Resources - News

This section includes the latest news relating to U.S. security policy around the world. Updated daily, the news provided in this searchable database highlights the most relevant security developments from around the world. 

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Crime in Mexico, Central America Joins War in Driving People From their Homes

Thursday, May 7, 2015
A report by the Norwegian Refugee Council underscored escalating criminal violence by gangs and drug cartels forcing hundreds of thousands to abandon their homes in Mexico and Central America. Criminal violence drove more than a half million people from their homes in two countries, Guatemala and El Salvador. Crime also drove an estimated 281,400 from their homes in Mexico. English
Country(s): 
Central America Regional
Author(s): 
John Zarocostas
Publisher / Source: 
SunHerald.com
Tag(s): 
Migration
Human Rights

Outsized Risks Face Peru's Expendable Cocaine Couriers

Thursday, May 7, 2015
Sixty percent of Peru's cocaine comes from the remote Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro river valley, and the backpackers trek for three to five days to deliver cocaine to traffickers who move the drugs on for export. The young men often become victims of the armed gangs, crooked police, and rival backpacker groups.English
Country(s): 
Peru
Author(s): 
Franklin Briceno
Frank Bajak
Publisher / Source: 
ABC News
Wire Service: 
AP
Tag(s): 
Drug Trade

Georgia-United States Pledge Future Cooperation

Thursday, May 7, 2015
The bond between Georgia and the United States (US) is strengthening, as the US side confirmed it intended to continue cooperating with Georgia in a range of sectors at a bilateral meeting between country officials today.English
Country(s): 
Georgia
Publisher / Source: 
Agenda.ge
Tag(s): 
Military
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy

Taliban Fears over Young Recruits Attracted to ISIS in Afghanistan

Thursday, May 7, 2015
Foreign fighters who claim allegiance to Islamic State are gathering dozens of recruits in eastern Afghanistan, luring would-be jihadis with generous resources and the group’s powerful brand, according to a Taliban fighter who has met several of their commanders.English
Country(s): 
Afghanistan
Author(s): 
Emma Graham-Harrison
Publisher / Source: 
The Guardian
Tag(s): 
Terrorism
Terrorism

ISIL in Afghanistan? Not so Fast

Thursday, May 7, 2015
While officials both inside and outside of Kabul have nervously been looking for signs that ISIL would seek to turn Afghanistan into its next battlefield, there is little evidence of a substantive presence of the group in the country.English
Country(s): 
Afghanistan
Author(s): 
Olof Blomqvist
Publisher / Source: 
Al Jazeera English
Tag(s): 
Terrorism
Terrorism

Turkmenistan Hosts Central Asia Meeting on Illicit Drugs

Thursday, May 7, 2015
Turkmen President hosted an event focused on regional cooperation and coordination to counter the problem of illicit drugs in Central Asia. A regional anti-drug trafficking pact known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was renewed at the meeting.English
Country(s): 
Turkmenistan
Publisher / Source: 
The Times of Central Asia (TCA)
Tag(s): 
Drug Policy
Counternarcotics

Kurdish Leader Backs Off Demand That Weapons Be Supplied Directly to Kurdistan

Thursday, May 7, 2015
The president of Kurdistan’s regional government on Wednesday backed off a long-held demand that the United States directly supply arms to the northern Iraqi region he heads in the war against Islamic State extremists, otherwise known as ISIS.
Country(s): 
Iraq
Author(s): 
John Hudson
Publisher / Source: 
Foreign Policy
Tag(s): 
Terrorism

Fuel Shortage Leads to Yemen Hospital Shutdowns

Thursday, May 7, 2015
A Saudi Arabian-led coalition has been bombing Yemen for six weeks in a bid to force the pro-Iranian Houthi militia to give up power. It has also imposed stringent restrictions on imports, including fuel.English
Country(s): 
Yemen
Author(s): 
Almigdad Mojalli
Publisher / Source: 
IRIN
Tag(s): 
Foreign Aid
Conflict

Aid Needs in Yemen Are Dire, Kerry Says

Thursday, May 7, 2015
Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that a humanitarian crisis in Yemen was growing “more dire by the day” and that he would discuss plans with officials in Saudi Arabia to halt the Saudi-led bombing campaign in order to allow the delivery of food, medicine and other aid.
Country(s): 
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Author(s): 
Kareem Fahim
Publisher / Source: 
The New York Times
Tag(s): 
Foreign Aid

U.S. Allies Cleared to Buy Arms Worth $3.5 Billion

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
The State Department has approved five arms deals worth nearly $3.5 billion for U.S. allies in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, two regions of intense focus for the Pentagon.
Country(s): 
Middle East and North Africa Regional
Author(s): 
Marcus Weisgerber
Publisher / Source: 
Defense One
Tag(s): 
Arms Sales

U.S. Official Praises Honduras Efforts to Combat Drug Trafficking

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
A top US military official has lauded Honduras' efforts to combat drug trafficking, saying the country is no longer among the principal transit points for cocaine heading to the United States. But there are reasons to be skeptical of such a rosy outlook. English
Country(s): 
Honduras
Author(s): 
David Gagne
Publisher / Source: 
InSight Crime
Tag(s): 
Counternarcotics
Drug Trade

On World Press Freedom Day, the Office of the Special Rapporteur Calls the States to Refrain from Using Criminal Laws to Silence Voices of Criticism

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
On the World Press Freedom Day, to be held this May 3, the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) calls on states to refrain from using the criminal law to silence criticism.English
Country(s): 
Guatemala
Brazil
Honduras
Chile
Publisher / Source: 
Organization of American States
Tag(s): 
Human Rights

Crossing the Darién Gap: U.S.-Bound Migrants Marooned in Panama Jungle

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Rrahim is part of a small but rapidly increasing number of migrants taking this potentially perilous path through Panama. Their journeys to North America often span continents and pass through the Darién Gap, one of the most dangerous regions of Central America.English
Country(s): 
Panama
Author(s): 
Joe Jackson
Publisher / Source: 
Al Jazeera America
Tag(s): 
Migration

U.S. Congressional Delegation Visits Soto Cano Air Base, Views Stabilization Efforts

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
A delegation consisting of Congressman Austin Scott, representing Georgia's 8th District, Congressman Marc Veasey, representing Texas' 33rd District, and Ambassador James Nealon, U.S. Ambassador to Honduras, visited Soto Cano Air Base May 04, 2015, to learn about Joint Task Force-Bravo's support to the broader U.S. and partner nation stabilization efforts in Central America. English
Country(s): 
Honduras
Publisher / Source: 
Joint Task Force - Bravo (Honduras)
Tag(s): 
Foreign Policy
Security Assistance

Guatemalan Drug 'Queen of the South' Jailed in U.S.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
A Guatemalan woman who ran one of the largest drug trafficking and money laundering rings in Central America has been sentenced in secret in the US.English
Country(s): 
Guatemala
Publisher / Source: 
BBC (UK)
Tag(s): 
Drug Trade
Counternarcotics

U.S. Marines Visit Women's Shelter in Republic of Georgia

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
The Marines of Georgian Deployment Program- Resolute Support Mission volunteered their time to help at the KERA Women’s Shelter, in Tbilisi, Georgia, April 26, 2015. English
Country(s): 
Georgia
Author(s): 
Sgt. Jason Stender
Publisher / Source: 
U.S. Marine Corps
Tag(s): 
Foreign Policy

Azerbaijan Cracks Down on Human Rights Before Hosting European Games

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
After Azerbaijan was nominated to host the inaugural European Games in 2015, Rasul Jafarov began planning the “Sports for Rights” campaign to draw international attention to political repressions in the oil-rich Caspian Sea country.English
Country(s): 
Azerbaijan
Author(s): 
Isabel Gorst
Publisher / Source: 
The Irish Times (Ireland)
Tag(s): 
Human Rights

Uzbekistan's Long-Persecuted Bukhara Jews

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Bukhara was once a focal point on the Great Silk Road, a powerhouse of Islamic learning. It was also the capital of one of the world's oldest and most isolated Jewish communities that barely survived centuries of persecution and is now facing extinction because of an exodus to Israel and the United States.English
Country(s): 
Uzbekistan
Author(s): 
Mansur Mirovalev
Publisher / Source: 
Al Jazeera English (Qatar)
Tag(s): 
Human Rights

How Serious are Guinea Protests?

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
There appears to be little appetite for the Guinean opposition’s promised campaign of civil disobedience. However, deep-rooted ethnic tensions, suspicions over Ebola and simmering resentment for the security forces could still see pre-election protests boil over.English
Country(s): 
Guinea
Author(s): 
Karim Camara
Jennifer Lazuta
Publisher / Source: 
IRIN
Tag(s): 
Security
Human Rights

CAR Militias Agree to Free Child Soldiers

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
The U.N. Children’s Fund reports leaders of armed groups in the Central African Republic have agreed to release all child soldiers under their control and to end future recruitment.English
Country(s): 
Central African Republic
Author(s): 
Lisa Schlein
Publisher / Source: 
Voice of America
Tag(s): 
Human Rights

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