The World Heats Up: North Korean and Chinese, Persian Gulf Political Union, Germany and Pirate Party
North Korea: Detention of Chinese Fishermen Sends Dangerous Signal North Korea’s bizarre decision to seize three Chinese fishing boats and mistreat their crews is an indication that Pyongyang’s unpredictable policies of provocation and intimidation will continue under new leader Kim Jong Un. This incident suggests the potential for additional and [...]
South China Sea Aggression, U.S. Mexico Economic Relations
South China Sea: New Chinese Aggression Escalates Tensions Tensions in the oil-rich South China Sea are likely to rise with China deploying an oil rig and increasing its naval presence in disputed territorial waters. China shows no signs of letting the United Nations or any other international forum arbitrate the [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: South China Sea Aggression, U.S. Mexico Economic Relations
Lignet Update: Sarkozy Hopes Fades, Spain’s Default, Algerian Instability
France: After Debate, Sarkozy’s Hopes Fade Last night in Paris, President Nicolas Sarkozy faced his challenger, Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, in a heated televised debate. It was the last big opportunity for Sarkozy to convince French voters that Hollande would prove a disaster for France if he were elected. In [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Algerian Instability, Lignet Update: Sarkozy Hopes Fades, Spain's Default
Lignet Update: UK Tries Counseling For Would Be Terrorists, Argentina’s Oil Seizure, China Bo Xilai Scandal
Can Counselors Cure Would-Be Terrorists? The UK Gives It a Try Andy Polk, director of LIGNET’s London office, said this week in an interview that while the United States and the UK cooperate in fighting homegrown terrorism, the UK has more experience with radical ideologies, and a more targeted way [...]
Lignet Update: Sarkozy Could Win, Syria Violence Continues, Nigeria Oil Companies
France: Sarkozy Could Still Win In the first round of voting on Sunday to decide who will become the next president of France, the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande, came in first with 28.6 percent of the vote, followed closely by current president Nicolas Sarkozy at 27.2 percent. Although polls indicate [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Lignet Update: Sarkozy Could Win, Nigeria Oil Companies, Syria Violence Continues
Lone Wolves Threat To U.S.?, South China Sea Dispute, Egypt Candidate Disqualifications
Are Lone Wolves Now the Biggest Threat to the U.S.? Tom Sanderson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told LIGNET this week that he considers “lone wolves” — individuals working alone to commit acts of terror — a very serious threat to the West, and one that’s not [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Egypt Candidate Disqualifications, Lone Wolves Threat To U.S.?, South China Sea Dispute
Indias Long Range Missile Test, Arab Spring Survivor, Jordans Monarchy
India’s Long-Range Missile Test Alarms China The successful test launch of a new Indian nuclear-capable missile that gives New Delhi the ability to strike Beijing and Shanghai for the first time will be a source of considerable consternation in China. The launch also will distract from U.S. efforts to keep [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Arab Spring Survivor, Indias Long Range Missile Test, Jordans Monarchy
Burma To Be Democratic? Lignet Reports
Burma: Inching Towards Democracy Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was one of 43 members of the National League for Democracy party elected to Burma’s parliament on April 1. Her party swept the elections, only failing to win one of the 44 seats it contested. But [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Burma To Be Democratic? Lignet Reports
LIGNET: Global Jihad, Nuclear Summit Fails, Philippine Government Using Smart Bombs
Brookings Scholar: Global Jihad Is Spreading Daniel Byman, author of the 2007 book “The Five Front War: The Better Way to Fight Global Jihad,” told LIGNET this week that while the fight against Al Qaeda is going “reasonably well,” the bigger picture is “troubling,” with jihad spreading and more people [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: LIGNET: Global Jihad, Nuclear Summit Fails, Philippine Government Using Smart Bombs
LIGNET: Toulouse Shootings In France, Conflict with Iran Preparations, Burmas Future Brightening
Toulouse Shootings Suggest France Mishandling Radical Islamists France appears to have badly mishandled the case of Mohammed Merah, the gunman responsible for the school killings in Toulouse last week. Despite numerous signs of radical Islamist leanings — including being placed on the U.S. no-fly list, claiming he had been trained [...]
LIGNET: Cuba and The Pope, Dershowitz On Israel – Iran, UK and Libya Influence
Cuba: The Pope’s Dilemma in Dealing with the Castro Brothers Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Cuba today for a two-day visit to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, an icon venerated by Cuban Catholics. Even before the Pope’s arrival, controversy erupted over [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Dershowitz On Israel - Iran, LIGNET: Cuba and The Pope, UK and Libya Influence
LIGNET Update: False Political Unrest In China, Sudan Crisis
China: Coup Rumors False, New Political Turmoil The illusion of a unified and stable Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was dispelled this past week as once powerful leaders were purged in the greatest political turmoil China has suffered since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. The tension is so palpable that [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: LIGNET Update: False Political Unrest In China, Sudan Crisis
LIGNET Update: Turmoil In Libya, Algeria Tuareg Rebellion, China and Hong Kong Election
Libya: Turmoil Persists But With A Glimmer of Hope After the residents of eastern Libya earlier this month expressed their desire to separate themselves from the rest of the population and declared “semi-autonomy,” it appears that the oil rich country once held together by the brutal strength of Muammar Qadaffi [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Algeria Tuareg Rebellion, China and Hong Kong Election, LIGNET Update: Turmoil In Libya
LIGNET Update: Cyber Pearl Harbor, Obamas Pacific Pivot
A “Cyber Pearl Harbor”: A Real and Growing Threat In recent years, a wave of highly sophisticated computer viruses and cyber attacks has created new security threats that policymakers and analysts are just beginning to understand. The greatest concern is that the United States will be suddenly struck by a [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: LIGNET Update: Cyber Pearl Harbor, Obamas Pacific Pivot
LIGNET Update: North Korea Missile Launch, Syria Stalemate, China Trade War
North Korea: Missile Launch Shows Continued Regime Belligerence North Korea’s announcement last week that it will use a long-range rocket to place a satellite into orbit surprised some Western observers since it came so soon after Pyongyang’s February 29 agreement to freeze missile testing and some nuclear activity in exchange for 240,000 [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: China Trade War, LIGNET Update: North Korea Missile Launch, Syria Stalemate
LIGNET: Iran The War That Has Already Begun, Venezuela – Hugo Chavez Health, Morocco Sluggish Reforms
Iran: The Virtual War That’s Already Begun As the possibility of armed conflict with Iran looms over the Middle East, a different war is already in full gear. The Internet has become a key battleground in the ongoing standoff between Tehran and the West with each side fighting for the [...]
LIGNET Update: Africa Tensions and Kony, Serbia and Kosovo Relations
Africa: Regional Tensions Complicate Hunt for Joseph Kony Regional bickering combined with lack of resolve continue to hamper the ability of central African nations to eliminate the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and apprehend its leader Joseph Kony. Despite receiving U.S. assistance to combat the LRA last year, the African [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: LIGNET Update: Africa Tensions and Kony, Serbia and Kosovo Relations
LIGNET Update: Syria’s Secret Nuclear Program, Egypt Jockey For Power
The Secret Threat from Syria’s Nuclear Weapons Program The United States must start thinking about how to secure Syria’s nuclear program and to locate the missing uranium and nuclear weapons-related technology of the program before they can find their way into the hands of the Iranians or terrorist groups, LIGNET [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Egypt Jockey For Power, LIGNET Update: Syria's Secret Nuclear Program
LIGNET Update: Turkey and The West, Egypt Muslims Jockey For Power
Turkey’s Careful Walk With the West Omer Taspinar, director of the Turkey Project at the Brookings Institution, says Turkey believes diplomacy is what’s needed now in dealing with Iran, not sanctions or military action. Click Here to Read Full Analysis. Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Jockeys For Power Last weekend, Egypt’s parliament [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Egypt Muslims Jockey For Power, LIGNET Update: Turkey and The West
LIGNET Update: Japans Nuclear Program, Spain Walks, Israel/Balkans
Japan: Political Paralysis Clouds Future of Nuclear Energy One year after a devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck northern Japan and killed over 19,000, profound questions remain about the future of nuclear energy in Japan. The tsunami destroyed four nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power station [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Israel/Balkans, LIGNET Update: Japans Nuclear Program, Spain Walks
LIGNET Update: Apple – Risk Vs. Reward Strategy
Risk and Reward: A New Strategy for Apple That Just Might Work Patent litigation battles over smartphone and tablet technology have become a global turf war that could threaten the dominance of industry leader Apple Inc. (APPL). As Apple finds itself embroiled in legal skirmishes from Germany to South Korea, [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: LIGNET Update: Apple - Risk Vs. Reward Strategy
LIGNET Update: U.S. Energy Security, Iran/Pakistan Sanctions, Netanyahu Presses PM Harper
Senator Vitter: U.S. Energy Security Begins at Home Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana says Americans are right to complain that the United States is often pulled into situations in the Middle East because of our reliance on foreign oil, and says the one thing the country should do to prevent [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Iran/Pakistan Sanctions, LIGNET Update: U.S. Energy Security, Netanyahu Presses PM Harper
LIGNET: Red Time On Iran Nuclear Program, 4 Wrong Assumptions About Taliban Talks
Hoekstra: Bring in Red Team on Iran Nuclear Program Expressing serious concerns about the objectivity and quality of the U.S. intelligence community’s analysis, Peter Hoekstra, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is calling for a red team — an independent panel of experts — to review the information on [...]
LIGNET Update: Irans Spin, Pakistan Election, Mexico Oil
Bolton, Ledeen and Rubin: Don’t Believe the Spin on Iran’s Elections Ambassadors, scholars and Michael Rubin tell LIGNET that the March 2 Iranian parliamentary elections appear to have been another exercise in corruption that will continue hard-line policies to advance Iran’s nuclear program, defying the international community and threatening security [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: LIGNET Update: Irans Spin, Mexico Oil, Pakistan Election
LIGNET Update: Peter Hoekstra, Obama on Arabia, Afghan Peace Talks, North Sea Oil Investments
Peter Hoekstra: Obama Trying to Bury Ugly Side of Arab Spring Peter Hoekstra, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says the Obama Administration is trying to “bury the ugly side” of the Arab Spring by staying silent on the persecution of religious minorities. Click Here to Read Full Analysis. [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: Afghan Peace Talks, LIGNET Update: Peter Hoekstra, North Sea Oil Investments, Obama on Arabia
LIGNET Update: North Korean Food Deal, Putin Re-election, Tunisia and More.
Was U.S. Food Aid Deal with North Korea a Wasted Bribe? North Korea will receive 240,000 tons of food aid from the United States in return for halting weapons tests and allowing inspectors back into one of its nuclear facilities in a deal announced on February 28. The agreement was hailed [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: LIGNET Update: North Korean Food Deal, Putin Re-election, Tunisia and More.
LIGNET Update: Somalia, China Crackdown
Somalia: Can International Support Fix the Somalia Problem? The international community is rallying around Somalia in an attempt to bring an end to chronic instability, famine, and violence at the hands of al-Shabaab militants in East Africa’s most volatile nation. Beneath a flurry of foreign military support, humanitarian aid, and [...]
Categories: LIGNET Tags: China Crackdown, LIGNET Update: Somalia
