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The Rundown 09/23/13
The Rundown 09/23/13
Global warming? Peace in our time?) yesterday, the German election season came to a close, once again reaffirming the German dictum that "Everything has an end; only the sausage has two." Best, Your AEI Foreign and Defense Policy Studies team
In the News
Kenya
This weekend, the Somalia-based al Shabaab terrorist group exhibited its strength, keeping Kenyan forces at bay through two days of coordinated counter-attacks at Nairobis Westgate Shopping Mall. In an op-ed published this morning in CNN's Global Public Square, "We are losing the fight against al Shabaab," AEI's Critical Threats Project senior analyst Katherine Zimmerman writes, "The rising death toll from al Shabaab's bloody attack is a tragic reminder that US strategy against al Qaeda, claims of success notwithstanding, is not working." Visit the Critical Threats Project's Somalia page for primers and the latest analysis on al Shabaab. In recent weeks, Zimmerman has examined various challenges to America's counterterrorism strategy against the terrorist group, the state of al Shabaab after Kismayo, and the latest news coming out of the Gulf of Aden.
lifted hundreds of millions from poverty and tyranny, that has freed trade and innovation and meant that far from fighting wars, most nations have chosen to live in peace. That is the world as we know and like, and though some suggest it is time for someone else to don the mantle of leadership, the reality is that there is no nation and no people exceptional enough to do it for so long, or so well, or with so little regard to their own aggrandizement or enrichment.
Defense
Senior Republican senators have announced that negotiations with the White House about a fiscal deal to address sequestration have broken down. Last Thursday, Bill Greenwalt testified in front of the Committee on Homeland Securitys Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency on the Department of Homeland Securitys acquisition practices. Click here to watch the full video of his testimony and to read his prepared remarks. The fifth National Security Outlook in a series about the defense capabilities of Americas allies and security partners was rolled out last week. "NATO at sea: Trends in allied naval power" argues that as US armed forces are increasingly focused on the Asia-Pacific region, there are growing concerns as to whether the navies of Americas continental allies are up to meeting the challenges arising from the general unrest on Europes eastern and southern maritime flanks.
Asia
China criticized Japan on Monday for its intention to install an American military radar system to monitor North Korean missile launches. A public debate about a US military strategy for China is most welcome. While the debate's particulars are important, it is equally significant that the US national security community is now openly discussing ways to deter Chinese aggression and defeat it should deterrence fail. Dan Blumenthal does just that in his latest op-ed for Foreign Policy, A Sino-American proxy war? He maintains, If Washington is now more or less settled on a policy of engaging China while balancing its power and hedging against greater aggression, it is incumbent upon national security leaders to think as much about the balance and hedge part of the equation as they do the engage side. Last week's Rundown teased Michael Mazza's latest for the National Interest on recent developments in the South China Sea. Click here to get your fill of reading on China-Philippines relations, new construction in the Spratlys, and Vietnam's air force upgrades.
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