ and could be ‘the beginning of the end of the European project’
EUROZONE: A Fragile Euro System Still Needs a Genuine Banking Union – BLOOMBERG
As recently as a couple of weeks ago, it seemed that Europe’s governments had reached agreement on the need for a banking union. This consensus, if it ever existed, is unraveling, and that’s dangerous.
EUROZONE: GREECE: Greek Oil Refiners Draw IMF Rebuke – WSJ
Lack of competition in Greece’s oil-refining industry is costing consumers more than $1 billion a year, according to an IMF report, an indication of structural problems that many economists say hobble Greece’s chances of recovery.
* MORE EUROZONE NEWS AND ANALYSIS BELOW
ISLAM: Pakistan Disowns Bounty on Anti-Islam Filmmaker – WSJ
The Pakistani government distanced itself from an offer by one of its cabinet ministers to pay $100,000 for anyone who kills the maker of an anti-Islam video, saying the offer doesn’t represent official government policy.
ISLAM: The Satanic Video – NYT, OPINION
What Salman Rushdie can tell us about America’s Muslim problem and the future of the Arab Spring.
ISLAM: Protesters, Police Clash in Bangladesh – WSJ
Scores of people were injured in Bangladesh’s capital when police tried to stop a hundreds of Muslims in another protest over an anti-Islam film.
SYRIA: Rebels Move Command to Syria From Turkey – WSJ
The leaders of the rebel Free Syrian Army on Saturday said they moved their command center to Syria from Turkey with the aim of uniting rebels and speeding up the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
SYRIA: Opponents in Capital Seek Ouster of Assad – NYT
Domestic opposition groups seeking to wrest the mantle of revolt from armed militias and exiles called for a cease-fire and the removal of President Bashar al-Assad through peaceful means.
SYRIA: Syrian opposition demands trio’s release – FT
The government and rebels have blamed each other for the disappearance of three members of a permitted group that opposes the regime in Damascus
SYRIA/IRAQ: On the Wrong Side - NYT, OPINION
Iraq is engaging in a dangerous game by enabling the flow of arms from Iran to Syria.
FOREIGN POLICY: A Manager of Overseas Crises, as Much as the World Permits - NYT
Gray-suited, meticulous and little known to the public, Tom Donilon is President Obama’s national security adviser and central figure in American foreign policy.
FOREIGN POLICY: America’s Inevitable Retreat From the Middle East – NYT, OP-ED
The symbolic import of last week’s Middle East violence is unmistakable: four decades after Saigon, the drama of waning American power is being re-enacted.
GLOBAL ECONOMY: How High Oil Prices Will Permanently Cap Economic Growth – BLOOMBERG, OPINION
For most of the last century, cheap oil powered global economic growth. But in the last decade, the price of oil has quadrupled, and that shift will permanently shackle the growth potential of the world’s economies.
NUCLEAR SECURITY: Uranium Substitute Is No Longer Needed, but Its Disposal May Pose Security Risk - NYT
The government has stockpiles of a nuclear fuel called uranium 233 that is no longer needed, and some experts worry that a plan for its disposal will pose a security risk.
IRAN: Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Israeli threats, nuclear program and Syria – WP, OPINION
David Ignatius: Iran may be on the firing line, but President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was as calmly combative as ever Sunday, dismissing Israel’s military threats and predicting that nothing will happen in the nuclear talks until after the U.S. presidential elections.
ISRAEL: Sinai Group Claims Role in Attack on Israel – NYT
KIRKPATRICK: An obscure militant group based in the Sinai region claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack Friday that killed an Israeli soldier.
ISRAEL: Netanyahu’s red lines mark split with US - FT
Israeli PM has been in open, ill-tempered disagreement with country’s most important ally on biggest national security issue facing Jewish state
ISRAEL: Crime Ring Targets Africa Migrants – WSJ
Israel indicted three Jewish men and an Arab resident of Israel on Sunday for allegedly working with a Hamas-linked crime ring to extort thousands of dollars in ransom from African migrants in Israel.
ISRAEL/EGYPT: Official Holds Firm on Pact With Egypt – WSJ
Israel’s foreign minister said Israel would not agree to re-evaluate its peace deal with Egypt. Meanwhile, an Egypt-based, al Qaeda-inspired group claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack along the border.
KOREA: Assembly Offers Korea Clues - WSJ
A meeting Tuesday of North Korea’s rubber-stamp legislature might provide the clearest signals yet of the direction in which new dictator Kim Jong Eun is trying to take the country.
RUSSIA: Russia’s Gazprom is losing its clout - WP
Energy giant feels the pressure both at home and abroad; it never expected shale gas competition.
GREENLAND: A Melting Greenland Weighs Perils Against Potential – NYT
As warming temperatures are upending traditional Greenlandic life, they are also offering up intriguing new opportunities.
MORE EUROZONE NEWS & ANALYSIS:
FRANCE: France Seeks Labor Overhaul - WSJ
François Hollande has tapped France’s labor minister to shepherd talks between unions and companies as he seeks to introduce more labor market flexibility.
FRANCE: Hollande Calls for Deeper Union - WSJ
French President François Hollande urged Germany and other states to take “bold” steps toward deeper union, including the creation of a common budget and banking union.
GERMANY/SPAIN: Germany Losing Patience With Spain as EU Warns on Crisis - BLOOMBERG
Germany’s governing coalition showed growing exasperation with Spain, as a senior ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel said Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy must stop prevaricating and decide whether Spain needs a full rescue.
PORTUGAL: Portugal Drops Social-Security Changes - WSJ
Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho dropped a controversial plan to raise social security contributions from workers, saying the government will instead likely raise income taxes and cut public wages.
PORTUGAL: Portugal Gives Ground on Labor Costs - WSJ
Portugal signaled it is ready to drop a controversial plan to increase workers’ social-security contributions to lower labor costs for companies.
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