Topic: National Defense University

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Terrorism & Security
Beijing responds calmly to India missile test

The Chinese government has underscored its desire for cooperation with India, rather than an arms race.
Indonesia backs off plans to hike price of gas after protests

But pressure continues to mount to increase prices from their current, government-subsidized $2 per gallon, as the subsidies sap resources from education, health care, and other programs.
Why Syria's Assad could hang on for a decade or more (+video)

Despite defiant talk from fighters vowing to oust him, Syria's Assad is in a much stronger position than was Libya's Qaddafi.
Iraq after US pullout – not a doomsday scenario

President Obama met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today in Washington to discuss the US-Iraq relationship after the final US combat troop pullout this December. Worried pundits foresee the return of rampant terrorism and insurgency, and an Iranian takeover. They're wrong.
Obama must learn from past mistakes in fight against Uganda's LRA

Obama’s deployment of 100 American military advisers to Uganda could help defeat Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. But things could also go horribly wrong. That's what happened before. Still, the factors that led to past failure can be clearly identified – and hopefully avoided.
Pentagon unveils its new cyberstrategy. Well, some of it, anyway.

The Pentagon – belatedly, perhaps – outlines its 'Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace.' A slim unclassified document emphasizes a defensive posture, leaving many questions unanswered.
A US cyberwar doctrine? Pentagon document seen as first step, and a warning.

A yet-to-be-released Pentagon document on cyberwar reportedly lays out when the US would respond with conventional force to a cyberattack: when infrastructure or military readiness is damaged.
Bin Laden raid: A model for how US should fight Afghanistan war?

The US is now waging a troop-heavy counterinsurgency to win Afghan hearts and minds. But the bin Laden raid has boosted critics, who say the Afghanistan war should involve smaller forces and a greater reliance on targeted strikes.
Democracy pushback in Egypt: revolution was the starting point, not finish line

Democracy activists in Egypt are on the defensive after a series of authoritarian crackdowns. Pushback is a common trait of democratic transitions. Yet democratic reforms are vital if Egypt is to achieve real social and economic progress. Reformers must organize quickly, for the long-term.
The Obama Doctrine is bad foreign policy

In his speech about Libya last night, President Obama articulated his thinking about intervention quite clearly – and it's quite clearly unacceptable.
Obama's Libya speech: Did it outline where intervention is headed?

President Obama emphasized humanitarian goals in Libya and made it clear he wants the Qaddafi regime to fall. But he also insisted that regime change was not a goal of the coalition action, per se.
Obama lays out rationale for war in Libya

Until now, President Obama has been reluctant to make a major speech on Libya. Now, he's scheduled to speak on the Libya mission Monday, previewed in his Saturday radio address.
America's best agents in Cairo: US-trained Egyptian officers

Pentagon training of foreign military officers in the US may be the best investment in democracy. Thousands of Egyptian officers have been exposed to US democratic values, Will those officers now stick with Mubarak?
US State Department tells employees not to read WikiLeaks

The US State Department has pushed employees toward "digital diplomacy" with Twitter and iPhone apps, but the department has banned all employees from using WikiLeaks.
Rogue security companies threaten US gains in Afghanistan war

The Pentagon is dependent upon contractors in the Afghanistan war. But many of the security companies are undermining – or even working against –the US war effort.
Obama's Iraq speech: Can he address opposite views of the war?

Obama's Iraq speech Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET will be a balancing act. The majority of Americans say the Iraq war was a mistake, but others say this isn't the time to end the US combat role.
China military exercise not aimed at US and South Korea, Chinese officials say

China military exercise in the East China Sea was not a provocation at the US and South Korea, according to Chinese officials.
Iran, Russia, China beat a path to Latin America's door

Recent visits to Latin America by China's Hu Jintao and Russia'a Dmitry Medvedev underscore how sometime US rivals are competing for business and geopolitical influence in the US's backyard.
In Brazil, Hu Jintao aims for bigger piece of Latin America trade

A meeting between Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and China's President Hu Jintao is expected to strengthen the two nations' growing economic ties. China already trumps the US as Brazil's top trading partner.
Why Brazil signed a military agreement with the US

For the first time in three decades, the US and Brazil have a military agreement. Brazil is shopping for 36 new fighter jets, and the US is trying to counter growing Russian and Iranian influence in Latin America.
Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, does Washington see the lurking threats against America?

Though focused on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US must mind other trouble spots.
NATO renewal requires European courage on Afghanistan

NATO reform can’t come fast enough. European leaders must step up and persuade the public of the importance of the Afghan mission and the threat of Al Qaeda.
US arms sales to Taiwan stifle US-China military engagement

To protest the US's arms sales to Taiwan, China halted contact between the two nations' militaries, which has expanded in recent months to include study tours and naval exercises. China also threatened Tuesday to retaliate against US companies involved in the arms sales.
China tests anti-missile technology after US sells Taiwan missiles

China tested emerging military technology that targets missiles mid-air. The test comes after China's public discontent over the US selling missiles to Taiwan last week.
CIA killings in Afghanistan spotlight Jordan as key US intelligence partner

The death of Jordanian Army Capt. Sharif Ali bin Zeid alongside American CIA operatives in Afghanistan – and the fact that the attacker was a Jordanian double agent – has forced the US-Jordanian partnership into the open.