National Security | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Nat’l Security / Foreign Affairs: October 16th, 2012
Top Five News and Analysis Links (Excerpts Below)
- Clinton Takes Responsibility for Security Failure
- Global Outpouring to Help Pakistani Schoolgirl
- Erdogan’s Ambitions Driving Turkey Toward War
- Europe’s Separatists Gain Ground in Crisis
- OP-ED: The Price of a 50-Year Myth
Excerpts and more top news and analysis
LIBYA: Clinton Takes Responsibility for Security Failure in Libya – NYT
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to be trying to inoculate President Obama from criticism for any security lapses in Libya as he prepared for Tuesday’s debate.
LIBYA: U.S. to Help Create an Elite Libyan Force to Combat Islamic Extremists – NYT
The Libyan force would help combat Islamic extremists, like those who killed the American ambassador last month, and help the country’s army counter fractious militias.
LIBYA: Election-Year Stakes Overshadow Nuances of Libya Investigation – NYT
After a month of conflicting statements and partisan criticism, the circumstances surrounding the deadly attack in Benghazi have become clouded in ambiguities and questions.
PAKISTAN: Global Outpouring to Help Pakistani Schoolgirl - NYT
When the time came to choose medical treatment for Malala Yousafzai, who was gunned down by the Taliban, her family faced a world of possibilities.
PAKISTAN: How Malala Can Lead Where America Could Not – FP, DAVID ROTHKOPF
We must acknowledge that Malala and Neda and the thousands in Tahrir or in Karachi Sunday have done more to change this part of the world for the better than our trillions and our sacrifices and the collective armed forces of our various alliances could hope to muster. If we take away that lesson, then not only will our efforts not entirely have been in vain, but the future of this troubled region may be just a little brighter than before.
PAKISTAN: Supporting Pakistanis, Stopping the Taliban - NYT, ROOM FOR DEBATE
Is there a way to safely support women’s rights in Taliban-heavy areas, or is it time to take a tougher stance?
TURKEY: Erdogan’s Ambitions Driving Turkey Toward War - Daniel Pipes, NRO
Why is the Turkish government acting so aggressively against the Assad regime in Syria?
EU: Europe’s Separatists Gain Ground in Crisis - REUTERS
From the Pyrennean pastures of Catalonia to the heathery highlands of Scotland, separatists are gaining ground as Europe’s economic crisis deepens, but this does not necessarily mean there will be more national flags on the map.
EU: The European Union Is Not a Peacemaker – FORBES, DOUG BANDOW
The Nobel Peace Prize long has distinguished itself for its dubious choices. Most of the past recipients are unknown today: no one remembers their supposed contributions to world peace.
EU/IRAN: With New Sanctions, European Union Tightens Screws on Iran Over Nuclear Work – NYT
The union’s foreign ministers agreed to measures banning trade in sectors like finance, metals and natural gas.
CUBA: The Price of a 50-Year Myth - NYT, MICHAEL DOBBS
The “eyeball to eyeball” imagery of the Cuban missile crisis has contributed to some of our most disastrous foreign policy decisions — and it is a myth.
CUBA: General’s 1962 Memo Addresses Nuclear Combat on Cuba – NYT
Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor wrote to President John F. Kennedy that if Cuba were to use nuclear weapons against a United States invasion, the American military would also use such arms.
EUROZONE/PORTUGAL: Portugal’s Draft Budget Sticks With Deficit Targets - NYT
The draft budget contains a raft of new tax increases designed to allow Lisbon to meet its agreed deficit targets with international lenders. It came as protesters gathered before Parliament.
EUROZONE/GREECE: Far-Right Party Taps Greek Anger - WSJ
Golden Dawn, once on the fringes of Greek politics, has become a central player on the national stage, feeding on feelings of insecurity and anger at the political establishment amid the country’s economic crisis.
EUROZONE/GREECE: Bond Prices Climb as Greece Fears Ease - WSJ
Greek bond prices rose to their highest level since the debt restructuring earlier this year as fading concerns of a breakup of the euro zone encouraged buyers.
EUROZONE/SPAIN: Spain prepares to make rescue request - FT
Madrid has now found a formula it feels comfortable with to make a rescue request – a significant shift in position compared to before the summer
CHINA: China Must Embrace Constructive Global Role – CHINA TIMES, EDITORIAL
The rise of China will be among the major topics for the third and final US presidential debate set for Oct. 22. Whether China will represent a threat or opportunity for the world has always been a topic that has accompanied the country’s economic miracle.
GLOBAL ECONOMY: ‘Gangnam Style’ Tells Economic Truth of Our Day – BLOOMBERG, WILLIAM PESEK
It isn’t every day that the finance minister of a major nation mentions a rap star when talking up his economy. But then South Korea (KOSPI) isn’t your average economy and Psy isn’t your usual entertainer.
SYRIA: U.N. Envoy Seeks Pause in Syria for Holiday - NYT
The envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, has enlisted Iran’s help in trying to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to support a temporary cease-fire.
AFGHANISTAN: Afghan Army’s Turnover Threatens U.S. Strategy - NYT
The Afghan Army is so plagued with desertions and low re-enlistment rates that it has to replace a third of its entire force every year, officials say.
AFGHANISTAN: Suicide ‘Insider’ Attack Kills Six in Afghanistan – NYT
Two Americans were among the dead after a suicide bombing by a member of the Afghan intelligence service. In a separate episode, Afghan officials said three children were killed in a coalition airstrike.
EGYPT: The New Egypt – NYT, ROGER COHEN
Do the violent clashes reflect the failure of Egypt’s revolution or the inevitable birth pangs of democracy?
SPAIN: Spain Should Allow a Vote to Secede to Keep Catalonia In – BLOOMBERG, EDITORIAL
It is a truth believed by nations around the world that their borders are God-given and immutable. It’s also false.
IRAQ: Iraq Suffers from Chaotic Foreign Policy – THE GUARDIAN
Iraq’s ability to influence regional events, particularly in neighbouring Syria, is hampered by its fractious political process
ISRAEL: A ‘Reset’ in Israeli-U.S. Relations? - WP, EDITORIAL
Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to call elections means that in January, as in 2009, a U.S. president will be inaugurated shortly ahead of a new Israeli government.
ISRAEL: Olmert Plans Comeback to Challenge Netanyahu – NYT
The former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is meeting with political leaders and others, but opinion on his chances is divided among political experts.
TERROR TRIAL: Defendants in Sept. 11 Case Cooperate at Guantánamo - NYT, CHARLIE SAVAGE
The five accused co-conspirators in the 2001 attacks showed cooperation in the first session of a weeklong pretrial hearing, in sharp contrast to their behavior in a May arraignment.
FRANCE: France to Ban Homework. Really. – WSJ, EDITORIAL
In the name of social justice and equality, François Hollande wants all learning done in school.
JAPAN: Strong Yen Threatens Japan’s ‘Galapagos Effect’- BLOOMBERG, WILLIAM PESEK
Billionaire Masayoshi Son has a stark message for Japan’s policy makers: I’m through waiting for you gents to revive the economy.
UK/SCOTLAND: Agreement Signed on Scottish Independence Vote – NYT
Prime Minister David Cameron and Alex Salmond, the Scottish first minister, signed an agreement laying out the details for a referendum on Scottish independence.
RUSSIA: Putin’s Party Dominates Russian Regional Elections - NYT
Results from Sunday’s voting showed that candidates from the pro-Kremlin party United Russia won nearly all the municipal and regional contests held across the country.
NIGERIA: Boko Haram: Nigeria’s Most Sadistic Killers - Eli Lake, The Daily Beast
Nigeria’s Boko Haram has been accused of crimes against humanity. In a country where college students are lynched in tough neighborhoods, the most depraved killers are still not considered terrorists by the State Department.
MEXICO: Doctor’s Bath for Corpses Reinvigorates Cold Cases – NYT
In the violence-torn border city of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a rehydration technique that can restore clues lost to decomposition has won its creator renown.
PHILIPPINES: Philippine Government Signs Pact With Muslim Rebels – NYT
The framework agreement creates a new political entity that will govern the predominantly Muslim areas of the southern island of Mindanao, offering them more autonomy while their rebel forces are disarmed.
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