National Security | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Nat’l Security / Foreign Affairs: October 9th, 2012
Top Five News and Analysis Links (Excerpts Below)
- The Emerging Doctrine of the United States
- The euro crisis: The lingering limbo
- IMF: Global Recession Risk Grows
- Syria Rebukes Turkey as Artillery Fight Continues
- A Truly Credible Military Threat to Iran
Excerpts and more top news and analysis
NAT’L SECURITY: The Emerging Doctrine of the United States - STRATFOR via RCW
Threats against the United States are many and complex, but Washington’s main priority is ensuring that none of those threats challenge its fundamental interests.
NAT’L SECURITY: The future of cyberwarfare - WP, EDITORIAL
U.S. needs frank talk about fighting online.
NAT’L SECURITY: Federal prosecutor brings laser focus to nat’l security cases - WP
As a federal prosecutor dealing with terrorism, national security and international crime investigations, Daniel Grooms is a man in constant motion.
EUROZONE: The euro crisis: The lingering limbo - ECONOMIST
The ESM and the painstaking response to the euro crisis.
EUROZONE/GERMANY-GREECE: Greek Protesters Await German Leader’s Athens Visit - NYT
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was flying to Athens Tuesday for a visit apparently aimed at cementing Germany’s support for Greece’s austerity measures.
EUROZONE: New Euro-Zone Aid Fund Launches - WSJ
The euro zone’s new bailout fund came into operation Monday, almost two years after the currency union first decided to set up a permanent safety net for countries in financial troubles.
EUROZONE: IMF, EU Press Greece on Reforms - WSJ
Greece’s official creditors failed to make any visible headway in averting the country’s looming debt crunch, drawing a diplomatic veil over suggestions of heated exchanges at their latest meeting.
EUROZONE/GERMANY: Germany faces European mistrust - WP
As Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece, her country is reviled as Europe’s fiscal disciplinarian.
*MORE EUROZONE NEWS AND ANALYSIS BELOW
GLOBAL ECONOMY/IMF: Officials: Asian Disputes Could Hit Global Economy - WSJ
Officials gathered for the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank cautioned that territorial disputes involving three of Asia’s largest economies could hurt the global economy.
IMF/RECESSION: IMF: Global Recession Risk Grows - WSJ
The global economy risks skidding back into recession just three years after emerging from the previous one, an International Monetary Fund report warned.
GLOBAL ECONOMY: Global engines of economic growth China, India are sputtering - WP
Major developing nations struggle to sustain their drastic expansion, threatening U.S. recovery efforts.
GLOBAL ECONOMY: The Brics have taken an unhappy turn - FT, GIDEON RACHMAN
The new marks of Bric status are a weakening economy and political dysfunction.
SYRIA-TURKEY: Syria Rebukes Turkey as Artillery Fight Continues – NYT
Both insurgent sympathizers and the Syrian government described an extremely violent day in the nearly 19-month-old uprising in the country, with unverified accounts of killings and destruction.
SYRIA: Westerners With Roots in Syria Trickle In to Help Rebels - NYT
J. DAVID GOODMAN: As the war drags on, some people of Syrian descent, from the United States and other Western countries, have traveled to Syria to help in the fight against President Bashar al-Assad.
SYRIA-IRAQ: Iraq sends crucial fuel oil to Syria - FT
Deal triggers US concern and exposes Assad difficulties.
SYRIA MASSACRE: Syrian massacre is veiled in silence – FT
Daraya still surrounded by regime forces.
SYRIA: Syrian rebels fight Assad troops over key area near Turkish border – CFR
An Islamist militant group claims responsibility for suicide car-bomb attacks on Damascus Air Force intelligence complex overnight.
SYRIA: Romney Is Half-Right on Syria, the U.S. Should Arm Rebels - BLOOMBERG, EDITORIAL
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sought this week to distinguish the foreign policy he wants to conduct from that of U.S. President Barack Obama, in part by calling for rebels in Syria to be armed with whatever it takes to bring down the Syrian regime.
IRAN-ISRAEL: A Truly Credible Military Threat to Iran - FP
The Israelis and the Americans are zeroing in on a strike option that has a real chance of deterring the mullahs — and defusing Mitt Romney’s attacks.
IRAN-ISRAEL: Iran Raises Rhetoric on Israel - WSJ
Iran accused Israel of launching cyberattacks on its oil facilities and derided the Jewish state’s air defenses.
IRAN CURRENCY: Strict Procedures for Iran Currency Trading After Protest - NYT
The police moved to arrest unlicensed currency dealers and increase patrols in Tehran to prevent unofficial trading from disrupting new official exchange rates for Iran’s currency, the rial.
IRAN: The question on every Iranian pair of lips – FT, Najmeh Bozorgmehr
Parts of Iran feel prosperous. How long this will last is another matter.
CHINA/TRADE: U.S. Panel Cites Risks in Chinese Equipment - NYT
The House Intelligence Committee said telecommunications equipment from Huawei Technologies and ZTE could be used for spying in the United States.
CHINA/TRADE: Chinese telecom giants seen as threats - WP
Congressional investigators plan to turn over evidence to FBI of potential cyber-espionage by Huawei and ZTE
CHINA/TRADE: Huawei Fires Back at the U.S. – WSJ
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei lashed out at a scathing congressional report, calling allegations that it may be spying on Americans and violating U.S. laws “little more than an exercise in China-bashing.”
CHINA: China Economy Fears ‘Overblown,’ Manufacturing Analyst Says - WSJ
Is China facing economic ruin? The short answer is “no,” at least according to Asia Inspection, publisher of a quarterly report on Asia-based manufacturing and quality control.
CHINA HOUSING: China Housing Prices Rise – WSJ
Home prices in major Chinese cities rose modestly in September compared with August, indicating that Beijing has seen some progress in keeping housing costs under control despite recent signs of strength in the market.
ISRAEL/HAMAS: Hamas in transition - NOW LEBANON via RCW
Hussein Ibish: The recent exchange of attacks between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip is yet another indication of the increasing willingness of Hamas factions in Gaza to resume not only countenancing but participating in rocket attacks against Israel.
ISRAEL/GAZA: Israel Launches Airstrikes After Attacks From Gaza - NYT
Israeli warplanes responded to rocket fire from Gaza on Monday by launching airstrikes, in a flare-up that began Sunday when Israel fired missiles against two suspected members of jihadist groups.
ISRAEL: Nazi Propaganda Permeates Anti-Israel Movement - BLOOMBERG, Jeffrey Goldberg
The first time I met the anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist Eustace Mullins was at a conference I was covering of Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis and paranoiacs (a redundancy, I suppose).
LIBYA: Justice in Libya presents dilemma for Obama White House - WP
U.S. could rely on FBI, Libyan officials or drones, but each option has practical, political obstacles.
VENEZUELA ELECTION: Chavez Victory Signals Accelerated Socialist Revolution - BLOOMBERG
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s re-election and multiple cancer scares give the self-declared socialist momentum to accelerate state intervention in the economy after 14 years in power.
VENEZUELA ELECTION: Losing candidate may still pose threat to Chavez - WP
In his concession speech, Capriles hinted at a politically active future as the opposition’s power grows.
VENEZUELA ELECTION: Victory Tightens Chávez Grip – WSJ
Another decisive electoral victory for Hugo Chávez has convinced many Venezuelans in the opposition that his only vulnerabilities are a turn for the worse in the ailing president’s health or a sharp drop in oil prices.
U.S. ASIA PIVOT: America Cannot ‘Lead From Behind’ in Asia - THE DIPLOMAT
Aaron L. Friedberg: Amidst warnings that America’s ‘pivot’ could trigger greater tensions, a softer ‘rebalance’ is now in vogue. It may make matters far worse.
N.KOREA: North Korea Says Its Missiles Can Reach U.S. Mainland – NYT
North Korea has often threatened to strike the “heart” of the United States, but a warning issued on Tuesday was more detailed.
N.KOREA/S.KOREA: North Korea Slams Seoul’s Missile Pact – WSJ
North Korea lashed out at a South Korea-U.S. agreement on extending Seoul’s ballistic missile range to better counter threats from Pyongyang and claimed its own missiles are capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.
S.KOREA/N.KOREA: Seoul Questions Soldier From North - WSJ
A North Korean soldier underwent questioning by South Korean authorities following his weekend defection across the heavily fortified border.
FRANCE/TAXES: Welcoming Higher Taxes, but Not That High - NYT, ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
A proposed 75 percent tax in France is being protested by many of the nation’s wealthiest executives, including some who had called for higher taxes.
FRANCE/RADICALISM: Radicalism Prompts Warnings in France - NYT
News of police raids in France aimed at young extremist Muslims added to the anxieties of French Jews and Muslims worried about the expansion of radical Islam.
IRAQ: Iraq Oil Output Seen to Double - WSJ
Iraq’s oil output is on track to more than double in the next decade, supplying almost half the growth in world oil supply and making the country a driver of future crude prices, the International Energy Agency said.
IRAQ OIL: IEA: Iraq can boost oil production - WP
Oil output in Iraq could more than double to 6.1 million barrels a day by 2020 and reach 8.3 million by 2035.
PHILLIPINES: Philippine High Court Suspends Contentious Internet Law – NYT
The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Tuesday suspended a new Internet law that critics had said could lead to imprisonment for sharing posts on social media.
PHILLIPINES: Philippines and U.S. Start Joint Exercises – NYT
The two militaries will train together on disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and maritime security.
INDIA SPENDING: India to Shift Subsidy System - WSJ
Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said India will make a major push to rein in government spending, partly by switching to a system where it delivers subsidies by direct cash transfers, as it aims for a 5.3% fiscal deficit.
U.S./INDIA: Geithner welcomes India’s economic reform – FT
US Treasury secretary lends support to Singh measures
INDIA: Age-Old Fixes for India’s Water – NYT, OP-ED, CHERYL COLOPY
Of all the challenges that face India, few are more pressing than how it manages water.
AFGHANISTAN: Discontent Over Renaming of Kabul College Turns Into Violence – NYT
Rival groups clashed over the decision by the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, to change the name of a teacher-training university in the capital.
S. KOREA/PIRATES: Families of S. Korean Sailors Held by Pirates Ask Seoul for Help - NYT
The families of four South Korean sailors held hostage by Somali pirates for more than 17 months appealed to the government to intervene on their release.
MEXICO: Mexican Navy Believes It Killed Ruthless Gang Kingpin - NYT
The navy said it was conducting forensic tests to identify two men killed on Sunday, one bearing “strong signs” of being Heriberto Lazcano, the leader of the Zetas criminal group.
MEXICO: Mexican Cartel Leader May Be Dead – WSJ
The Mexican navy said the man suspected of leading the Zetas drug cartel has apparently been killed in a firefight with marines in the northern border state of Coahuila.
SCIENCE: French, American Scientists Win Nobel - WSJ
Serge Haroche of France and David J. Wineland of the U.S. shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for devising clever laboratory experiments that made it possible to control ghostly quantum particles.
SCIENCE/NOBEL: Cloning and Stem Cell Work Earns Nobel – NYT
Shinya Yamanaka and John B. Gurdon, the two scientists who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday, helped lay the foundation for regenerative medicine.
MALDIVES: Maldives Ex-President Held – WSJ
The former president of the Maldives was arrested on charges of skipping a court summons, a detention that’s likely to further destabilize the Indian Ocean archipelago.
U.K. ART DESTRUCTION: Man Arrested Over Defaced Painting – WSJ
British authorities have arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of defacing a valuable Mark Rothko canvas with black paint at the Tate Modern museum.
MORE EUROZONE NEWS & ANALYSIS
EUROZONE/FUND: New Euro-Zone Aid Fund Launches – WSJ
The euro zone’s new bailout fund came into operation Monday, almost two years after the currency union first decided to set up a permanent safety net for countries in financial troubles.
EUROZONE/GREECE: IMF, EU Press Greece on Reforms – WSJ
Greece’s official creditors failed to make any visible headway in averting the country’s looming debt crunch, drawing a diplomatic veil over suggestions of heated exchanges at their latest meeting.
EUROZONE/GREECE: Athens Braces for Merkel Visit – WSJ
The Greek capital was bracing for a security clampdown as Prime Minister Samaras welcomed Germany’s Angela Merkel on her first visit since the crisis began.
GERMANY/GREECE: The Greek message for Angela Merkel - GUARDIAN UK
Europe can survive this austerity-induced crisis, but only if it is reshaped for and by the people.
MERKEL/GREECE: Merkel bears no gifts on Greek visit – FT
Chancellor will not promise any more funds.
EU/GREECE/IMF: Greek Creditors at Loggerheads – WSJ
Greece’s creditors disagree on how to tackle the country’s debt crisis, with the International Monetary Fund threatening to stop its financing unless the euro zone accepts restructuring worth tens of billions of euros.
GREEK DEBT: Greece’s Debt Problems Aren’t Going Away – DER SPIEGEL, Stefan Kaiser
Greeks are hoping to hear Chancellor Angela Merkel express solidarity with the crisis-stricken country during her Tuesday visit to Athens. The situation, however, remains dire. If Greece is to remain in the euro zone, either more aid or another debt restructuring program will be necessary — and possibly both.
GREECE/SWISS BANKS: Missing List of Names Widens Greek Political Fissure - NYT
A debate over what became of a list of nearly 2,000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts is rapidly turning into a full-blown political crisis.
EUROZONE/IRELAND: Ireland Plans Bold Measures to Lift Housing – NYT
An initiative that would lower a borrower’s monthly payment could prevent a tide of foreclosures and provide a road map for other troubled countries.
UK/BANKING: Barclays to Buy British Retail Unit from ING – NYT
Barclays has agreed to buy the British savings and loan business of the Dutch firm ING Group as Barclays shifts its focus toward retail banking.
EUROZONE/GERMAN EXPORTS: German Exports Signal Resilience - WSJ
German exports rose sharply in August and industrial output fell only modestly, bolstering hopes that Europe’s largest economy will continue to expand in the third quarter.
MORE GLOBAL ECONOMY NEWS & ANALYSIS
IMF/FORECAST: I.M.F. Lowers Its Forecast for Global Growth - NYT
The fund foresees global growth of 3.3 percent in 2012 and 3.6 percent in 2013, down from the outlook it offered in July.
IMF/FORECAST: IMF cuts global growth forecasts – FT
Outlook provides ammunition to critics of austerity.
IMF/CANADA: Canada Policy Makers Must Contain Housing Risks: IMF - WSJ
Canadian policy makers must ensure risks tied to the housing sector remain contained, and consider further measures to keep a lid on Canadians’ appetite for credit if they continue to take on more debt, the IMF says.
AEROSPACE/DEFENSE: European governments racing to save EADS-BAE merger – WP
Plans to create world’s largest aerospace and defense company must overcome political concerns.
AEROSPACE/DEFENSE: EADS, BAE See Progress on Merger – WSJ
European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. said France and the U.K. had made headway in resolving differences over terms of the company’s proposed merger with BAE Systems.
UK/EDUCATION FUNDING: U.K. Universities Enter Bond Market – WSJ
Universities in the U.K. are confronting the new world of squeezed government budgets by looking to the bond markets to bolster their funding needs.
SWEDEN/EU/BANKS: Swedish lessons for EU bank owners – FT, Dag Detter
It is important to develop a clear protocol to protect taxpayer interests.
SWEDEN/NUCLEAR POWER: Vattenfall Plants Targeted in Nuclear Protest – WSJ
Two nuclear power plants majority-owned by Vattenfall AB, a state-owned Swedish power company, were targeted by Greenpeace activists, about 70 of whom broke into restricted areas.
BRAZIL/COFFEE: Coffee Standoff Tests Growers’ Grit – WSJ
Brazil’s coffee farmers have been hoarding some of their crop, waiting for the right price. But buyers are testing their patience.
TURKEY FORECAST: Turkey Cuts Growth Forecasts - WSJ
Turkey cut its growth forecasts for this year and next citing the sluggish global economy.
JAPAN-CHINA: Japanese Car Sales Plummet in China - NYT
Japanese automakers have cut manufacturing by up to half in China after violent anti-Japanese protests over disputed islands in which Japanese-brand cars and even their owners were targeted.
S.KOREA-MYANMAR: S. Korea, Myanmar agree to launch talks on investment guarantee pact – CFR
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Myanmar President Thein Sein agreed Tuesday to launch negotiations to forge an investment guarantee pact between the two countries to lay the foundation for greater economic cooperation.
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